Senior Software Engineer (ML)

About NavaNava is a consultancy and public benefit corporation working to make government services simple, effective, and accessible to all. Since 2013, federal, state, and local government agencies have trusted Nava to build transformative digital services to help people access public benefits. Meeting our mission is an opportunity to restore trust between people and public institutions. We focus on populations that are the least protected because the stakes are higher.
As a client services company, we work with government agencies to improve how people apply for benefits, navigate their health care, and more. We bill for our time, selling our expertise and problem-solving methodology to government clients. Our clients hire us to help improve their products and services so that their users and beneficiaries have a better customer experience.
These end-users—the humans who benefit from our work—are at the core of everything we do. We research beneficiaries’ needs to help our government clients better deliver on their missions, providing everyone at Nava opportunities to do meaningful, impactful work.
Position SummaryWe are seeking a talented Sr. Software Engineer that focuses on Machine Learning to join our team. In this role, you will collaborate closely with clients, product managers, designers, and stakeholders to evaluate needs, identify problems, and develop cutting-edge AI solutions, with a particular focus on generative AI applications. You will stay abreast of trending AI technologies, ensuring that our solutions are innovative, safe, and privacy-conscious, especially within the public sector.

What You’ll Do

• Engage with clients to understand their needs and challenges, translating them into technical requirements
• Research and assess emerging AI technologies, including generative AI, to determine their applicability to client problems
• Design, develop, and propose AI solutions that address client needs effectively
• Implement, test, deploy, and monitor AI models and systems in production environments
• Collaborate with product managers and designers to ensure solutions are user-centric and aligned with business goals
• Present findings, updates, and results to clients and internal stakeholders clearly and effectively
• Develop AI solutions that comply with public sector regulations and standards
• AI Safety and Privacy: Ensure all AI solutions adhere to best practices in safety, ethics, and data privacy

Required skills

• Understanding of building AI solutions within the public sector, including regulatory considerations
• Strong awareness of AI safety, ethics, and privacy issues
• Years of experience: Minimum 5 years of professional experience in machine learning, data science, or a related field
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python
• Proficiency with machine learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Experience with large language models and fine-tuning pre-trained models
• Knowledge of prompt engineering and working with APIs of large-scale generative AI models, such as the GPT, Gemini, Claude, or Llama model families
• Expertise in data preprocessing, feature engineering, and model evaluation techniques
• Understanding of deploying and scaling AI models in production environments.
• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field

Other requirementsAll roles at Nava require the following: ●  Must be legally authorized to work in the United States and meet any other requirements for government contracts for which they are hired.●  Candidates who are offered a job with Nava must possess work authorization that does not require sponsorship by their employer for a visa now or in the future.●  May be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or applicants who are eligible for security clearances.
Perks working with Nava● Competitive benefits: We prioritize your well-being, offering highly competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits.● Generous time off: Enjoy 20 days of accrued PTO, 12 paid federal holidays, 5 floating holidays, and unlimited sick leave.● Annual discretionary bonus: Paid annually to eligible employees. When Nava does well, you do well.● Parental leave: Receive 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave and weekly meal deliveries during your leave.● Employee wellness program: Access our comprehensive Employee Wellness Program.● Virtual doctor visits: Enjoy zero copay virtual doctor visits through UHC.● Fertility support: Benefit from fertility support and treatment options.● Sabbatical leave: We offer a sabbatical leave program.● 401k contributions: We match 4% of your salary in 401k contributions.● Flexible work arrangements: We offer flexible work arrangements to suit your needs.● Home office setup: Receive assistance with your home office setup and a monthly phone allowance.● Utilities reimbursement: Get a monthly partial reimbursement for utilities (where applicable).● Learning and development: Access our comprehensive learning and development program.● Tuition and Professional development budget: Receive a prorated annual tuition and professional development budget and a LinkedIn Learning license.● Equity stock options: Benefit from equity stock options.● Employee referral program: Participate in our employee referral program.● Commuter benefits: Enjoy commuter benefits.● Insurance coverage: Receive short and long-term disability insurance, as well as life and accidental death insurance.● Inclusive culture: Join our diverse, inclusive, highly collaborative, and vibrant culture that supports remote work.
LocationYou can work in a hybrid work arrangement from one of Nava’s offices in NYC, DC, or San Francisco. We also have fully remote options if you reside in one of the following states:
Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, DC, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
*If you are not living in one of the states listed above, unfortunately, you will not be considered for a position at this time. 
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Nava PBC equal opportunity employer that is deeply committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, age, gender, religious or political beliefs, national origin or heritage, marital status, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, genetic information, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran or any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion not only reflects our values as a public benefit corporation but also enriches our ability to do our work. Learn more about where we are today and hope to be by 2025.
Please contact the recruiting team at recruiting@navapbc.com if you would like to request reasonable accommodation during the application or interviewing process.  
We participate in E-Verify. Upon hire, we will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. This role requires you to work from the contiguous United States.