53694BR
Company:
GA Intelligence
Job Summary:
GA-Intelligence maintains and deploys production systems for users across the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, and commercial industry. We build and develop best-in-class all domain and globally focused situational awareness capabilities, including THRESHER and DRAGONSPELL, that process petabytes of data in near real time. Our systems apply state-of-the-art algorithms and machine learning techniques to extract features and fuse data to form a rich live view of objects in the sky, on the sea, and on the ground. Our rapidly growing suite of federal software solutions are used by thousands of intelligence analysts and military personnel around the globe to counter new and emerging threats to national security.
GA-Intelligence is establishing a People organization with a matrix staffing model to support our rapid growth and technical excellence. We are seeking an experienced Cleared Functional Group Manager to lead our AI/ML Engineering function, serving as the "home room" manager for approximately 20-40 AI/ML engineers while they execute technical work across Solutions and Products teams.
As a Functional Group Manager, you will be responsible for the professional wellbeing, career development, and administrative oversight of the AI/ML engineers assigned to you. You will partner with Solutions and Products leadership on workforce allocation, lead hiring efforts for your functional group, and foster technical excellence through communities of practice and professional development initiatives. This role balances people management, technical community leadership, and strategic workforce planning.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Talent Management & Career Development
Serve as the administrative supervisor and "home room" manager for 20-40 software engineers
Aggregate performance feedback from Solutions/Products technical leaders and execute performance reviews within GA Corporate HR systems
Establish and maintain career paths specific to AI/ML engineering
Staffing & Resource Allocation
Make strategic staffing decisions, assigning engineers to Solution and Product development teams based on business priorities
Conduct regular check-ins with day-to-day supervisors to discuss employee performance and assignment fit
Recruiting & Hiring
Serve as hiring manager for new AI/ML engineer hires and coordinate with GA Talent Acquisition partners
Establish function-specific hiring practices for AI/ML engineering roles
Train staff on hiring process, particularly technical screens and interview best practices
Professional Development & Community Building
Coordinate internal experimentation with emerging technologies, ensuring learnings are shared across teams
Manage professional development budget allocation for your functional group
Organize and support communities of interest/excellence for frontend engineering topics
Onboarding & Integration
Create and maintain function-relevant onboarding training materials for AI/ML engineers
Coordinate structured onboarding training for new hires
Additional Duties and Responsibilities
Participate in strategic workforce planning to anticipate future skill needs for AI/ML engineering
Coordinate with Engineering Enablement Lead on developer experience improvements, tooling, and infrastructure
Contribute to building a developer-first culture focused on technical excellence
Work within GA Corporate HR systems, policies, and performance review cycles
Track and report on key metrics including employee satisfaction, retention, staffing fulfillment, and professional development participation
We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.
Job ID#:
53694BR
Job Category:
Information Technology
Travel Percentage Required:
0% - 25%
Full-Time/Part-Time:
Full-Time Salary
State:
Virginia
Clearance Level:
Top Secret (SCI access eligible)
Pay Range Low:
155,370
City:
Charlottesville
Clearance Required?:
Desired
Pay Range High:
289,320
Recruitment Posting Title:
AI/ML Engineering Functional Group Manager
Job Qualifications:
Typically requires a Bachelors, Masters or PhD in data science, applied mathematics, statistics, computer science, or related technical/quantitative discipline from an accredited institution as well as thirteen or more years of progressively complex experience in data science. May substitute equivalent experience in lieu of education.
8+ years of related experience, including 3+ years in a people management or technical leadership role.
Strong technical background in AI/ML engineering, with demonstrated expertise in relevant technologies such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, computer vision frameworks (OpenCV), time series analysis, NLP/LLMs, MLOps tools, cloud ML platforms (AWS SageMaker, Azure ML)
Proven experience managing, mentoring, or leading AI/ML engineers
Track record of developing engineers from junior to senior levels
Excellent judgment in making staffing and resource allocation decisions
Experience conducting performance reviews and managing career development
Demonstrated ability to balance competing priorities and manage stakeholder expectations
Understanding of software development lifecycle and agile methodologies
Experience with recruiting and interviewing technical talent
Ability to build trust and relationships across organizational boundaries
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with ability to influence without direct authority
Comfort operating in a matrix organization structure
Ability to obtain and maintain DoD security clearance required.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
An ideal candidate will have additional specific experience with many of the following:
Experience establishing or scaling technical organizations or engineering teams
Background in multiple technology stacks and architectures
Familiarity with professional development frameworks and career ladders for engineers, especially AI/ML engineers
Previous experience in a matrix organization or similar dual-reporting structure
Experience navigating corporate HR systems while advocating for technical teams
Contributions to technical communities (conferences, open source, publications)
Understanding of government contracting and cleared environments
Experience with developer productivity metrics and engineering effectiveness
Strong network in the AI/ML community for recruiting purposes
Note: This role is part of GA-Intelligence's 2026 organizational transformation to a matrix structure. As a Functional Group Manager, you'll be instrumental in building the People organization from the ground up and establishing processes that will define how we support our technical workforce for years to come.
US Citizenship Required?:
Yes
Experience Level:
Management
Relocation Assistance Provided?:
Yes
Workstyle:
Onsite
General Atomics is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed, ancestry, gender, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, transitioning status, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, genetic information, military and veteran status, marital status, medical condition, mental disability, physical disability, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law. In accordance with applicable federal law, General Atomics takes affirmative action to employ and advance the employment of qualified protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. We also prohibit compensation discrimination under all applicable laws. U.S. Citizenship is required for certain positions. To learn more, please review the EEOC's "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal" poster.
