AI/ML Engineer

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Torch.AI

AI/ML Engineer

Leawood, KS
Full Time
Paid
  • Responsibilities

    Become Part of the Torch.AI Journey!

    Torch.AI is a defense focused AI-software company. Unlike traditional government contractors, our team of experts takes calculated risks to self-fund R&D behind the scenes and then sells complete products "off-the-shelf" to mission owners. We conduct deep research into understanding how AI and new data infrastructures can improve a growing array of national defense needs. This allows us to go from ideation to full capability deployment in weeks and months, instead of years. Today, we help improve national security, protect our warfighters, eliminate fraud, reduce risk, and enable better customer experiences. We’re passionate about solving complex problems. Join us in our mission to help organizations Unlock Human Potential.

    The U.S. defense and national security industry offers an unparalleled opportunity to contribute to the safety and well-being of the nation while engaging with cutting-edge technologies. As a vital sector that shapes global stability, it offers a dynamic environment to tackle complex challenges across multidisciplinary domains. With substantial investment in innovation, the industry is at the forefront of developing AI, autonomous systems, and advanced national security solutions, each founded on the premise that information is the new battlefield. If this type of work is of interest, we’d love to hear from you.

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    The Role: Unlock Your Potential

    As an AI/ML Engineer at Torch.AI, you will be at the forefront of building software that scale within and across Torch.AI’s platform capabilities. You will create AI-enabled analytical models which will are applied across an array of operational and research & development efforts directly for U.S. defense and national security programs and projects. Each of our customers requires a unique set of technical needs and differentiated capabilities to remove existing obstacles such as manual-intensive data analysis and cognitive burden to ensure mission success. Our modular end-to-end data infrastructure platform supports a wide variety of military functions and operations.

    We build enterprise-grade software products to meet these unique needs of our customers and, therefore, encourage company-wide collaboration to share context, skills, and experience across a variety of tools, technologies, and development practices. Our platform is designed so that customer-specific solution teams can rapidly design, configure, and deploy a unique set of AI models and analytical lenses to answer specific, and sometimes unknown, questions.

    In this role, you’ll work autonomously while driving coordinated, collaborative decisions across cross-functional solutions and product development teams, which include a mix of defense and national security experts, U.S. veterans, and experienced AI/ML, software, and data engineers. Your code will be used to accelerate the ability for customers to adopt AI models that assist in network analysis, pattern recognition, anomaly detection, and data fusion/entity resolution. You will have the opportunity to harden and scale existing models, tools, and technologies, while also working to innovate and introduce new approaches and advanced AI features and projects which benefit our company, IP, and customers.

    We’re looking for AI/ML engineers who thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven environment. You’ll be encouraged to think creatively, challenge conventional approaches, and identify alternative approaches to delivering customer value across complex problem sets. Your day-to-day workflow will vary, adapting to the requirements of our customer and technical needs of respective use cases. One day, you may be supporting the development of a new proof of capability concept for a new customer program; another you may be refining system performance to help scale a production deployment; the next you may be working directly with customers to understand their requirements with deep intellectual curiosity.

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    What Sets This Role Apart

    • Our decentralized operating model puts every employee at the forefront of our customers’ missions. You’ll work within and across small customer-account solutions teams and product development teams.
    • We value customer intimacy, unique perspectives, and dedication to delivering lasting impact and results. You’ll have the opportunity to work on the frontlines of major customer programs and influence lasting success for Torch.AI and your teammates.
    • You’ll have the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects, from designing and demonstrating early capabilities and prototypes to deploying large-scale production systems.
    • You’ll directly contribute in helping Torch.AI continue to position as a leader in data infrastructure AI in the market and compete against multi-billion dollar incumbents and high-tech AI companies.
    • We develop solutions directly supporting our nation’s warfighters and national security and prosperity; the impact of your work is directly visible.

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    Critical Skills

    • B.S. or M.S. degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
    • Strong proficiency in Python including experience building services with Flask.
    • 3-10 years of experience working with model libraries such as ScikitLearn, spaCy, and Hugging Face.
    • Experience with MLOps including preparing data, training, evaluating, and deploying models.
    • Design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and infrastructure to support our data-driven initiatives.
    • Work closely with cross-functional teams to understand data requirements, architect robust solutions, and ensure the integrity, reliability, and efficiency of our data systems.
    • Responsible for cross-account AI model development and refinement, as well as providing cross-account support as needed.
    • Provide technical leadership to a team comprising skilled platform engineers tasked with creating, developing, and upholding our data infrastructure platform.
    • Contribute to the strategic vision and guiding the trajectory for data and AI endeavors in harmony with corporate goals.
    • Engage in frequent communication and interaction with senior executives and technical architects to align customer requirements with AI/ML development efforts.
    • Research, establish, and maintain the MLOps infrastructure needed to ensure the reliability and availability of the ML pipelines.
    • Research, train, and evaluate vector embeddings and transformer models to enhance the platform's entity resolution capabilities.
    • Develop graph retrieval augmented generation approaches to complement the platform's leading search retrieval methods.

    What We Value

    • Deep industry experience, preferably within the defense industry and/or intelligence community or related sectors (not strictly required, but encouraged).
    • Hands-on experience with large-scale data, autonomous systems, and mission-critical applications.
    • Subject matter expertise and proven success within the market segment.
    • Experience with vector databases, LLMs, and prompt engineering.
    • Understanding of distributed computing principles and experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Kafka, Hive, HBase).
    • Proficiency in relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and distributed storage systems (e.g., Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage).
    • Hands-on experience with containerization and orchestration tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and DevOps practices (CI/CD, infrastructure as code).
    • Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
    • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
    • Awareness of ethical considerations and responsible AI practices.
    • Entrepreneurial mindset and aptitude for interdisciplinary collaboration.
    • Currently holds (preferred) or eligible for a Top Secret security clearance.

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    Professional Ambiance

    • This role thrives in a cutting-edge, high-performance workspace.
    • The base of operations is located in our Leawood, KS hub, with occasional opportunities for a flexible hybrid/remote work arrangement.

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    Equity Program

    • Employee Equity Pool: All employees are eligibility to participate in the company equity incentive program within their first 12 months of employment. We are proud to say that we have a 100% participation rate amongst existing employees.

    Incentives and Advantages

    • Competitive salary, performance bonus, and benefits package.
    • Opportunity to participate in Torch.AI’s employee equity incentive program.
    • Unlimited PTO.
    • 11 paid holidays each year.
    • Dynamic and energetic teammates.
    • Incredible chance for professional advancement in a rapidly scaling high-tech environment.
    • Weekly in-office catering in our Leawood HQ.
    • Access to company entertainment suite at the Kansas City T-Mobile Center, with tickets to all major events and concerts.
    • Exceptional medical, dental, and vision insurance.
    • Company sponsored life and disability coverage.
    • Relocation benefits.

    Torch.AI is an Equal Opportunity /Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, protected veteran status or status as an individual with a disability.

    These positions are being reviewed and filled on a rolling basis, and multiple openings may be available for each role.