Raft AI/ML Intern - Summer 2025

This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.

Who We Are:
Raft (https://teamraft.com) is a customer-obsessed, non-traditional small business focused on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development. Headquartered in McLean, VA, we partner with innovative federal and public agencies to leverage design thinking, cutting-edge technology stacks, and a cloud-native ecosystem. Our digital solutions impact the lives of millions of Americans, and we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment.

About the Role:
At Raft, our goal is to constantly push the limits of technology to deliver innovative solutions that meet the complex demands of our clients. We are currently looking for a highly motivated AI/ML Intern to join our team for the upcoming summer. This position provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience in a dynamic and supportive work environment while working on projects that directly impact government operations. 

Qualifications and Responsibilities:

• Assist in building, training, and deploying AI models for various applications.
• Participate in developing agentic workflows and AI-driven solutions for Raft’s platforms, Kurrent and Waves.
• Collaborate with team members to solve complex AI challenges and push boundaries in AI innovation.
• Conduct research and analysis on the latest AI/ML techniques, contributing to ongoing projects.
• Document and report on project progress, outcomes, and research findings.
• Currently enrolled in an MS or PhD program in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field (highly preferred).
• U.S. citizenship is required as interns may be exposed to sensitive work related to government operations.

Highly Preferred:

• Strong experience with PyTorch, LangChain, and LangGraph.
• Prior research or published work in AI/ML or agentic systems.
• A creative mindset and passion for exploring new ideas in AI workflows.

Work Type:

• Location: Remote with travel to Raft HQ.
• Duration: June to August 2025.
• Hours: Part-time, up to 29 hours per week
• Compensation: $30 - $40 per hour, based on experience and qualifications.

Capstone Project or Program Support:
At the conclusion of the internship, you may present a Capstone Project that summarizes your contributions to AI model development and agentic workflows. Alternatively, you may support ongoing programs by contributing to impactful real-world projects throughout the summer.

Our Vision Statement:  

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission. 

Our Customer Obsession: 

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there? 

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm. 

Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration. 

We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.