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Senior Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in Norfolk, VA

... machine learning, generative AI, and AI agents. This role is for a senior technical expert who can directly develop production-grade AI capabilities while also influencing architecture, delivery ...

The AI Engineer will design, develop, and deploy machine learning, natural language processing, and generative AI solutions supporting the NMMES program at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in ...

Research emerging AI, machine learning, and data engineering technologies and recommend innovative applications for customer missions. * Support technical documentation, architecture development ...

Research emerging AI, machine learning, and data engineering technologies and recommend innovative applications for customer missions. * Support technical documentation, architecture development ...

Showing results 41-60

Senior Machine Learning Engineer information

See Norfolk, VA salary details

$57.6K

$122.4K

$177.5K

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

As of Aug 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior machine learning engineer in Norfolk, VA is $122,449.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $101,100.00 and $138,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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 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 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 Norfolk, VA? The most popular types of Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Norfolk, VA are:
What are popular job titles related to Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Norfolk, VA? For Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Norfolk, VA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Norfolk, VA look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Norfolk, VA are:
What cities near Norfolk, VA are hiring for Senior Machine Learning Engineer jobs? Cities near Norfolk, VA with the most Senior Machine Learning Engineer job openings:
Infographic showing various Senior Machine Learning Engineer job openings in Norfolk, VA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 68% Full Time, 28% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $122,449 per year, or $58.9 per hour.

Senior MLOps & Generative AI Engineer - Remote

Sentara Health

Virginia Beach, VA • On-site

$90K - $123K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

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


Sentara Health rating

6.8

Company rating: 6.8 out of 10

Based on 398 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

493rd of 887 rated healthcare providers


Job description

City/State
Virginia Beach, VA
Work Shift
Multiple shifts available
Overview:
Sentara is hiring a Senior MLOps & Generative AI Engineer!
This position is fully remote!
Candidates must reside in one of the following states:
Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, or Wyoming.
Overview
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior MLOps & Generative AI Engineer to join our growing AI organization and help advance current and future initiatives applying machine learning, deep learning, NLP, and Generative AI technologies to improve healthcare outcomes and operational excellence.
This role combines two critical focus areas:
  • MLOps Engineering - building and scaling enterprise-grade ML infrastructure, deployment pipelines, observability, governance, and automation capabilities.
  • Generative AI Engineering - designing, architecting, deploying, and optimizing secure, production-ready GenAI applications and platforms leveraging LLMs, RAG architectures, vector databases, prompt orchestration, and AI evaluation frameworks.
As a Senior Engineer, you will partner closely with AI Scientists, Data Engineers, Software Engineers, Architects, and Product teams to operationalize AI/ML and Generative AI solutions at enterprise scale. You will play a key role in shaping the organization's AI platform strategy, driving best practices, and delivering scalable, secure, and reliable AI systems in production healthcare environments.
Key Responsibilities
MLOps Engineering Responsibilities
  • Design, build, and maintain scalable ML infrastructure and pipelines supporting model training, deployment, monitoring, governance, and lifecycle management.
  • Develop and optimize CI/CD pipelines for machine learning and AI workloads across development, staging, and production environments.
  • Build reusable ML platform capabilities including feature stores, model registries, experimentation frameworks, artifact management, and deployment automation.
  • Implement scalable orchestration and workflow solutions for batch and real-time ML inference workloads.
  • Create robust monitoring systems to measure model performance, detect model drift, monitor data quality, and ensure production reliability.
  • Develop automation tools and self-service capabilities to improve the efficiency, scalability, and reliability of MLOps processes.
  • Collaborate with Data Scientists and Software Engineers to streamline the ML lifecycle from experimentation through enterprise production deployment.
  • Apply software engineering best practices to AI/ML systems including testing, observability, resiliency, security, versioning, and infrastructure-as-code.
  • Identify gaps and improvement opportunities within the organization's ML platform ecosystem and architect scalable solutions to address them.
  • Support enterprise AI governance, compliance, auditability, and model risk management requirements.
  • Ensure platform scalability, reliability, security, and operational excellence across AI/ML systems.
Generative AI Engineering Responsibilities
  • Lead the architecture, design, and deployment of enterprise Generative AI solutions leveraging LLMs, foundation models, and agentic AI systems.
  • Design and implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines using vector databases, embeddings, semantic search, reranking, and retrieval optimization strategies.
  • Build scalable LLM orchestration frameworks using technologies such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, or equivalent frameworks.
  • Develop advanced prompt engineering strategies, prompt chaining, context management, and agent workflows to improve LLM accuracy and reliability.
  • Evaluate and implement fine-tuning, parameter-efficient tuning, and prompt-based optimization approaches for domain-specific use cases.
  • Build AI evaluation and benchmarking frameworks to measure hallucination rates, response quality, grounding accuracy, toxicity, bias, latency, and business performance metrics.
  • Implement AI safety guardrails, governance controls, content filtering, and responsible AI practices for enterprise healthcare environments.
  • Design scalable GenAI APIs and microservices supporting high-throughput enterprise AI applications.
  • Optimize GenAI systems for cost, latency, throughput, and inference performance across cloud and hybrid environments.
  • Integrate enterprise data sources, healthcare systems, and knowledge repositories into secure GenAI workflows.
  • Research and evaluate emerging GenAI technologies, open-source frameworks, and foundation models to drive innovation and continuous improvement.
  • Develop architecture diagrams, technical roadmaps, implementation strategies, and executive-level documentation for enterprise AI initiatives.
  • Collaborate with cybersecurity, compliance, and infrastructure teams to ensure secure and compliant deployment of GenAI solutions involving PHI and sensitive healthcare data.
  • Contribute to the development of AI platform standards, reusable GenAI accelerators, templates, and engineering best practices.
Required Qualifications
  • 5+ years of experience building and deploying production software, ML systems, or AI platforms.
  • 1+ years of hands-on experience building production Generative AI or LLM-based applications.
  • Strong programming skills in Python and experience with software engineering best practices.
  • Experience with major deep learning and LLM frameworks such as PyTorch, Hugging Face Transformers, TensorFlow, or equivalent.
  • Hands-on experience implementing RAG architectures, vector search, embeddings, prompt engineering, and LLM orchestration frameworks.
  • Experience with vector databases such as Pinecone, Weaviate, Chroma, FAISS, Milvus, or equivalent technologies.
  • Experience deploying AI/ML systems in cloud environments including AWS, Azure, or GCP.
  • Strong understanding of APIs, distributed systems, microservices, and scalable backend architectures.
  • Experience with Kubernetes, containerization, orchestration, and cloud-native infrastructure.
  • Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation, and MLOps best practices.
  • Experience building monitoring, observability, and alerting solutions for ML and AI systems.
  • Strong understanding of AI/ML lifecycle management, governance, model versioning, and production operations.
  • Experience designing secure, scalable, production-ready AI platforms and services.
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work across technical and business teams.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Previous experience implementing Generative AI and MLOps solutions within healthcare environments.
  • Experience working with EPIC or healthcare interoperability platforms.
  • Understanding of HIPAA, PHI handling, healthcare compliance, and responsible AI practices.
  • Experience with AI governance frameworks, LLM evaluation methodologies, and AI safety tooling.
  • Experience with GPU infrastructure optimization and scalable inference architectures.
  • Familiarity with multi-agent AI systems and autonomous workflows.
  • Experience with event-driven architectures, streaming pipelines, and real-time inference systems.
  • Exposure to model fine-tuning techniques including LoRA, PEFT, RLHF, or domain adaptation strategies.
  • Experience with enterprise AI platform architecture and internal developer platforms.
  • Prior experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.

Education
  • 5+ years of relevant experience with a degree (Required)
or
  • 7+ years of relevant experience without a degree (Required)
  • Experience in lieu of Bachelor's Degree.

Certification/Licensure
  • No specific certification or licensure requirements

Experience
  • 5 to 7 years of relevant experience

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives, and benefits. The base pay rate for Full Time employment is: $91,416.00 - $152,380.80. Additional compensation may be available for this role such as shift differentials, standby/on-call, overtime, premiums, extra shift incentives, or bonus opportunities.
Benefits: Caring For Your Family and Your Career
Medical, Dental, Vision plans
• Adoption, Fertility and Surrogacy Reimbursement up to $10,000
• Paid Time Off and Sick Leave
• Paid Parental & Family Caregiver Leave
• Emergency Backup Care
• Long-Term, Short-Term Disability, and Critical Illness plans
• Life Insurance
• 401k/403B with Employer Match
• Tuition Assistance - $5,250/year and discounted educational opportunities through Guild Education
• Student Debt Pay Down - $10,000
• Reimbursement for certifications and free access to complete CEUs and professional development
•Pet Insurance
•Legal Resources Plan . click apply for full job details

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