Software Engineer (Java AI)

TL;DR

Software Engineer (Java AI): Designing and implementing complex software capabilities and foundational AI frameworks for federal government customers with an accent on AI guardrails, MCP servers, and secure API integration. Focus on building reusable AI skills, implementing prompt injection defenses, and ensuring system reliability through automated testing.

Location: Hybrid (Columbia, MD). U.S. Citizenship and position appropriate security clearance (e.g., Active TS/SCI) are strictly required.

Salary: $52,000–$139,000 per year

Company

Cutting-edge technology company developing innovative software solutions for US federal government customers.

What you will do

• Design and develop foundational AI frameworks, internal APIs, and middleware to allow secure utilization of AI capabilities.
• Build Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and a library of reusable 'skills' for AI interaction with internal databases and microservices.
• Implement enterprise AI guardrails, focusing on data privacy, sensitive data scrubbing, and prompt injection defenses.
• Collaborate with other engineers to implement complex software capabilities for computer-based systems.
• Develop and maintain automated testing pipelines specifically for non-deterministic AI outputs.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance.
• 5+ years of software engineering experience with modern Java frameworks and libraries (e.g., Spring, Guava).
• Experience designing enterprise APIs and RESTful web services.
• Proficiency in Microservices architecture and Object Oriented Programming (OOP) paradigms.
• Ability to work in a hybrid environment, spending 1-2 days per week at the Columbia, MD office.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field (or equivalent experience).

Nice to have

• Proven use of AI tools (Claude Code, Gemini) in daily engineering workflows.
• Experience with NiFi, Kafka, AWS Infrastructure, and Kubernetes.
• Knowledge of distributed databases, NoSQL, and full text-search engines (e.g., Elasticsearch, Postgres, Trino).
• Proficiency with Python (Flask) and web UI frameworks (Vue).
• Experience building Docker images and CI/CD pipelines.

Culture & Benefits

• Automatic company contribution of 20% of gross compensation to a SEP IRA, fully vested from day one.
• Generous PTO plan providing up to 200 hours annually.
• Comprehensive medical plan options including Health Savings Accounts (HSA), vision, and dental.
• Employee referral bonuses up to $10,000.
• Dynamic environment with regular team-building events, monthly lunches, and annual company picnics.