SMX · 1 month ago
Data Engineer (AI) Subject Matter Expert (SME) (4799) (TS/SCI) (Ft. Belvoir, VA - Nolan Bldg)
Fort Belvoir, VA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$160K/yr - $256K/yr
7+ years expSMX is seeking a Data Engineer (AI) Subject Matter Expert (SME) to lead the development of data pipelines and services for AI/ML capabilities within Army Intelligence. The role involves defining standards, guiding a team, and collaborating with various stakeholders to ensure reliable data services that align with operational outcomes.
AnalyticsCloud ComputingCloud Data ServicesCloud SecurityCyber SecurityInformation TechnologyIT ManagementSoftware
No H1B
Security Clearance RequiredU.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Translate mission needs into a data engineering roadmap, delivery plans, and measurable outcomes for AI/ML use cases
Serve as primary technical point of contact for data dependencies across model development, analytics, and platform teams; drive cross-team decision making and risk trade-offs
Review and recommend designs, requests, and deployments from team members; develop quality standards and coding conventions
Define reference architectures and patterns for ingestion, ELT/ETL, lake/lakehouse/warehouse integration, and feature data delivery
Select and standardize pipeline tooling and storage/layout strategies to balance performance, cost, and security
Establish schema, partitioning, and lifecycle strategies to support model retraining, reproducibility, and rollback
Design and oversee ETL/ELT pipelines that supply structured and unstructured data to AI/ML workflows
Establish and ensure compliance with SLOs/SKIs for data freshness, latency, and completeness; oversee and implement autoscaling and performance tuning across cloud/hybrid environments
Implement and oversee data ingestion, cleansing, transformation, normalization, and feature preparation steps according to established methods
Ensure pipelines are reliable, repeatable, and well-documented
Perform data profiling, validation, and integrity checks to ensure high-quality inputs to AI/ML models
Monitor data pipeline performance and data flow health; document and escalate issues to senior engineers
Drive issue triage and root-cause analysis; lead post-incident reviews and preventative improvements
Contribute to improving data observability and traceability
Lead employment of Agile methodologies for project management
Manage deployment pipelines, containerization, and CI/CD workflows for AI services in the cloud to ensure reproducible data operations
Implement and oversee robust monitoring, observability, and performance tracking for AI-supporting data systems
Provide training and technical support to military personnel to ensure effective adoption and utilization of AI technologies
Ensure comprehensive documentation of integration architecture, processes, and operational dependencies, to include data structures, transformation logic, data lineage, pipeline workflows, and operational procedures
Mentor and coach engineers; build repeatable playbooks and raise the team’s technical maturity
Ensure compliance with military security, privacy and governance standards for AI-supporting data systems
Ensure processes and procedures leverage changes in data engineering and AI/ML governance best practices
Qualification
Required
Active TS security clearance and eligible for SCI and NATO read-on prior to starting work
Meet all requirements to receive a privileged user account on a TS/SCI information system (e.g. Army Cloud Computing Service Provider) prior to starting work. The requirements are currently defined in DoDD 8140.01
Security+ or related DoDD 8140-relevant certification
Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related technical field
7+ years of experience in data engineering or large-scale data processing in an AI/ML-supporting capacity; 2+ years leading data engineering efforts (tech lead, team lead, or equivalent)
Proven experience designing and operating ELT/ETL at scale; orchestration
Highly proficient with programming and/or scripting languages (e.g., Python, SQL, Bash)
Proficient with cloud platforms, data storage systems, and workflow orchestration tools
Proficient with containerization and CI/CD principles
Knowledgeable with military operations, intelligence workflows, and digital platforms
Ability to work within the constraints of military security and compliance standards
Highly proficient in working closely with model developers, analysis, and platform engineers to understand data requirements and operational context
Expert problem-definition and solution-development skills to troubleshoot and optimize data operations in support of AI/ML systems
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for effective collaboration with diverse teams
Support new team member onboarding and assist with training materials as needed
Preferred
Background in data privacy, ethical AI deployment, or regulated industries
AWS Certified Security – Specialty or equivalent cloud certifications
Benefits
Health insurance
Paid leave
Retirement
Company
SMX
SMX is a provider of information technology (IT), services, and advanced engineering with a focus on Cloud Solutions.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Peter LaMontagne
Chief Executive Officer
Recent News
2025-11-24
Precedence Research
2025-11-18
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