Senior AI​/ML Researcher; TS​/SCI

Vantor is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next. Vantor is a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters—where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can:
Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world.

Export Control/ITAR: Certain roles may be subject to U.S. export control laws, requiring U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Please review the job details below.

Do you enjoy turning real-world problems into mathematical solutions and applying AI/ML to geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) data? We tackle our customers’ toughest challenges with innovative approaches and custom tools. We’re seeking an experienced AI/ML researcher to work across the full workflow—from data acquisition and model development to pipeline evaluation, application prototyping, and hardware-based solution implementation.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to multi-discipline AI/ML research teams using multi-INT data (with emphasis on GEOINT) to design, implement, and evaluate machine learning solutions.
• Engineer and transform diverse data types to support all phases of the AI/ML workflow.
• Architect, develop, and integrate novel AI/ML models (e.g., computer vision, semantic activity detection, geospatial analytics, signal processing).
• Design, implement, and assess edge-based AI/ML solutions across hardware and software stacks.
• Stay current on AI/ML advances from industry and academia, applying them to government mission challenges.
• Provide subject matter expertise, mentoring, and strategic advice to government and internal teams on AI/ML trends, approaches, and delivery strategies.
• Communicate progress, results, risks, and challenges to government clients, partners, and project leadership.
• Support program execution by integrating diverse data science skillsets, managing sprint projections, assessing risks, and occasionally traveling for meetings and demonstrations.

Minimum Qualifications :

• Must be a U.S. citizen with an active TS/SCI and the ability to obtain a CI polygraph.
• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Science, Applied Geography, or related field, with 7+ years of experience designing, developing, testing, and deploying AI/ML models across diverse data types.
• Minimum 2 years of experience with synthetic training data generation, low-shot learning, and robust ML, as well as cloud-based platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) and AI/ML services (e.g., Sage Maker, Watson Studio).
• Experience working with remote sensing and GEOINT datasets, including EO, RF, and SAR imagery, and familiarity with government collection platforms.
• Ability to work effectively with geographically distributed teams and onsite in Herndon, VA or Westminster, CO.
• Strong communication skills demonstrated through technical writing (e.g., proposals, white papers, academic publications) and speaking engagements (e.g., briefings, conference presentations), with excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications :

• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Data Science, Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Science, Applied Geography, or a related field.
• Proficiency with the Python data science stack (e.g., numpy, pandas, matplotlib, sklearn) and geospatial libraries (e.g., gdal, geopandas, shapely).
• Experience with deep learning algorithms for image science (e.g., YOLO, SSD, Detect Net) and containerization platforms (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes, Open Shift, Cloud Foundry).
• Strong background working in Linux environments and using version control tools such as Git and Git Lab.
• Ability to design and implement compute hardware and infrastructure…