AI Technical Lead

Company Description: 

ETAS Inc. has upcoming opportunity for AI Technical Lead (Direct Hire) positions at our offices in Lexington, KY.  Please submit resumes via the web page link below. 

Enterprise Technical Assistance Services, Inc. (ETAS), is a wholly owned subsidiary of Professional Project Services, Inc (Pro2Serve). E-TAS was formed and dedicated to support the Department of Energy (DOE) Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) with technical and management services contributing to the safe and cost effective implementation of the “One PPPO” mission.

The parent company, Pro2Serve, is a nationally recognized environmental, technical, and engineering services firm dedicated to providing critical environmental management services to reduce the Nation’s environmental liabilities and infrastructure engineering services in support of our Nation’s security. We support the energy, defense, and science markets through responsive, cost-effective execution of critical environmental, facilities and infrastructure, and nuclear defense and nonproliferation projects.

Job Description

The AI Technical Lead is responsible for leading architecture, development, and implementation of secure, enterprise grade artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions.

This position will serve as the technical lead for AI initiatives, with a particular focus on developing protected on-premises AI capabilities, from infrastructure and hardware through AI models, large language models (LLMs), applications and production deployment.

The ideal candidate combines vast hands-on AI/ML engineering experience with strong software architecture and technical leadership skills.  The candidate should be comfortable defining AI architecture, building and evaluating prototypes from development through production implementation phases.

Job Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related technical field and 10+ years of relevant professional experience; OR Master's in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related technical field and 8+ years of relevant professional experience.

Technical Requirements

• Architect and oversee the development of scalable AI/ML and generative AI systems ensuring best practices in software engineering, security and AI ethics.
• Drive the adoption of AI technologies across the organization, collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify and implement AI-driven solutions.
• Design and implement secure, on-premises protected AI solutions spanning from infrastructure, model hosting, LLMs, APIs and supporting services.
• Design and implement end-to-end machine learning pipelines, including data ingestion, model deployment, monitoring and continuous improvement.
• Establish and enforce best practices for AI development, including version control, testing, and documentation.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating, prototyping, deploying, and operationalizing AI-enabled solutions, including generative AI, copilots, AI agents, intelligent automation, embedded application intelligence, or AI-enabled business workflows.
• Establish technical guardrails and standards for AI solutions, including documentation, testing, model validation, security, privacy and responsible AI practices.
• Collaborate with stakeholders, business teams, cybersecurity, and operations to identify high value AI use cases and translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Oversee the integration of AI models into production environments, ensuring seamless deployment and optimal performance.
• Implement and maintain robust MLOps practices to streamline the AI development lifecycle.
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements in AI/ML technologies and evaluate their potential application for our clients.
• Ensure compliance with data privacy regulations and ethical AI guidelines throughout the development process.
• Experience with vendor assessments, solution comparisons, build/buy/configure decisions, enterprise platform rationalization, business cases, value hypotheses, pilot charters, governance documentation, or post-implementation reviews.
  

Additional Requirements

• Strong programming skills in Python, with hands on experience in AI/ML frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn or comparable technologies.
• Extensive knowledge of machine learning algorithms, deep learning architectures, and natural language processing techniques.
• Proficiency in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform) and experience with deploying AI solutions at scale.
• Experience designing and deploying AI solutions in on-premises, private, disconnected, hybrid or other protected environments.
• Gen AI tool fluency (e.g., proven usage of GenAI such as ChatGPT, Claude) and validation of response.
• Solid understanding of DevSecOps principles and experience implementing CI/CD pipelines for AI projects.
• Experience with containerization technologies (e.g., Docker) and orchestration tools (e.g., Kubernetes).
• Experience with AI/LLM technologies and architecture, such as RAG, vector databases, GPU infrastructure, private LLM deployment, model serving and inference optimization identity and access management.
• Strong understanding of data structures, algorithms, and software design patterns.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to balance technical leadership with hands-on development when needed.
• Experience with agile methodologies and project management tools.
   

Duration:
Direct Hire

Federal Government Clearance:

This position may require the ability to obtain a government clearance. This position may require reviews and test for absence of any illegal drugs along with a background investigation by the Federal government in order to obtain an access authorization prior to employment, and may require subsequent reinvestigations may be required.

EEO Employer:

Affirmative Action Employer—M/F/Vet/Disab/LGBT

Benefits

ETAS benefits package has carefully designed to meet the needs of our employees and their families.

These benefits include:

Major Medical Plan with Prescription Card, Dental Plan, Vision, and Disability Insurance
Retirement Plan 401(k)
Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP)
Comprehensive Leave
Holidays
 

Pay Rate:
Please submit salary or hourly rate requirements along with resume or in a cover letter.

Job location:

Lexington, KY area