Senior Software Engineer (Hybrid) - 28022

About the role

Enlighten, a leader in big data solution development and deployment, is seeking a talented and experienced Software Engineer to join our team. We are dedicated to building foundational AI integration frameworks and are looking for someone who can design, develop, and implement secure AI frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop foundational AI frameworks, including internal APIs, middleware, and routing layers that allow other systems to securely utilize AI capabilities.
• Build Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and a library of reusable 'skills' (function calling/tools) that enable AI models to safely interact with our internal databases, microservices, and external APIs.
• Implement strict enterprise AI guardrails, ensuring data privacy, sensitive data scrubbing, prompt injection defenses, and output validation to meet stringent security requirements.
• Have an inquisitive nature, responsiveness, and excellent testing skills (including an interest in automated testing pipelines for non-deterministic AI outputs).
• Seamlessly transition between hands-on execution and team guidance, treating mentorship and team leadership as inherent components of senior-level impact.
• Work in a fast-paced, small business environment with our talented team.

Requirements

• Must have a strong working knowledge and experience developing Java based software capabilities.
• Must have 9 years experience in Software Engineering, Modern Java Frameworks and Libraries (e.g. Spring, Guava).
• Minimum Qualifications: Security Clearance: A current U.S. Government Security Clearance is desired, but not required; U.S. Citizenship required. Can also consider candidates with a current Secret or TS level clearance. Bachelors in related field; 7 years relevant experience with Masters in related field; or High School Diploma or equivalent and 13 years relevant experience.
• Applied AI Experience: Hands-on experience or a strong aptitude for integrating commercial LLM APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic) or open-source models into backend applications. Demonstrated understanding of modern applied AI concepts such as prompt engineering, function-calling/tool-use, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).
• Experience in designing enterprise APIs. Experience in RESTful web services. Experience in Microservices architecture. Experience in Object Oriented Programming (OOP) paradigms. Experience with the agile software lifecycle. Experience with configuration management tools (e.g. Git, Nexus, Maven).
• Comfortable working on a linux command line. Demonstrated experience serving as a tech lead, mentor, or manager for engineering teams. Has a proven ability to learn quickly and works well both independently as well as in a team setting. Problem solving skills and ability to review information and compile data appropriately as needed.
• Must be able to work in a hybrid environment, spending an average of 1-2 days per week at our Columbia, MD office. Flexibility is essential to adapt to schedule changes as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelors in related field; 7 years relevant experience with Masters in related field; or High School Diploma or equivalent and 13 years relevant experience.
• Experience in Vector Databases, semantic caching, and AI observability tools.
• Experience with NiFi, Kafka, AWS Infrastructure, and K8's.
• Experience in cloud based technologies (AWS, Azure).
• Experience in SQL databases (e.g., Postgres, MySQL), distributed databases, NoSQL databases.
• Scripting experience (particularly Python, given its prominence in the AI ecosystem) is a huge plus.
• Prior experience or familiarity with our Big Data Platform is a plus.
• Understanding of agile software development methodologies and use of standard software development tool suites (e.g., JIRA, Confluence, Youtrack, Github, etc.).

Benefits

• 100% paid employee premium for healthcare, vision and dental plans.
• 10% 401k benefit.
• Generous PTO + 10 paid holidays.
• Education/training allowances.

Pay

Anticipated Salary Range: $137,510.00 - $195,000.00. The salary range for this role is intended as a good faith estimate based on the role's location, expectations, and responsibilities. When extending an offer, Enlighten takes a variety of factors into consideration which include, but are not limited to, the role's function, internal equity and a candidate's education or training, work experience, certifications and key skills. Occasionally positions/roles may include additional non-recurrent compensation and will be addressed by the recruiter during the interview process.