AI Engineer, Public Sector

Job description

**This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for an AI Engineer, Public Sector based in the United States.** Join an innovative AI engineering team developing advanced artificial intelligence solutions for US government agencies and mission-critical public sector applications. In this role, you will design, build, and deploy generative and predictive AI capabilities that address complex operational challenges and support high-impact government missions. You will work with large language models, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), agentic workflows, and predictive machine learning to transform emerging AI technologies into practical, secure, and scalable solutions. Balancing rapid proof-of-concept development with long-term production readiness, you will help turn ambitious ideas into reliable applications. Working closely with government customers, subject matter experts, and cross-functional teams, you will translate technical concepts into measurable outcomes. This opportunity combines hands-on engineering, applied research, and customer collaboration in a fast-growing environment focused on trustworthy, explainable, and responsible AI. ### Accountabilities: - **Design and deploy AI solutions:** Develop, implement, and deploy AI-powered applications that address the needs of US government customers and support mission-critical use cases. - **Build generative and predictive AI capabilities:** Create solutions combining large language models, predictive machine learning, and intelligent workflows to solve complex customer problems. - **Develop rapid prototypes:** Build proof-of-concept applications to validate technical approaches, demonstrate value, and accelerate customer adoption while designing solutions that can evolve into scalable, maintainable systems. - **Implement agentic workflows:** Explore and develop AI agents, LLM fine-tuning approaches, structured outputs, multimodal capabilities, and advanced orchestration patterns. - **Build user-facing applications:** Design and develop interfaces and applications that enable customers to interact effectively with AI-powered tools, using frameworks such as Flask or Streamlit. - **Integrate AI technologies:** Connect AI models and applications with APIs, databases, retrieval systems, and existing customer infrastructure to deliver end-to-end solutions. - **Collaborate with customers and experts:** Engage directly with government stakeholders and subject matter experts to understand requirements, communicate technical concepts clearly, and translate operational challenges into practical AI solutions. - **Support solution discovery and pre-sales:** Contribute technical expertise to pre-sales activities, demonstrations, and solution design, identifying how AI capabilities can meet customer requirements. - **Conduct applied research and development:** Investigate emerging generative AI techniques, agentic capabilities, and predictive modeling approaches to expand the possibilities of AI applications in government environments. - **Promote trustworthy AI practices:** Contribute to the development of secure, transparent, explainable, and reliable AI solutions suitable for sensitive and regulated use cases. ## Requirements: - **Professional experience:** At least three years of professional experience in AI/ML, software engineering, or a related technical field. - **Education:** A bachelor's degree or equivalent undergraduate qualification in a technical discipline, supported by a strong foundation in applied artificial intelligence and machine learning. - **Programming expertise:** Strong Python programming skills and the ability to develop practical, maintainable AI applications. Experience with Java and HTML is an advantage. - **Generative AI knowledge:** Familiarity with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), prompt engineering, AI agents, structured outputs, multimodal large language models, and embedding models. - **AI frameworks:** Experience with or knowledge of frameworks and libraries such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, and Hugging Face Transformers. - **Predictive machine learning:** Experience developing, training, or deploying predictive AI models, ideally within government or other mission-critical environments. - **Application development:** Ability to build functional AI prototypes and user interfaces using tools such as Flask, Streamlit, or comparable UI development frameworks. - **APIs and integrations:** Familiarity with common APIs and development frameworks, including OpenAI APIs, GraphQL, and FastAPI. - **Data and retrieval technologies:** Understanding of databases, vector search, and RAG infrastructure, with exposure to technologies such as Pinecone, FAISS, OpenSearch, and Neo4j. - **Government sector experience:** Experience working with or supporting the US Department of Defense, the US Intelligence Community, or federal civilian agencies is desirable. - **Customer-facing communication:** Ability to explain complex AI/ML concepts in clear, accessible language and connect technical capabilities to practical customer needs and operational outcomes. - **Problem-solving and adaptability:** Strong analytical skills, creativity, and the ability to move between rapid experimentation and the development of robust, reusable solutions. - **Security clearance:** Must be eligible to obtain a US Top Secret security clearance. An active Top Secret clearance is preferred. - **US employment and export-control eligibility:** Applicants must meet applicable US government export-control requirements. This generally requires US citizenship, lawful permanent residence, qualifying protected-individual status, or eligibility to obtain the necessary government authorizations. ## Benefits: - **Competitive salary:** Annual base salary ranging from **$185,000 to $225,000 USD**, depending on qualifications, experience, location, applicable government contract labor categories, education, and certifications. - **Additional compensation:** Potential eligibility for annual bonuses, equity awards in the form of restricted stock units (RSUs), and other incentive compensation, depending on the role and applicable compensation arrangements. - **Equity ownership:** The opportunity to participate in the organization's long-term growth through equity awards. - **Flexible paid time off:** Unlimited paid time off and 14 paid company holidays to support rest, personal commitments, and work-life balance. - **Flexible working arrangements:** Remote work options, flexible working hours, and hybrid opportunities, with offices in Reston, Virginia, and Austin, Texas. Specific arrangements may depend on customer and role requirements. - **Retirement savings:** A 401(k) plan with employer matching to help support long-term financial goals. - **Comprehensive healthcare:** Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage beginning on the first day of employment, with options to support employees and their families. - **Paid parental leave:** Paid leave to support employees welcoming a child through birth, adoption, or foster placement. - **Meaningful mission:** The opportunity to develop advanced AI technologies that address complex challenges and contribute to important US government and public sector initiatives. - **Innovative technical environment:** Work with modern AI frameworks, emerging generative AI technologies, predictive models, and agentic systems. - **Collaborative culture:** Join a team of skilled professionals committed to customer success, technical innovation, security, transparency, and responsible AI development. - **Professional growth:** Opportunities to expand expertise in applied AI, government-focused solutions, customer engagement, and the deployment of mission-critical systems.