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Senior Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in McLean, VA

STR

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$155K - $195K/yr

The Role As a Senior Machine Learning Engineer, you will turn cutting-edge AI/ML research into production systems that solve critical national security problems. Working as part of a ...

Protagonist

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Washington, DC · On-site

$118K - $162K/yr

Protagonist is looking for a Senior Machine Learning Engineer who builds production-ready systems for mission-critical work. You bring strong engineering discipline, systems thinking, and a bias ...

Protagonist

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Washington, DC · On-site

$118K - $162K/yr

Protagonist is looking for a Senior Machine Learning Engineer who builds production-ready systems for mission-critical work. You bring strong engineering discipline, systems thinking, and a bias ...

Pantheon Data

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

$140K - $200K/yr

Position Overview Pantheon Data is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to design, build, and operate production AI systems for federal clients - including hybrid retrieval-augmented generation ...

Pantheon Data LLC

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Reston, VA · Hybrid

$108K - $149K/yr

Position Overview Pantheon Data is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to design, build, and operate production AI systems for federal clients - including hybrid retrieval-augmented generation ...

Pantheon Data

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Reston, VA · Remote

$140K - $200K/yr

Position OverviewPantheon Data is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to design, build, and operate production AI systems for federal clients - including hybrid retrieval-augmented generation ...

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All JobsMachine Learning Engineer JobsSenior Machine Learning Engineer JobsSenior Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in McLean, VA

Senior Machine Learning Engineer information

See McLean, VA salary details

$61K

$129.8K

$188.2K

How much do senior machine learning engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior machine learning engineer in McLean, VA is $129,828.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $107,200.00 and $147,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a senior machine learning engineer do?

A Senior Machine Learning Engineer designs, develops, and implements machine learning models to solve complex problems. They are responsible for selecting appropriate algorithms, preprocessing data, and optimizing model performance. Additionally, they collaborate with data scientists, software engineers, and product teams to integrate machine learning solutions into production systems. Senior engineers also mentor junior team members and contribute to setting technical direction for machine learning projects.

What are some common challenges senior machine learning engineers face when deploying models to production, and how can they be addressed?

Senior Machine Learning Engineers often encounter challenges related to model scalability, maintaining performance in real-world scenarios, and ensuring reliable integration with existing systems. Addressing these challenges typically involves thorough testing, implementing robust monitoring for model drift, and collaborating closely with DevOps and software engineering teams to streamline deployment pipelines. Staying updated on best practices in MLOps and adopting tools for automated deployment and monitoring can greatly improve the reliability and efficiency of production models.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior machine learning engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Machine Learning Engineer, you need advanced knowledge of machine learning algorithms, statistical modeling, and programming languages like Python or Java, typically supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Experience with frameworks and tools such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, and cloud platforms, as well as familiarity with version control and CI/CD systems, is essential. Strong problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills help you collaborate effectively and mentor junior team members. These capabilities are crucial for designing scalable ML solutions and driving impactful results within complex, dynamic projects.

What is the difference between Senior Machine Learning Engineer vs Data Scientist?

AspectSenior Machine Learning EngineerData Scientist
Required CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in CS, ML, or related; experience with ML frameworksBachelor's/Master's in CS, Statistics, or related; strong analytical skills
Work EnvironmentDevelops and deploys ML models in production systemsAnalyzes data, builds models, and provides insights
Industry UsageTech, finance, healthcare, e-commerceResearch, finance, marketing, tech

While both roles require strong technical skills and knowledge of machine learning, Senior Machine Learning Engineers focus more on deploying scalable ML solutions in production environments, whereas Data Scientists primarily analyze data and develop models for insights. The roles often overlap but differ in their core responsibilities and focus areas.

What are the most commonly searched types of Machine Learning Engineer jobs in McLean, VA?

The most popular types of Machine Learning Engineer jobs in McLean, VA are:

What are popular job titles related to Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs in McLean, VA?

For Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs in McLean, VA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs in McLean, VA look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs in McLean, VA are:

What cities near McLean, VA are hiring for Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs?

Cities near McLean, VA with the most Senior Machine Learning Engineer job openings:

Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Machine Learning Engineer job openings in McLean, VA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 80% Full Time, 18% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $128,249 per year, or $61.7 per hour.

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

STR

Arlington, VA • On-site

$155K - $195K/yr

Full-time

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

Job description

About the Team:
STR's Intelligence Division researches and develops advanced analytics and machine learning-based solutions to solve challenging problems related to national security. Our team consists of passionate and motivated engineers with advanced degrees in engineering, computer science, mathematics, and data science, who are seeking opportunities to use their deep technical knowledge and creativity to tackle some of the hardest problems that our customers face. Our projects span multiple different data modalities and incorporate advanced algorithms, deep learning, and statistical techniques to uncover patterns in social media, structured and unstructured text, time series, geospatial, and imagery data, and must operate under challenging constraints not typically found in the commercial world. The tools and technologies we develop have real world impact and US Government analysts and operators use them to enable intelligence activities around the globe.
The Role
As a Senior Machine Learning Engineer, you will turn cutting-edge AI/ML research into production systems that solve critical national security problems.
Working as part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers, engineers, and domain experts, you will bridge the gap between prototype and product by hardening solutions, building scalable backend services, and creating polished user interfaces with intuitive workflows. You will build software with AI/ML at its core, ranging from classical statistical methods to frontier language models, deployed across a diverse set of platforms including cloud, on-prem, desktop, mobile, and edge devices. In addition, you will collaborate closely with customers to understand mission needs, rapidly prototype capabilities, and iterate based on user feedback.
What You'll Do:
  • Partner directly with customers, stakeholders, and end users to translate mission needs into technical requirements and iterate based on real-world feedback
  • Drive technical excellence by providing leadership and championing software engineering best practices across multidisciplinary teams
  • Architect loosely coupled systems prioritizing interpretability, maintainability, and feature growth
  • Bridge the gap between research and production by implementing novel capabilities into existing live systems
  • Engineer robust backend services, scalable APIs, and optimized database models
  • Develop polished, intuitive, and responsive user interfaces in close collaboration with UI/UX designers
  • Orchestrate the deployment and maintenance of applications across cloud, desktop, mobile, and edge environments, including air-gapped systems
  • Build and optimize CI pipelines and manage execution runners to maintain code quality and reproducible builds
  • Contribute to the full software development lifecycle, including strategic project planning, rigorous code reviews, and comprehensive testing

Who you are:
  • Active Secret security clearance, for which U.S citizenship is needed by the U.S government
  • Enjoys working hard and seeing mission impact
  • BS degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field
  • 6+ years of professional software engineering and/or machine learning research experience (or equivalent experience depending on degree)

Soft skills
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively within cross-functional teams, give and receive constructive feedback, and mentor others
  • Comfortable building from partial or ambiguous requirements and iterating quickly based on user feedback and changing mission needs

Technical Skills
  • Experience developing, training, and deploying machine/statistical learning models using modern Python-based frameworks
  • Experience running models on NVIDIA GPUs
  • Experience containerizing and deploying software using Docker, and on cloud platform
  • Experience designing and implementing REST APIs
  • Experience designing data models and working with relational databases
  • Fluency in Python and its ecosystem
  • Proficiency in at least one systems-level language with manual or low-level memory management
  • Proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (experience with a modern frontend framework such as Svelte or React is a plus)
  • Solid understanding of software engineering principles, including testing, scalability, observability, maintainability, and performance optimization

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $155,000 - $195,000
The salary range listed is based on external market data. Offers are based on factors, such as but not limited to, the candidate's experience, education, training, key skills/critical skills, security clearances, and prevailing market and business conditions.
STR is a growing technology company with locations near Boston, MA, Arlington, VA, near Dayton, OH, Melbourne, FL, and Carlsbad, CA. We specialize in advanced research and development for defense, intelligence, and national security in: cyber; next generation sensors, radar, sonar, communications, and electronic warfare; and artificial intelligence algorithms and analytics to make sense of the complexity that is exploding around us.
STR is committed to creating a collaborative learning environment that supports deep technical understanding and recognizes the contributions and achievements of all team members. Our work is challenging, and we go home at night knowing that we pushed the envelope of technology and made the world safer.
STR is not just any company. Our people, culture, and attitude along with their unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives put us on a trajectory to change the world. We can't do it alone, though - we need fellow trailblazers. If you are one, join our team and help to keep our society safe! Visit us at www.str.us for more info.
STR is an equal opportunity employer. We are fully dedicated to hiring the most qualified candidate regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the employment process, email us at appassist@str.us and provide your contact info.
Pursuant to applicable federal law and regulations, positions at STR require employees to obtain national security clearances and satisfy the requirements for compliance with export control and other applicable laws.

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