Data Scientist Specialist

Job#: 3016659

Job Description:

Principal Gen AI Scientist

Location: McLean, VA (Full-time Onsite, M-F)

Assignment Type: Contract Only

Duration: Through 12/31/2025

Schedule: Standard business hours

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Gen AI Scientist with deep expertise in Generative AI (GenAI) to lead the design and development of advanced AI agents, agentic workflows, and GenAI applications. This role requires hands-on mastery of LLMs, RAG/Graph RAG, prompt engineering, data pipelines, and AWS-based AI deployments. You will collaborate closely with full stack engineers, UX designers, product managers, and data engineers to deliver enterprise-grade GenAI solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement scalable AI agents, agentic workflows, and GenAI applications for complex business use cases.
• Fine-tune, optimize, and evaluate LLMs (Claude, Azure OpenAI, open-source models).
• Build and deploy RAG and Graph RAG systems using vector databases and enterprise knowledge bases.
• Curate and prepare enterprise data using AWS Bedrock Knowledge Bases/Elastic and related connectors.
• Implement solutions using MCP , A2A, and standardized GenAI architectural patterns.
• Develop and maintain Jupyter notebooks on platforms such as SageMaker, MLFlow, or Kubeflow on EKS.
• Collaborate with engineers, designers, and data teams to deliver full-stack GenAI experiences.
• Integrate GenAI applications with enterprise systems via APIs.
• Establish evaluation frameworks, guardrails, and safety protocols for production deployments.
• Build ingestion pipelines for PDFs, video, and audio, including chunking, enrichment, and anonymization.
• Orchestrate multimodal ETL/ELT workflows using frameworks like Spark or PySpark.
• Implement embedding pipelines and integrate with vector stores (AWS KnowledgeBase, Elastic, MongoDB Atlas).

Must Have Qualifications

• BA or MS in AI, Data Science, Computer Science, or related field.
• Significant experience in AI/ML, including 3+ years in applied GenAI or LLM-based solutions.
• Hands-on experience transitioning from traditional ML into GenAI, including RAG, Python/Jupyter, agent workflows, and strong data understanding.
• Deep expertise in prompt engineering, fine-tuning, RAG, Graph RAG, vector databases, and multi-modal models.
• Proven experience with AWS SageMaker, Bedrock, MLFlow on EKS, and cloud-native AI architectures.
• Strong programming skills in Python and ML/GenAI libraries (Transformers, LangChain, etc.).
• Strong understanding of GenAI system patterns, evaluation frameworks, and architectural best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in cross-functional agile teams.
• GitHub code repository link required for each candidate; candidates must be thoroughly vetted.
• Preferred: Experience building AI agents, MCP, A2A, Graph RAG, and deploying GenAI applications to production.

Preferred Qualifications

• Published contributions or patents in AI/ML/LLM domains.
• Experience with enterprise AI governance, risk management, and ethical deployment frameworks.
• Familiarity with CI/CD for ML, scalable inference APIs, and MLOps best practices.

EEO Employer

Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law. If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation in using our website for a search or application, please contact our Employee Services Department at or .

Apex Systems is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico. Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click for more details.

Apex Benefits Overview:Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our ‘Welcome Packet’ as well, which an Apex team member can provide.