Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) Scientist

OPEN TO ALL QUALIFIED US CITIZENS.

This announcement will be accepting candidate submissions until 11:45 PM CST, 9 October 2026.

The Air Force Research Laboratory Air Warfare Directorate seeks to hire a Principal Computer Scientist (DR-1550-04) to lead all aspects of AI/ML usage in a fast-paced research organization spanning predictive, generative, and autonomous agentic AI. As a senior AI/ML scientist, you will lead the design, development, and deployment of research solutions to solve complex technical research and business problems. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to extract insights from structured and unstructured data, improve data quality and drive strategic decision-making.

This position is part of a multi-functional branch which includes Digital Engineering, Data, AI/ML and IT infrastructure responsible for enabling over 600 scientists and engineers to accelerate their state-of-the-art research to produce weapon systems for warfighter success in defense of our country. We are looking for a skilled data scientist to help us accelerate our research processes to achieve the 5th paradigm of research with AI.

The job involves executing duties in close coordination with senior engineers, scientists and coordinating at the Branch, Division and higher echelons inside and outside of the Directorate to ensure seamless mission operations.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Orchestrating a multidisciplinary team of military, civilian and contractor scientists, engineers and program managers to advance research using AI tools and developing ways to upskill the workforce.
• Serves as a senior technical authority advising leadership on AI/ML architectures, frontier models, and pipeline scaling for advanced research capabilities in the cloud and on premise.
• Architect, train, evaluate, and operationalize novel machine learning models (LLMs, Computer vision, Edge AI, reinforcement learning) for mission systems and decision-support platforms.
• The ideal candidate will have at least 10 years' experience leading science and technology, research and development in the area of AI/ML.

• US Citizenship.
• Must possess at least 1 year of specialized experience at the next lower grade (DR-03 or GS-14 equivalent).
• Must meet OPM qualification standards for the 1550 occupational series - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/computer-science-series-1550/.
• Must possess a Bachelor's degree in computer science or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. (ABET) https://amspub.abet.org/aps/name-search?searchType=institution.
• Must hold or be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance and the position could be upgraded to a TS clearnace, if needed.
• This position is an Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP) position requiring Practitioner Non-Critical certification in Engineering & Technology Management. The selectee will have 60 months to meet APDP requirements. Applicants for this position must list any acquisition certifications in their resume.

• Master’s Degree or PhD in appropriate career field.
• Experience working with the Department of War research community.
• Proven experience developing, planning, and executing long-range science and technology roadmaps for AI/ML integration across diverse engineering domains including contracting actions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead people, build consensus, and identify and resolve conflicts/problems with the workforce.
• Ability to motivate, develop, and grow technical teams.
• Demonstrated success leading cross‑functional teams or enterprise‑level initiatives to resolve technical or warfighter challenges.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Resume requirement: Resume may not exceed two pages, and font size should be no smaller than 10pts.

Instructions on how to submit your resume are provided in the automated email you will receive once you apply.

Requisition Number 49675