Jobs · Information Technology · Virginia

Senior AI Software Engineer-TS/SCI clearances (CI poly preferred)

Credence · Herndon, VA · 2 wk ago
On-siteInformation Technology$155k–$200k/yrFull-time

About the role

Join a team where innovation meets mission. Our AI, cloud, cyber, and modernization solutions save agencies thousands of hours, safeguard national security, and strengthen health and humanitarian missions worldwide. With 1,700+ team members, 1,500+ AI/data experts, and 100+ prime contracts, we deliver at scale and with purpose.

Credence has an immediate need for a Senior AI Software Engineer to join our growing AI and Automation practice. In this role, you will serve as a senior technical contributor responsible for designing, developing, and deploying advanced AI-driven solutions, including generative AI, LLM-powered applications, and agentic AI systems. You will collaborate with cross-functional engineering, data, cloud, and stakeholder teams to deliver scalable, secure, and mission-focused AI capabilities for federal clients, while helping guide technical direction, strengthen engineering practices, and mentor other engineers.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the design, development, prototyping, and refinement of AI-powered capabilities using generative AI, large language models, retrieval patterns, prompt/context engineering, and secure API integrations
  • Own end-to-end agentic AI development lifecycles, including model selection, agent design, tool/function calling, orchestration, response synthesis, evaluation, and deployment of reliable AI agents
  • Apply strong software engineering principles to design maintainable, testable, and scalable systems; conduct code reviews, establish technical patterns, and leverage AI-assisted development tools responsibly to accelerate delivery
  • Partner with data engineers, software engineers, data scientists, cloud engineers, and mission stakeholders to translate business and mission needs into operational AI and automation solutions
  • Design and automate deployment workflows using Infrastructure as Code (IaC), CI/CD pipelines, containers, and cloud-native services to support secure, repeatable, and scalable AI delivery
  • Monitor AI systems post-deployment, perform performance tuning, and apply best practices for reliability and scalability
  • Write clean, well-documented code following industry and federal guidelines; support reproducible development
  • Stay current on emerging AI/ML trends, agentic frameworks, model capabilities, and engineering practices while mentoring team members and contributing to reusable standards, documentation, and technical design reviews

Requirements

  • TS/SCI clearances Required (CI poly preferred)
  • Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, AI/ML, or a related field
  • 7+ years of hands-on software engineering experience, including significant experience delivering AI/ML, generative AI, or LLM-powered solutions in production or production-like environments
  • Experience building generative AI applications, working with LLMs, implementing tool/function calling, and applying model evaluation, prompt/context engineering, or retrieval-augmented generation approaches
  • Experience designing or implementing agentic AI solutions using frameworks or platforms such as Agent2Agent Protocol, Bedrock Agents, Mastra, CrewAI, Strands, AgentCore, LangChain, or LangGraph
  • Strong understanding of leading AI APIs and model platforms such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Vertex AI
  • Proficiency in TypeScript and familiarity with key libraries and frameworks such as Nx, Next.js, Mastra, Vercel AI SDK, Playwright, Jest, and Vite
  • Python proficiency and familiarity with libraries and frameworks (uv, Pydantic, FastAPI, CrewAI, LangChain, LangGraph, Unstructured)
  • Demonstrated curiosity and practical experimentation with emerging AI technologies, with a strong focus on responsible innovation and measurable mission impact
  • Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI)
  • Experience with VS Code and AI extensions such as Cline and Claude Code
  • Strong communication skills and client-oriented mindset

Preferred Qualifications

  • Curious and experimental about the latest innovations in AI with an orientation toward the relentless pursuit of delivering mission impact
  • Exposure to adjacent skillsets such as data engineering, data science, UI/UX, cloud engineering, and platform engineering to understand the entire software ecosystem
  • Experience with IaC tools such as Terraform, Open Tofu, AWS CDK, or CloudFormation to deploy cloud native applications
  • Knowledge of federal cybersecurity, RMF, FedRAMP, or regulatory frameworks

Why This Role Matters

  • Real-World Impact — Your work will support defense and health agencies where AI solutions directly contribute to national security and public well-being
  • Growth-Oriented Technical Leadership — Work with technical leaders, shape agentic AI delivery practices, and mentor team members while continuing to deepen your own expertise in advanced AI engineering
  • Culture of Empowerment — You'll be part of a team that values innovation, trust, collaboration, and mission success

Pay

Salary Range: $155,000 - $200,000 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on the selected candidate's experience, education, certifications, skills, and overall qualifications.

Benefits

  • Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
  • Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
  • Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
  • Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
  • Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
  • Short Term & Long Term Disability
  • Training & Development
  • Wellness Resources

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