ML Engineer Jobs in Virginia
ML Engineer jobs in Virginia are among the most actively recruited in the country, concentrated in defense and intelligence contracting, federal technology services, and commercial cloud infrastructure, with openings from entry-level data associates through principal and staff-level roles. The heaviest hiring clusters around Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Charlottesville, where employers like Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, and Amazon Web Services have deep, established footprints. The most in-demand specialties are natural language processing, computer vision, and MLOps engineering tied to government and cloud-scale production systems. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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CarMax, the way your career should be!
Position Overview
As a Sr. Engineer, AI & ML, you will play a pivotal role in designing and implementing advanced Generative AI solutions that elevate CarMax’s omni-channel customer experience. You will leverage expertise in large language models (LLMs), semantic search frameworks, and AI orchestration to deliver innovative, scalable applications. Your work will directly influence CarMax’s technology evolution, ensuring secure, high-performing AI systems that drive business impact.
Why CarMax?
At CarMax, we are the nation’s largest retailer of used cars with stores from coast to coast, and we are still growing. We’re rethinking the way people buy cars – and it’s our associates that help us do just that. We believe work should feel meaningful and rewarding, with opportunities to make an impact every day. This is where innovation meets passion – be inspired and supported to take us to the future.
Team Overview
You’ll join CarMax’s GenAI team, collaborating with engineers, product leaders, and stakeholders to build next-generation AI capabilities. This team focuses on creating enterprise-grade AI solutions that enhance customer interactions and streamline business processes through cutting-edge machine learning technologies.
Role Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and deploy Generative AI models, including LLMs and semantic search frameworks, for customer-facing solutions.
- Identify and address implementation challenges, providing creative, technically sound solutions.
- Build integrated monitoring systems to validate AI performance and ensure architecture integrity.
- Mentor engineers on best practices for Generative AI development and deployment.
- Review code for quality and adherence to clean coding standards.
- Collaborate on prompt engineering, testing, and evaluation using tools such as PromptFlow.
- Drive continuous improvement in AI architecture through innovation and stakeholder feedback.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
- 4+ years of experience in AI/ML, cloud computing, or systems engineering.
- Advanced proficiency in Python and scripting languages (e.g., shell scripts).
- Hands-on experience with Azure OpenAI Service and Azure AI Search.
- Expertise in LLMs, semantic search frameworks, and AI orchestration layers (e.g., Semantic Kernel).
- Experience with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and testing frameworks.
- Strong communication skills and ability to influence technical vision across teams.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
- Experience integrating CI/CD pipelines for prompt engineering with feedback loops.
- Knowledge of advanced Generative AI development tools and frameworks for enterprise-scale applications.
Work Location and Arrangement: This role will be based out of the CarMax Midtown office, Richmond VA or CarMax Technology Hub, Plano TX and have a Hybrid work arrangement.
Associates based in Richmond work onsite 5 days per week.
Associates based in Plano work onsite 2 days per week.
Work Authorization: Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Sponsorship will not be considered for this specific role.
About CarMax
At CarMax, we revolutionized the used car buying experience over 30 years ago by introducing transparency and integrity into the process. Our commitment to customer experience, innovation, and community has made us the nation’s largest used car retailer. With over 250 store locations and over 30,000 associates, we are proud to have been recognized as one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® and are committed to helping our communities thrive.
As an associate, you are part of an innovative movement to empower the modern customer and drive progress. Your work fuels change—sparking ideas, overcoming challenges, and shaping what’s next. Join us in creating a better future– for our company, our customers, and the communities we call home.
CarMax is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
The annual salary for this position is:
$120,000.00 - $180,000.00May be eligible for bonus and equity.
Benefits:
Except as otherwise required by state law, CarMax Associates are entitled to the following paid sick, vacation, and holiday time.
Associates that are considered full-time hourly or commission/incentive eligible:
- To earn up to 48 hours of sick time per year accrued on a per pay period basis and between 80 hours and 200 hours per year of vacation time after a 90 day waiting period depending on years of continuous service with the Company.
- For 8 hours of pay for each of a total of 6 paid scheduled holidays per year plus 1 floating holiday. If such an Associate does work on a scheduled holiday due to business need, they are eligible for Holiday Premium Pay.
Associates considered full-time salaried are entitled to paid time away with no specified limit as needed for sick, vacation, bereavement, jury duty, holidays, floating holiday, etc. subject to manager approval.
For more details about benefits, please visit our CarMax Benefits website.
Upon an applicant's request, CarMax will consider reasonable accommodation to complete the CarMax Job Application.
See All 68 ML Engineer Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find ML Engineer JobsML Engineer Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
ML Engineer Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Capital One12

- Booz Allen Hamilton6

- SAIC5

- Information Technology Senior Management Forum4
- DeepSig3

Top Industries Hiring
- Banking & Financial Services
- Technology & Software
- Energy
- Fintech
- Consulting & Professional Services
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in ML engineer jobs across Virginia.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, statistics, or a related quantitative field
- Proficiency in Python and at least one ML framework such as TensorFlow or PyTorch
- Experience designing, training, and deploying machine learning models in production environments
- Familiarity with cloud platforms, particularly AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, for model serving
- Active or clearance-eligible status for federal and defense contractor roles in Northern Virginia
- Strong communication skills for presenting model results and tradeoffs to non-technical stakeholders
ML Engineer Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a ml engineer in Virginia?
Virginia does not require a state-issued license to work as an ml engineer. The standard path is a bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, or a related field, followed by hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks and cloud platforms. Given Virginia's heavy defense and federal contracting market, candidates who pursue a security clearance through employers like Booz Allen Hamilton or Leidos significantly improve their hiring prospects in the Northern Virginia corridor.
Which companies hire ml engineers in Virginia?
Employers hiring ml engineers in Virginia right now include Capital One, Booz Allen Hamilton, and SAIC, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Virginia's concentration of federal agencies and defense contractors means many of these positions involve government program support alongside commercial product development.
Which Virginia cities have the most ml engineer jobs?
McLean, Arlington, and Herndon account for the largest share of ml engineer openings in Virginia. Northern Virginia dominates because of the dense cluster of federal agencies, defense contractors, and hyperscale data centers in the region, while Richmond and Charlottesville draw additional demand from financial services firms, health systems, and the University of Virginia's research and commercialization activity.
Are there remote ml engineer jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 54% of ml engineer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting the desk-based, code-driven nature of the work. Model development, experimentation, and pipeline engineering transfer well to fully remote arrangements, though roles supporting classified government contracts in Northern Virginia typically require on-site presence.
How can I get hired as a ml engineer in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a data analyst, business intelligence analyst, or software engineer role at a Virginia employer, then transitioning internally once you build a portfolio of applied machine learning projects. Large Northern Virginia contractors like Leidos and SAIC run early-career and new-graduate programs that include rotational assignments covering data science and ML work. A strong GitHub portfolio demonstrating end-to-end model building, combined with cloud certifications from AWS or Google Cloud, gives candidates without formal ML job titles a concrete edge.
Where can I find and apply to ml engineer jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to ml engineer jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings across defense contracting, commercial technology, and federal agency work. Find roles that match your background and apply directly to the ones that fit.
See All 68 ML Engineer Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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