W-2 at award · 10–15 hrs/week per active award · $60–$90/hr · Remote (U.S.)

Principal Engineer (AI/ML)

Build production AI/ML systems for funded federal programs, working alongside our engineering team. Named on proposals now; paid W-2 work begins when a contract is awarded.

About Precision Federal

Precision Federal is a small business building AI, data and software systems for government agencies. The company’s founder loves God, and the company is built on Christian faith: every number we publish is real, every claim we make is verifiable, and the work is done with excellence as service to God. Faith is welcome here and openly shared.

How this role works

You join the bench. You apply with your hourly rate, weekly hours and start time, and we may name you on proposals that match this role. If we don't win, you owe nothing.
A contract is awarded. The award funds the team named in the proposal. Your engagement begins at the hourly rate we agreed on.
You work remote, paid from the contract. 10–15 hrs/week per active award — and if no award ever funds, you owe nothing and lose nothing.

What you'll do

Design and build data pipelines, model-training workflows, and evaluation benches for federal AI/ML programs
Ship working applications on government-relevant datasets
Anchor every measured result against external benchmarks and hold engineering quality to audit-grade standards
Contribute engineering substance to technical volumes and program reviews
Join kickoff and technical-point-of-contact calls for funded efforts

Required qualifications

8+ years building production software, with machine-learning systems shipped to real users
Strong Python and the modern ML stack (PyTorch or equivalent)
Cloud deployment experience — AWS, GCP, or Azure
Clear written communication — federal work is won and delivered on paper
U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (a “U.S. person” under ITAR)
Open to being named as key personnel on federal proposals

Preferred qualifications

DoD or federal contracting experience
Active or prior security clearance
Depth in signal processing, computer vision, or NLP
Military service background

Compensation & structure

W-2 employment beginning at contract award, at $60–$90 per hour. Roughly 10–15 hours per week per active award, fully remote. Until an award funds: no work, no obligation — at most an occasional technical conversation.

Join the bench — Principal Engineer (AI/ML)

Every application is read.

This is a bench, not a job offer. Work starts when we win a contract that needs you.
We may name you on proposals. If that contract is awarded, you do the role at the rate and hours we agree on.
Paid hourly as a 1099 contractor; full-time roles may be W-2. If your background fits, we will email you.

First name *

Last name *

Email *

Phone *

Work authorization *

LinkedIn or portfolio link

What state do you live in? *

Resume (PDF or Word) *

Questions

Answer from your own experience. A few sentences each is plenty; be specific and tell us what you did yourself.

1. Cover letter. In your own words, tell us about yourself: your background, the work you do best, the values that guide your work, and why this role interests you. *

2. Describe the machine-learning system you shipped to real users that is closest to this role: the data pipeline, training and evaluation setup, the benchmark you measured against, your role, and the result. *

3. Which of these have you used hands-on, and for how long: Python, PyTorch, MLOps and evaluation tooling, AWS, GCP or Azure deployment, computer vision, NLP or signal processing? Which could you be tested on? *

Rate and availability

Your hourly rate (USD) *

Target rate: $60–$90 an hour.

Hours per week you could give on an awarded contract (all part-time, up to 30) *

If you are named and we win in the next 12 months, how soon could you start? *

May we name you on proposals for this role, and if we win, will you do the work at the rate we agree on? *

Precision Federal was founded on Christian values. Our faith in God shapes how we work: we talk openly about faith, and we share fellowship together. Taking part is always voluntary. As we get to know you, you’re always welcome to share your own faith with us.

Questions? careers@precisionfederal.com · See all open roles