Natural Language Processing (NLP) Lead Specialist

Job Title: Natural Language Processing (NLP) Lead Specialist Location: Bronx, New York Experience Required: 12+ Years Employment Type: Contract Interview Type: In-Person or Webcam Job Description We are looking for an experienced Natural Language Processing (NLP) Lead Specialist to guide advanced language technology development and implementation initiatives. This role requires deep expertise in building scalable NLP solutions, overseeing end-to-end machine learning pipelines, and leading teams through complex model design and deployment. The ideal candidate should have significant hands-on experience with modern NLP frameworks, deep learning models, and real-world data processing. This position involves collaborating closely with stakeholders, data scientists, engineers, and product teams to deliver cutting-edge language-based solutions that improve automation, insights, and user experience across the organization. Key Responsibilities Lead design, development, and deployment of NLP and machine learning solutions for enterprise applications and research initiatives. Architect and optimize NLP pipelines including text classification, sentiment analysis, named entity recognition, summarization, conversational systems, and information extraction. Evaluate, fine-tune, and implement transformer-based models such as BERT, GPT, RoBERTa, T5, or domain-specific models. Build scalable data processing systems using modern big data and cloud technologies. Oversee collection, annotation, and management of training datasets. Guide model evaluation, experimentation, performance tuning, and error analysis. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align technical outcomes with business needs. Provide mentorship to junior engineers and data scientists. Maintain awareness of emerging NLP research and tools and integrate new capabilities when beneficial. Ensure compliance with security, ethical AI, and data governance standards. Required Skills and Qualifications Minimum 12 years of professional experience in advanced NLP, machine learning, or AI engineering. Strong hands-on experience with NLP frameworks such as Hugging Face Transformers, spaCy, NLTK, Stanford CoreNLP, or OpenAI APIs. Deep understanding of deep learning frameworks including TensorFlow or PyTorch. Proven expertise in transformer models, language modeling, embeddings, text analytics, and conversational AI systems. Strong background in Python programming and experience with ML libraries such as Scikit-learn, NumPy, Pandas, and Numpy. Experience deploying NLP solutions in cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, or GCP. Knowledge of MLOps tools and model deployment strategies. Ability to define technical roadmaps and lead multidisciplinary teams. Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills. Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Linguistics, or a related field preferred.