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Data Annotation Jobs in Raleigh, NC (NOW HIRING)

Covar

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Durham, NC · On-site

$94.70K - $130K/yr

Experience with data curation/annotation workflows and dataset quality control. * Software engineering: Python (NumPy, scipy, pandas/polars), PyTorch (preferred) or TensorFlow, git, CI/CD pipelines ...

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How much do data annotation jobs pay per hour?

As of May 28, 2026, the average hourly pay for data annotation in Raleigh, NC is $24.39, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.50 and $29.04 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Data Annotation job?

A Data Annotation job involves labeling and categorizing data, such as text, images, audio, or video, to help train machine learning models. Annotators apply tags, bounding boxes, or classifications to data based on specific guidelines. This process improves the accuracy of AI systems in recognizing patterns and making predictions. Many data annotation jobs require attention to detail and familiarity with specific domains. It is commonly used in applications like autonomous driving, natural language processing, and computer vision.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Data Annotation position, and why are they important?

To thrive in Data Annotation, you need strong attention to detail, accuracy, and basic data handling skills, often supported by a high school diploma or equivalent. Familiarity with annotation platforms, data labeling software, or content management systems is frequently required, though specific certifications are rare. Excellent communication, time management, and the ability to focus on repetitive tasks distinguish top performers in this role. These skills are crucial because accurate and consistent data annotation directly impacts the quality of machine learning models and AI applications.

What does a typical workday look like for someone in a Data Annotation role?

A typical workday as a Data Annotator involves reviewing datasets—such as images, audio, text, or video—and accurately labeling or categorizing information according to specific project guidelines. Most Data Annotators work independently, but they often collaborate with project managers or data scientists to clarify requirements and resolve ambiguities. Tasks may be repetitive, but adhering to precise standards is vital for maintaining data quality. Work environments can range from technology companies to remote or freelance settings, and advancement opportunities exist as team leads or quality assurance specialists for those who excel in consistency and reliability.

Is data annotation a genuine job?

Data annotation is a legitimate job that involves labeling data such as images, text, or audio to help train machine learning models. It typically requires attention to detail and familiarity with annotation tools, and many companies hire remote workers for this role. The job is often part-time or freelance, with varying pay rates depending on complexity and volume of work.
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What cities near Raleigh, NC are hiring for Data Annotation jobs? Cities near Raleigh, NC with the most Data Annotation job openings:
Data Annotation jobs near you
Infographic showing various Data Annotation job openings in Raleigh, NC as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 50% Full Time, and 50% Part Time. Highlights an 33% In-person, and 67% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $50,734 per year, or $24.4 per hour.

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Covar

Durham, NC • On-site

$94.70K - $130K/yr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.

Job description

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

McLean, Virginia

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Location: McLean, VA (hybrid); occasional travel to Durham, NC and customer sites

About CoVar

CoVar is a small AI/ML R&D software company with offices in Durham, NC and McLean, VA, that uses artificial intelligence to solve problems that matter. Our teams build AI/ML solutions that help the DoD detect enemies and threats, help biomedical researchers find new cures, and help monitor machinery to prevent injuries and environmental catastrophes. We are passionate engineers dedicated to pushing the bounds of what AI/ML can do in the real world.

About the Role

We're seeking a Senior ML Engineer (Technical Lead) with deep hands-on expertise in machine learning and computer vision, who can also lead DoD-focused programs, own customer engagement, contribute to business development, and help grow and manage a local engineering team in McLean over time. You'll lead end-to-end technical delivery – from data to deployment – while serving as the primary technical point of contact for our customers.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building production-grade ML systems, mentoring engineers, and translating complex technical work into compelling customer outcomes.

What You'll Do

  • Lead programs end-to-end: Scope requirements, set technical strategy and milestones, plan resourcing, manage risks, and deliver results for DoD-focused ML/CV projects.
  • Own customer relationships: Run technical discussions, requirement discovery, demos, standing meetings, and briefings with senior stakeholders; turn feedback into clear roadmaps.
  • Stay deeply hands-on (50 – 70%):
    • Build data pipelines, train/evaluate CV models, and write production code.
    • Design, train, and optimize detection/segmentation/tracking models and custom computer-vision pipelines; handle imbalanced data, domain shift, and real-world constraints.
    • Deploy models to production (typically on the edge), instrument for monitoring, and iterate with CI/CD.
  • Contribute to business development: Write technical sections of proposals/white papers, help shape capture strategy, provide level-of-effort estimates, and present prototypes.
  • Communicate and publish: Present results to high-level DoD and industry customers; author technical reports; publish novel work in classified/unclassified settings when applicable.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Experience: 5+ years designing, building, and deploying machine learning systems in production (8+ preferred). Strong track record leading technical delivery for complex projects.
  • ML/CV expertise:
    • Deep understanding of ML fundamentals (e.g., gradient descent, cross-validation, ROC/PR curves, confusion matrices, mAP).
    • Computer vision experience with modern architectures (e.g., YOLO family, CenterNet, RetinaNet, Detectron2, ViTs, segmentation networks), augmentation strategies, and evaluation.
    • Experience with data curation/annotation workflows and dataset quality control.
  • Software engineering: Python (NumPy, scipy, pandas/polars), PyTorch (preferred) or TensorFlow, git, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and code quality practices.
  • MLOps & deployment: Experiment tracking, Docker, ONNX/TensorRT, deploying inference services to the edge (e.g., NVIDIA Jetson).
  • Communication & leadership: Excellent technical communication, customer-facing experience, and proven ability to lead cross-functional efforts.
  • Education: B.S. in engineering, math, computer science, or related field; M.S./Ph.D. preferred.
  • Clearance: Eligibility for U.S. security clearance. This requires U.S. citizenship.

Preferred Qualifications (Bonus)

  • Prior Department of Defense project experience, including briefing senior stakeholders and navigating DoD acquisition processes.
  • Active Secret or TS/SCI clearance; experience working in classified environments.
  • Experience managing or mentoring engineers; contributing to hiring and performance development.
  • Experience with proposal writing (SBIR/STTR, RFPs), technical volume authorship, and live demos.
  • Experience with multi-sensor fusion, signal-processing, tracking, synthetic data generation, domain adaptation, or semi/active learning for data-limited environments.
  • Familiarity with edge hardware optimization, and performance profiling.
  • Open-source contributions, publications, or patents in ML/CV.

Why This Role Matters

You'll be a key technical leader in our McLean office – setting technical direction, building a local team, and ensuring our DoD partners see tangible mission impact from AI/ML solutions. If you thrive in high-impact environments where you can both build and lead, we'd love to talk.

Benefits

  • Competitive salary, cash bonus, equity structure, and 401k with employer contributions
  • Excellent health care coverage, including dental and vision plans
  • Parental leave
  • Short-term and long-term disability insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Flexible work schedule
  • Tuition support
  • PTO and paid holidays

Apply