Artificial Intelligence Engineer

Position Title

GenAI Developer

Key Required Skills

The ideal candidate is passionate about understanding and experimenting with AI technologies that benefit society while minimizing risks.

Position Description

• Develop high-performing applications that meet the requirements of the client utilizing Python and other technologies.
• Contribute to the analysis and development of the final product.
• Conduct code reviews to review all code written and changes made.
• Apply advanced technical principles, techniques, theories, and concepts.
• Contribute to the development of new principles and theories.
• Develop tests for all code and logic created.
• Support management and customers in answering questions on advanced technical research studies and applications.
• Work on innovative and unusually complex technical problems to provide solutions.
• Present design, concept, and architecture to internal and external audiences.
• Brief management, customer, team, or vendors using written or oral skills at appropriate technical level for audience
• All other duties as assigned or directed

Detailed Skills Requirements

FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS (Basic Qualifications)

• Master's degree and 10+ years of experience in a related field or bachelor's degree and 12+ years of experience in a related field.
• 5+ years of experience with Python systems/application analysis and design
• 3+ years of combined experience SOA/Microservice architecture/RESTful web service
• 2+ years of experience working with PostgreSQL database
• Strong programming skills in Python is essential. You should be comfortable writing clean, efficient code.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills are required to identify and address challenges encountered during the development and deployment of AI applications.
• Excellent analytical skills to identify potential risks and propose effective solutions.
• Clear and effective communication skills are necessary for collaborating with team members, presenting findings, and explaining complex AI concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust. Contract requirement.

*** Selected candidate must reside within two (2) hours of SSA Headquarters in Woodlawn, MD

*** Selected candidate must be willing to work on-site at least 2 days a week.

FACTORS TO HELP YOU SHINE (Required Skills)

These skills will help you succeed in this position:

• Proficiency in utilizing Microsoft Azure services, with a focus on AI and machine learning services such as Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search (previously Cognitive Search), and Azure Vision.
• Understanding of fundamental AI and RAG concepts for developing generative AI applications.
• Commitment to ethical AI development, ensuring adherence to principles like fairness, transparency, accountability, and privacy in AI applications.
• Proficient in Python and familiar with current best practices and recent language features.
• Strong knowledge of Python libraries and frameworks relevant to data science and AI (e.g., pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, spaCy) rather than general frameworks like anaconda which is a distribution.
• Experience with Python web frameworks for building APIs and backend services.
• Strong experience in implementing and consuming RESTful web services.
• Working knowledge of data exchange formats and schemas like XML, XSL, XSD, and JSON.
• Solid experience with software development best practices, including unit testing, continuous integration with tools like Jenkins, and version control with Git.
• Knowledge of the Microsoft Bot Framework for building conversational AI experiences.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration tools like Docker and Kubernetes could be beneficial for deployment and scaling applications.
• Familiarity with Azure DevOps for automating builds, testing, and deployment processes within Azure.
• Understanding of compliance and security best practices within Azure, especially concerning handling sensitive data such as personal disability information.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Power Platform, which can be useful for automating workflows and integrating various Microsoft services.

HOW TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD (Desired Skills)

Showcase your knowledge of modern development through the following experience or skills:

• Familiarity with the OpenAI API and its capabilities for natural language processing (NLP) and generative modeling is highly desirable.
• Mastery of Azure AI services beyond the basics, including Azure Machine Learning, Azure Cognitive Services, Azure Databricks, and Azure Synapse Analytics, would make you a valuable asset. This includes understanding how to leverage these services in combination with OpenAI frameworks for enhanced functionality and scalability.
• Ability to preprocess, clean, and manipulate data for RAG ingestion
• Hands-on experience deploying generative AI models into production environments on Azure infrastructure is highly desirable. Understanding deployment considerations such as containerization, orchestration, monitoring, and security ensures smooth integration of AI solutions into real-world applications.
• Proficiency in C#, Java, JavaScript, React.
• Delivery (CI/CD) best practices and use of DevOps to accelerate quality releases to Production
• Familiarity with Azure and AWS cloud technologies.
• Familiarity with data science test frameworks like Jupyter Labs/Notebooks is a strong plus.
• Working knowledge of full stack Python (e.g., Django, Flask, Gradio) is a strong plus
• Conversancy with front end (UI / UX) frameworks (REACT, REACT TS, Angular) is highly desirable
• Awareness of issues and trends in Generative AI and Pythonic use of these is desireable

Education

• ​Master's degree and 10+ years of experience in a related field or bachelor's degree and 12+ years of experience in a related field.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust. Contract requirement.