Principal Software Engineer, Forward Deployed (U.S. Public Sector) (AI)

TL;DR

Principal Software Engineer, Forward Deployed (AI): Leading high-impact, AI-powered solutions that reshape how clients operate their most critical workflows with an accent on AI architecture, hands-on engineering, and technical advising. Focus on driving the strategy, architecture, and execution of end-to-end systems, working directly with client stakeholders.

Location: Ability to work on-site 2–3 days per week at offices located in the greater Washington, D.C. and Reston, VA area

Salary: $227,000 - $333,000 USD

Company

hirify.global makes AI work by structuring messy data, automating digital workflows, and deploying agentic solutions.

What you will do

• Scope, design, and lead implementation of AI-driven solutions in partnership with delivery teams and executive stakeholders.
• Translate ambiguous workflows and business needs into repeatable systems and production-ready technical architectures.
• Lead architecture design and trade-off discussions across performance, scalability, cost, and reliability.
• Apply AI/ML solutions in highly regulated environments (e.g., defense, intelligence, healthcare, finance).
• Build shared infrastructure, reusable components, and internal playbooks to improve delivery consistency and team velocity.
• Mentor mid-level engineers and contribute to the development of forward-deployed AI engineering practices at Invisible.

Requirements

• Active U.S. Department of Defense Secret clearance or higher
• 12+ years of software engineering experience, including work on data-intensive, ML, or backend systems.
• Experience leading requirements-gathering activities and translating stakeholder input into technical specifications.
• Hands-on experience with Python and modern ML/LLM tooling (e.g., Hugging Face, LangChain, OpenAI, Pinecone).
• Experience building and operating API-based services using Docker, FastAPI, Kubernetes, and major cloud platforms (AWS, GCP).
• Ability to work on-site 2–3 days per week at offices located in the greater Washington, D.C. and Reston, VA area

Culture & Benefits

• Committed to fair and competitive pay, ensuring that compensation reflects both market conditions and the value each team member brings.
• Salary structure accounts for regional differences in cost of living while maintaining internal equity.
• Bonuses and equity are included in offers above entry level.
• Final compensation is determined by a combination of factors, including location, job-related experience, skills, knowledge, internal pay equity, and overall market conditions.