Chief AI Subject Matter Expert - JobID-0274

Department: Engineering

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Mount Laurel, NJ

Compensation: $198,000 - $328,000 / year

Description About The Role: Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT), a leading defense technology company, is seeking a Chief AI Subject Matter Expert (SME) to be part of our Integrated Warfare Systems Division and based out of our Arlington, VA, Mt. Laurel, NJ, or San Diego, CA locations.

The Chief AI Subject Matter Expert will serve as a strategic and technical advisor on the effective adoption, implementation, and governance of artificial intelligence across the Division. They will spearhead the development of software in an AI-augmented engineering environment where generative AI tools are used throughout the software lifecycle — including requirements analysis, architecture design, code generation, test creation, debugging, documentation, and system analysis.

The SME will bring expert level knowledge of AI technologies including generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), machine learning, and AI automation, as well as responsible AI guidelines that translate into practical business solutions. They will help establish and champion AI-accelerated development practices across engineering teams, demonstrating how generative AI can dramatically increase engineering velocity while maintaining high reliability, security, and mission assurance standards required for defense systems.

The engineer will work within multidisciplinary teams to accelerate delivery, enhance reliability, and operationalize autonomous and intelligent behaviors across complex DoW systems. The ideal candidate combines deep AI expertise with strong business acumen and communication skills and can explain complex AI concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

The Integrated Warfare Systems Division is composed of four mission critical business units within the IDT organization and is directly responsible for building, testing, and deploying the Navy’s next generation of tactical warfare and weapons systems. As the nation enters the ‘technology-first’ era of warfare, the Integrated Warfare Systems Division will be responsible for enabling and accelerating the mission critical tactical capability that is delivered to the warfighter. The AI Subject Matter Expert will work with our team of software and systems engineers building tactically relevant and technically innovative solutions to ensure the highest impact to the US Navy.

Clearance & Location Requirements:

• All applicants must be able to obtain/maintain an active Secret U.S. Security Clearance.
• This is an on-site position. Requiring at least 3 days in office, based out of our Arlington, VA, Mt. Laurel, NJ, or San Diego, CA locations.

Key Responsibilities

What You Will Do

• Serve as the organization’s subject matter expert on AI, generative AI, LLMs, machine learning, and emerging AI capabilities
• Lead the integration of AI Components into Complex DoW Software Environments
• Lead the integration of AI models and services into mission-critical software systems.
• Demonstrate and share AI-enabled engineering techniques that improve team productivity and software quality
• Lead the definition and evolution of AI-augmented engineering standards, patterns, and best practices
• Develop Intelligent Data Processing and NLP Pipelines
• Deliver AI‑Enabled Dashboards, Interfaces, and Insights
• Develop proofs-of-concepts and demonstrations to validate potential AI use cases
• Prototype and evaluate emerging AI developer tooling (e.g. agent frameworks, code copilots, automated testing agents)
• Use generative AI tools (e.g. LLM copilots, autonomous coding agents, AI test generators) as a core part of daily software engineering workflows
• Mentor engineering teams on effective use of generative AI in development workflows
• Help identify areas of the software lifecycle that can be accelerated through generative AI and automation.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Who You Are (Required)

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent full-time professional experience.
• 15+ years of full-time professional experience
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time, as needed
• Demonstrated curiosity and experimentation with emerging AI technologies and engineering practices.
• Daily use of generative AI…