Biometrics Machine Learning Engineer

MANTECH seeks a motivated, career and customer-oriented Subject Matter Expert in Machine Learning Engineer with a specialization in Biometrics to join our Data and AI Practice. This is currently a hybrid position with two days onsite in Ashburn, VA and three days remote.

In this role, you will collaborate with a cross-functional team to integrate biometric identification systems into final products to deliver mission impact. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise and experience in computer vision, a strong grasp of machine learning tools and frameworks, and a pragmatic, customer-centric approach to applying ML models to solve complex problems.

Each day U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) oversees the massive flow of people, capital, and products that enter and depart the United States via air, land, sea, and cyberspace. The volume and complexity of both physical and virtual border crossings require the application of solutions to aid officers in detecting threats while promoting efficient trade and travel

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Lead the design and implementation of advanced AI-driven biometric recognition systems (e.g., facial, fingerprint, iris) for high-security, large-scale applications.
• Conduct research on emerging methods, algorithms, and industry trends in biometrics, translating findings into practical applications.
• Architect and implement pipelines for ingesting, processing, and fusing data from various biometric modalities (e.g., facial recognition, fingerprint, voice) and develop and deploy predictive models (e.g., classification, clustering, deep learning methods) leveraging integrated biometric and other relevant data.
• Design and implement algorithms for large-scale similarity search and optimize performance and scalability for real-time or near real-time predictive applications.
• Lead the development of novel evaluation metrics and benchmark datasets to rigorously test and validate algorithm performance and collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate biometric technologies into secure, scalable, and efficient system architectures and document system designs, processes, and research findings for internal knowledge sharing, audits, and external stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications:

• HS Diploma/GED and 20+ years or AS/AA and 18+ years or BS/BA and 12+ years or MS/MA/MBA and 9+ years or PhD/Doctorate and 7+ years.
• 5+ years of experience computer vision, machine learning, or biometrics.
• Proven expertise in biometric recognition modalities such as face, iris, fingerprint, or voice and solid understanding of image processing, segmentation, object detection, and feature engineering.
• Strong knowledge of Approximate Nearest Neighbor (ANN) algorithms such as Hierarchical Navigable Small World (HNSW), Locality-Sensitive Hashing (LSH), Faiss, or Annoy
• Proficiency in deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Keras).
• Strong programming skills in Python, C++, or Java with emphasis on performance optimization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in scalable biometric matching systems with millions of identities.
• Publications or patents in computer vision/biometric recognition.
• Hands-on experience with cloud computing environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and designing scalable, secure software architectures and strong understanding of data security, privacy, and compliance requirements in biometric applications, including relevant standards and best practices
• Prior experience with managing enterprise systems and knowledge of CBP enterprise system tools and processes is preferred.

Clearance Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. citizen and be able to obtain and maintain a DHS/CBP Security Clearance.

Physical Requirements:

• The person in this position needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, or to communicate with co-workers, management, and customers, which may involve delivering presentations.