Associate AI/ML Engineer

Standard Job Description Spectrum Systems Lab (SSL) is seeking an entry‑level AI/ML engineer with the flexibility to incorporate and apply cutting‑edge research to a variety of problems. As an engineer on our SSL team, you will have the opportunity to design new algorithms and toolsets to address spectrum challenges, augment existing solutions with data‑driven ML approaches, and integrate best‑practice ML operations into an end‑to‑end architecture for our customers and stakeholders. We pride ourselves on the flexibility we give our engineers to pursue research that interests them and on providing opportunities for engineers to grow and learn about what others in the lab are doing.

About the role

This position involves designing, coding, and verifying cognitive software and systems for state‑of‑the‑art digital/RF receivers, transmitters, and electronic warfare (EW) systems, supporting research projects, participating in large‑scale field tests, and assisting in business acquisition by proposing modern AI/ML solutions.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement scalable data‑engineering pipelines for automated analysis of machine‑learning, sensor‑processing, and target‑tracking research prototypes over large data sets.
• Design, code, and verify cognitive software and systems for state‑of‑the‑art digital/RF receivers, transmitters, and EW systems.
• Support research projects to innovate and provide novel state‑of‑the‑art solutions in areas such as parameter estimation, reinforcement learning, and generative AI.
• Participate in large‑scale field tests on ground, sea, and air assets, assisting with system deployment, data collection, and post‑test analysis.
• Assist in the acquisition of new business by proposing modern‑day solutions to customer problems and advocating for the robustness, explainability, and generalizability of AI/ML solutions.

Basic Qualifications

• Education – Bachelor’s degree (M.S. preferred) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a closely related field from an accredited university.
• Early‑career experience (0‑2 years) in AI/ML research, software and/or embedded design, development and testing, or a related field.
• Programming experience in one or more of the following languages: Python, C++, Rust, or MATLAB.
• Data‑preprocessing proficiency, including exploratory data analysis (EDA), data‑visualization tools, building ETL pipelines, and feature‑engineering techniques.
• Deep‑learning implementation experience with frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Keras, or comparable libraries.
• End‑to‑end ML lifecycle knowledge: designing experiments, selecting models, hyper‑parameter tuning, and rigorous evaluation of results.
• Modern DevSecOps familiarity, encompassing CI/CD pipelines, containerization, automated testing, and security‑by‑design practices.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills; proven ability to work effectively in multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Ability to obtain a Secret‑level security clearance (Top‑Secret preferred).

Desired Skills

• Research & Innovation experience communicating complex technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Interest in researching state‑of‑the‑art technologies (e.g., AI‑enhanced radar, next‑gen EW).
• General domain awareness in RF (Radio Frequency), DSP (Digital Signal Processing), and SDR (Software Defined Radio) domains.
• Experience in image‑processing techniques (satellite imagery, electro/optical imagery, synthetic aperture radar).
• Awareness of multi‑agent systems and control algorithms (multi‑agent reinforcement learning, particle swarm, consensus algorithms).
• Awareness of electronic support measures (ESM), electronic warfare (EW) resource management, and radar signal processing.
• Understanding of modern wireless communication techniques and protocols.
• Awareness of data fusion and multi‑object tracking techniques.

Pay

$61,500.00 – $116,455.00

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision coverage
• Flexible work arrangements and schedules (e.g., 4×10)
• 401(k) match
• Paid time off, holidays, and parental leave
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Education Assistance
• Life Insurance
• Short‑Term Disability
• Long‑Term Disability
• Annual short‑term and/or long‑term incentive compensation programs (non‑guaranteed, performance‑based)
• For Washington state applicants only: accrue 6.67 hours of vacation per month (up to 52 hours annually), up to 52 hours of sick leave annually, and at least 96 hours for holidays; PTO, vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are prorated based on start date.