Axle · 13 hours ago
Assistant Director of AI and Data
Rockville, MD
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$150K/yr - $190K/yr
8+ years expAxle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations. They are seeking a visionary Assistant Director of AI and Data to lead the development and deployment of AI-driven solutions for federal health agencies, bridging advanced computational science and clinical research.
BiotechnologyHealth CareInformation TechnologySoftware
Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership of the AI/ML Roadmap
Visionary Architecture: Architect and execute a comprehensive AI/ML strategy that aligns Axle’s technical capabilities with the NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science (2025–2030). You will define the long-term vision for integrating Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Agentic Workflows into federal research environments, moving beyond static analysis to active, AI-assisted discovery
Platform Evolution (Polus): Spearhead the evolution of the Polus platform, transitioning it from a robust image analysis tool into a fully integrated, multi-modal research ecosystem. You will oversee the roadmap for new feature development, ensuring scalability, security, and interoperability across cloud environments (AWS/GCP/Azure) using containerized architectures (Docker/Kubernetes)
AI Governance & Compliance: Establish and enforce rigorous AI Governance frameworks. You will operationalize the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (RMF) across all projects to ensure fairness, interpretability, and compliance with federal ethical standards. You will lead "Gap Analysis" and "Risk Management" exercises to ensure all AI deployments are trustworthy and transparent
Oversight of Complex Modeling & High-Dimensional Data Pipelines
Petabyte-Scale Engineering: Direct the design and implementation of high-throughput data pipelines capable of ingesting and analyzing petabyte-scale datasets (genomics, proteomics, EHR). You will ensure these systems adhere to FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), facilitating seamless data sharing across NIH institutes and global research centers
Translational Science De-risking: Oversee the development of predictive models for translational science, focusing on "de-risking" drug discovery and clinical trial design. This involves guiding technical teams in the application of deep learning techniques to identify molecular targets, predict therapeutic outcomes, and simulate clinical scenarios (Digital Twins)
Operational Excellence (MLOps): Optimize MLOps and DevSecOps processes to ensure the rapid, secure deployment of models from prototype to production. You will champion a culture of "automation first," reducing time-to-insight for researchers by streamlining the transition from Jupyter notebooks to containerized, cloud-native services
Business Development & Federal Growth (Capture Support)
Lead Solution Architect: Partner with the Growth and Capture teams to drive new business acquisition. You will serve as the Lead Solution Architect for major proposal efforts ($50M+), authoring technical volumes, developing win themes, and creating compelling solution graphics that demonstrate Axle’s technical differentiation
Proposal Authorship: Personally write key sections of technical proposals, including the "Technical Approach," "Staffing Plan," and "Risk Mitigation" volumes. You will translate complex agency requirements into winning narratives that score highly with federal evaluators
Client Liaison: Galvanize relationships with key federal stakeholders (Project Officers, CIOs, Lab Chiefs). You will act as the primary technical liaison, translating complex agency requirements into deliverable technical solutions and presenting these visions in competitive "Black Hat" sessions and oral presentations
Mentorship of Data Scientists & Engineers
Interdisciplinary Team Building: Cultivate a high-performance, interdisciplinary team culture. You will manage and mentor a diverse group of data scientists, bioinformaticians, and software engineers, fostering an environment of psychological safety where "expert" scientific knowledge seamlessly integrates with "agile" engineering practices
Continuous Learning: Drive continuous learning and upskilling initiatives. You will establish internal "Communities of Practice" for AI and Data Science, ensuring that Axle’s workforce remains at the bleeding edge of technologies like Graph Neural Networks and Federated Learning
Democratization of AI: Democratize access to AI tools within the client environment. You will lead efforts to create "low-code/no-code" interfaces and training programs that empower non-technical NIH researchers to utilize advanced analytics independently
Qualification
Required
Ph.D. in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Data Science, or a related quantitative discipline is highly preferred to ensure peer-level credibility with NIH scientists
Alternatively, a Master's degree in one of the above fields with exceptional, demonstrated leadership experience in a federal or research-intensive setting will be considered
8–10+ years of progressive experience in data science, AI/ML engineering, or computational biology, with a focus on high-dimensional data
3–5+ years of leadership experience managing cross-functional teams (e.g., managing both PhD researchers and software developers) in a matrixed organization
Demonstrated experience with Federal Business Development, including writing technical proposals and supporting capture activities for contracts valued at $15M+
Proven track record of delivering complex AI/ML solutions in a regulated environment, with specific familiarity with HIPAA, FedRAMP, or NIST AI RMF compliance
Expert-level understanding of Deep Learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow), Classical Machine Learning (Scikit-Learn), and Generative AI architectures (Transformers, LLMs, RAG)
Proficiency in Python (primary) and R (secondary); familiarity with Java or C++ (for Polus backend optimization) is a strong plus
Extensive experience with Cloud-Native AI pipelines on AWS (SageMaker, HealthLake), GCP (Vertex AI, BigQuery), or Azure. Knowledge of the NIH STRIDES initiative and cloud economics is essential
Mastery of big data technologies (Spark, Databricks) and workflow orchestration tools (Airflow, Nextflow, Cromwell)
Strong knowledge of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins), and model monitoring/governance tools
Experience with advanced visualization tools (DeepZoom, WebGL) and platform development (building APIs, microservices)
Preferred
Direct experience working with NIH, NCATS, NIAID, or similar federal health agencies. Understanding of the specific data challenges within the federal health sector is highly valued
Contributions to or leadership of open-source scientific software projects. Specific familiarity with the Polus platform or the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) data enclave is a distinct advantage
Demonstrated experience implementing the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (Map, Measure, Manage, Govern) in a real-world setting
Specialized knowledge in High-Content Imaging, Cheminformatics, Genomics, or Real-World Data (RWD) analytics
Benefits
100% Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage for Employees
Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
401K match up to 5%
Educational Benefits for Career Growth
Employee Referral Bonus
Flexible Spending Accounts:
Healthcare (FSA)
Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)
Company
Axle
At Axle, we are driven by the mission to accelerate discovery and enhance organizational outcomes by revolutionizing operations with our innovative solutions.
501-1000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Axle has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (37)
2024 (40)
2023 (61)
2022 (30)
2021 (19)
2020 (38)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Gary Mays
Chief Operating Officer
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