USSF OTTI Lead AI/Data Engineer

Join General Dynamics IT and be a part of a team that solve some of the world's most complex technical challenges. We are seeking a Lead AI/Data Engineer to build infrastructure for the USSF Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) -in Colorado Springs, CO.

This is a proposal position and considered a Key Personnel (KP). Award is expected in September 2026.

The Lead AI/Data Engineer for USSF OTTI serves as the senior technical authority responsible for the architecture, engineering, integration, and governance of OTTI’s enterprise data and AI/ML ecosystem. This role leads the design and implementation of scalable data platforms, AI/ML pipelines, and analytics services that enable synthetic environment realism, automated readiness assessment, digital engineering integration, and data-driven decision support across the U.S. Space Force Operational Test and Training Infrastructure. 

The Lead AI/Data Engineer partners with the Chief Engineer and technical leadership to deliver secure, interoperable, and mission-aligned data and AI capabilities supporting OTTI’s distributed digital test and training architecture.

Key Responsibilities:

Data Architecture & Engineering: 

• Design and maintain OTTI enterprise data architecture supporting:  

• Operational mission data  

• Test and telemetry data  

• Training performance and readiness data  

• Simulation/model outputs  

• Sensor/platform data streams  

• Architect scalable data lake/lakehouse, streaming, and analytics platforms.  

• Establish data standards, schemas, metadata, lineage, and governance processes.  

AI/ML Platform Engineering:

• Lead design and implementation of OTTI AI/ML infrastructure and MLOps pipelines.  

• Enable model training, validation, deployment, monitoring, and lifecycle management.  

• Support GPU/accelerated compute environments for AI/ML workloads.  

• Implement repeatable AI/ML development and deployment patterns.  

Synthetic Environment / Advanced Analytics Enablement: 

• Integrate AI/ML capabilities into OTTI synthetic environments for:  

• Threat/adversary behavior modeling  

• Scenario generation and optimization  

• Automated red/blue force behavior  

• Synthetic battlespace enrichment  

• Deliver advanced analytics supporting readiness scoring, trend analysis, anomaly detection, and predictive assessment.

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Data Integration / Interoperability: 

• Integrate data across OTTI systems including:  

• Simulation and training platforms  

• Digital engineering/model repositories  

• Mission/operational systems  

• External USSF/DoD data providers  

• Ensure semantic interoperability and data normalization across sources.

Security / Governance / Compliance 

• Ensure OTTI data and AI/ML platforms comply with:  

• DoD Data Strategy principles  

• RMF / Security controls  

• Data governance and access controls  

• Responsible AI / AI assurance requirements  

• Implement secure data handling and AI model governance.  

Technical Leadership: 

• Serve as AI/Data SME to Government stakeholders, Chief Engineer, and Program Leadership.  

• Mentor data engineers, data scientists, and ML engineers.  

• Lead AI/data architecture reviews, technical planning, and roadmap development.  

• Evaluate emerging AI/data technologies for mission applicability.  

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical field (Master’s preferred).  

• 10+ years of progressive data engineering / AI / analytics experience.  

• 5+ years leading enterprise data platform or AI/ML engineering teams.  

• Demonstrated experience architecting large-scale data pipelines and analytics platforms.  

• Experience implementing AI/ML pipelines and MLOps frameworks.  

• Experience integrating multiple heterogeneous data sources into unified architectures.  

• Experience supporting secure/classified/regulated data environments.  

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility

Desired Qualifications 

• Experience supporting USSF, SSC, STARCOM, SpOC, or related DoD/IC organizations.  

• Experience with operational test/training systems, synthetic environments, digital twins, or simulation ecosystems.  

• Familiarity with:  

• Data Lake / Lakehouse / Mesh Architectures  

• Kafka / Spark / Databricks / Elastic / Snowflake / BigQuery  

• Python / SQL / ETL / Streaming Frameworks  

• AI/ML / Deep Learning / Generative AI / LLM Integration  

• Vector Databases / Semantic Search / Knowledge Graphs  

• GPU / Accelerated AI Compute Platforms  

• MLOps / Kubeflow / MLflow / SageMaker / Vertex AI  

• DoD Data Mesh / Authoritative Data Sources / Digital Thread  

• Relevant certifications preferred:  

• Cloud Data Engineer / AI Engineer Certifications  

• Databricks / Snowflake / AWS ML / Azure AI Certifications  

Key Success Attributes 

• Strategic thinker with deep data and AI technical expertise  

• Strong systems integration mindset across data-rich mission environments  

• Ability to translate operational needs into scalable data/AI architectures  

• Strong communication and customer-facing technical advisory skills  

• Proven leadership in secure, mission-critical analytics environments  

WHAT CAN GDIT OFFER YOU?

• Excellent customizable health benefits (Medical, Dental and Vision)
• 401K with company match
• Educational Assistance and eLearning
• Flexible work week
• Internal mobility team dedicated to employee advancement
• Rewards and Recognition programs
• Innovative and collaborative environment encouraging of highly motivated critical thinking