Program Manager - AI Engineering

ATI builds and manages collaborations that conducts research and development of new technologies to solve our nation's most pressing challenges. Our collaborations are custom-built teams of organizations from industry and academia that develop novel technologies for the federal government. Traditionally, these processes are complicated and burdensome. That's where ATI comes in. We simplify and streamline processes to make it all work. When you work at ATI, you become a part of something larger than yourself. Our collective work - no matter what department or division you work in - ultimately enables the warfighter, saves lives, and diversifies the industrial base. At our core, ATI is a service organization. We are in service to others; it's what we do, and it's who we are.

Position Description:

The Program Manager - AI Engineering will serve as the organization's senior technical leader for AI, responsible for the AI capability stack, setting the standards that govern how AI solutions are built, and translating strategic priorities into a credible, phased delivery plan. This is a hands-on role, as the AI Engineering lead, they will prototype and build solutions, evaluate tooling, and directly shape how AI is built and delivered. This person must be as comfortable presenting architecture decisions to non-technical leadership as they are working alongside engineers.
This role works in close partnership with the AI Transformation Lead to facilitate a clear handoff, and an agreed collaboration cadence between the technical and adoption tracks.

Apply at ATI.ORG; we only accept applications submitted through our applicant tracking system.

**This position offers a hybrid schedule (in-office & remote/work from home) or an onsite schedule and flexible hours. Candidates will need to reside near Summerville, SC to ensure work site flexibility.**

Essential Functions:

AI Architecture
Provide guidance on architectural direction for the AI capability stack on Microsoft Azure, including data flow patterns, integration approach, and selection of appropriate AI services in partnership with technical leadership

Work with Technical Leadership to make and document build vs. buy decisions, including evaluation of existing vendor relationships and third-party AI capabilities

Ensure compliance requirements, including FedRAMP, are identified early and designed in, engaging internal and vendor resources where deeper expertise is needed

Provide guidance on AI standards covering solution design, testing, documentation, and handoff practices

Evaluate the AskSage and Copilot deployments and advise on the role within the broader AI stack

Advise on data architecture patterns appropriate for AI workloads, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), document ingestion pipelines, and knowledge retrieval

Delivery & Mentorship
Build working prototypes of prioritized AI capabilities to validate feasibility and demonstrate technical direction

Evaluate the current AI capabilities and recommend a plan to grow capabilities through training or augmentation

Work with internal and external team members to determine the best delivery strategy

Establish a working relationship with the AI Transformation Lead, including clear handoffs and an agreed collaboration rhythm
Core Technical Requirements

LLM Application Development
Hands-on experience building production LLM-based applications, including prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and document processing pipelines

Experience with knowledge retrieval systems using vector search and semantic indexing

Experience with intelligent document processing, including OCR, document classification, and structured data extraction from unstructured sources

Practical understanding of when LLM-based approaches are the right solution and when simpler methods are more appropriate and the ability to make that case clearly

Microsoft Azure
Hands-on experience with Azure AI Services: Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Search, Azure Document Intelligence, and Azure Cognitive Services

Working knowledge of Azure data and compute infrastructure relevant to AI workloads: Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Lake, Azure Functions, and Azure Container Apps

Experience with Azure DevOps for solution delivery and Azure AI Studio for model management and deployment

Compliance & Regulated Environments
Demonstrated experience designing AI solutions for FedRAMP-compliant or similarly regulated environments

Ability to translate compliance requirements into concrete architecture decisions and communicate them clearly to non-technical stakeholders

Software Engineering Fundamentals
Proficiency in Python for AI application development

Experience designing APIs that expose AI capabilities to downstream applications

Familiarity with C# or TypeScript in Azure/.NET environments is a plus

Additional Responsibilities:

The following skills are valued and will strengthen a candidate's profile.

Agentic workflow design, including multi-step orchestration using frameworks such as LangChain, Semantic Kernel, or AutoGen

LLMOps practices including prompt versioning, output observability, and evaluation frameworks

Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Bicep)

Microsoft Power Platform (Power Automate, Copilot Studio) as a delivery layer for workflow automation

Model Context Protocol (MCP) or equivalent standards for connecting AI models to organizational data and tools

Qualifications:

Required
7+ years of experience in software engineering, solutions architecture, or a related technical field, with at least 3 years focused on AI or machine learning systems

Demonstrated track record of designing and delivering AI solutions in production - not just prototypes or proofs of concept

Experience setting technical direction for small engineering teams, including standards, patterns, and review practices

Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure, particularly Azure AI Services and Azure OpenAI

Strong communication skills, able to translate complex technical decisions for non-technical audiences and build confidence with leadership teams that are new to AI

Bachelor's degree in computer science, data science, software engineering, or a related field; advanced degree preferred but not required where equivalent experience is demonstrated

Employee must be a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization, or a green card lawful U.S. permanent resident, or a political asylum in the U.S. Individual must meet the definition of "a U.S. person" upon hire due to the risk assessment of this position.

This position is subject to a background check that includes a review of criminal records. In reviewing an applicant's criminal history, the company will consider prior criminal convictions that have a relationship to the job duties and responsibilities of the position. The company considers the nature of the crime, the time that has elapsed since the crime and the job duties for the position at issue in making an individualized determination. Individuals may be excluded when the company determines, based on the above factors, that hiring, transferring or promoting the applicant would pose an unreasonable risk to the business, its employees or its customers and vendors.

Preferred
Experience in a government contracting, regulated services, or similarly compliance-driven environment

Familiarity with FedRAMP requirements and their architectural implications

Prior experience evaluating and onboarding AI vendors or managing outsourced delivery relationships

Microsoft Azure certifications (e.g., Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure AI Engineer Associate)

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Regular physical activity to include walking, bending, stooping, reaching, standing and prolonged sitting.

Ability to speak, read, hear, and write, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Ability to use phone and computer systems, copier, fax, and other office equipment.

Must be able to occasionally move/lift up to 25 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation.

Work Environment:

This position is located in an air-conditioned, environmentally controlled atmosphere. Noise level in the work environment is usually moderate and the distraction level in the work environment is often heavy.

ATI is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans, and Individual with Disabilities.

ATI complies with the Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination provision mandated by Executive Order 13665.

Apply at ATI.ORG; we only accept applications submitted through our applicant tracking system. If you require accommodations to complete this application, please contact Human Resources at (843) 760-4350 or email hr@ati.org.

Anticipated starting salary is in range commensurate with education and experience:
$145,000 - $200,000