Senior AI​/ML Engineer; Leawood, KS & Arlington, VA

Overview

Torch.

AI is a defense-focused AI‑software company on a mission to become the leading provider of critical data infrastructure for U.S. Defense and National Security. We deliver advanced AI and data software capabilities directly to customer mission owners to meet flexible, user‑defined specifications and enable a decision advantage for the warfighter. Our team is passionate about solving complex problems that improve national security, support our warfighters, and protect our nation.

As a Senior AI/ML Engineer you will build software that scales across Torch.

AI’s platform. Your code will advance back‑end data orchestration and graph‑compute capabilities to deliver elegant data and intelligence products for mission‑critical customer programs. You will work autonomously while driving coordinated, collaborative decisions across cross‑functional teams composed of defense experts, veterans, business leaders, and experienced software engineers.

• Design and implement ML models and pipelines for production systems, focusing on NLP, embeddings, and transformer‑based architectures.
• Lead the development of retrieval‑augmented generation and tool‑using AI agents, evaluating frameworks such as Lang Chain, Haystack, CrewAI, or comparable solutions.
• Guide and contribute to the MLOps lifecycle, including model versioning, deployment, monitoring, and observability.
• Work with software and data engineers to ensure scalable, reliable ML infrastructure and pipelines.
• Serve as a technical leader across projects: setting architectural direction, mentoring junior engineers, and driving design and review processes.
• Collaborate with technical architects and executive stakeholders to translate business goals into technical strategies.
• Lead research efforts on vector similarity search, graph‑based RAG, and domain‑specific model optimization.
• Contribute to cross‑functional initiatives involving cloud architecture, data pipelines, and platform reliability.

• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of software development or machine learning experience, with 3+ years in applied NLP/ML systems.
• Advanced proficiency in Python and experience with ML libraries such as Hugging Face Transformers, spaCy, and scikit‑learn.
• Deep understanding of LLMs, embeddings, and semantic search techniques.
• Proven track record of delivering ML models to production, including data preparation, evaluation, and deployment.
• Strong understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and distributed data storage (S3, GCS, Postgre
  
  SQL).
• Experience with containerization, orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes), and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience in the defense industry or related sectors is a plus.
• Ability to convey complex technical concepts to stakeholders.
• Awareness of ethical considerations and responsible AI practices.
• Strong problem‑solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment.

Some roles require a Secret, Top Secret, or Top Secret/SCI clearance on Day 1. If you do not currently hold a clearance but are eligible for one, we encourage you to apply.

Leawood, KS headquarters and remote positions in the Arlington, VA region. Remote Arlington candidates may work remotely, while remote Leawood candidates may require limited travel to customer sites (