Senior Applied AI Engineer

Active Top Secret (TS/SCI) clearance with polygraph is required.  Visionist has an exciting new, fully FUNDED opportunity for a Senior Applied AI Engineer on our largest PRIME contract. Our team of Analysts and Engineers is motivated by the direct impact on the mission, crafting specialized tools for enhanced efficiency and quick iterations for our operations user base. Seeing your tools in real-time action brings immediate gratification. This premier program encompasses traditional software services including Systems Design and Engineering, Database Administration, Data Science and Knowledge Management, Enterprise Risk Management, Integration and Test, as well as Operations and Systems Support. The program is characterized by innovation and excitement, fostering meaningful engagements, and offering distinctive collaboration opportunities with users, policy makers, and mission leadership, all while maintaining a service mindset. If you thrive in a collaborative work environment and enjoy utilizing a diverse tech stack, then this opportunity is tailor-made for you! For over 14 years, Visionist has been solving the Intelligence Community's toughest software and analysis challenges. As a 100% employee-owned company, we prioritize our people—your job security is assured. We embed small engineering teams with analysts to rapidly identify and solve mission capability gaps playing a critical role in defending our nation’s cyber infrastructure & providing expertise in malware analysis, attribution, mapping adversarial infrastructure, pen testing, and operational planning. Our open-door leadership team fosters a supportive culture, where internal growth and promotion opportunities are the norm. Don’t just take our word for it—check out our 4.8-star review on Glassdoor. Join a company that feels like a family with regular happy hours, baseball games, activity clubs and more. Check us out at www.visionistinc.com.   ----- Your contributions are… 
  - Architect and implement production-grade AI systems for cyber operations, handling scale and reliability
  - Lead technical exploration into novel AI applications, charting paths through unproven territory
  - Design and build sophisticated agent orchestration systems that coordinate multiple AI models and tools
  - Create robust MCP server implementations that become foundational infrastructure for the team
  - Develop advanced prompt engineering strategies and reusable patterns for complex cyber scenarios
  - Build fault-tolerant API integration layers that gracefully handle model failures and edge cases
  - Make architectural decisions that balance innovation with operational reliability
  - Drive technical discussions about AI capabilities, limitations, and strategic applications
  - Create proof-of-concepts that demonstrate previously impossible capabilities
  - Establish best practices for AI development within the unique constraints of cyber operations
  - Mentor junior engineers while maintaining high personal code output Requirements for your new career…
  - Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline. (Additional 4 years of experience may substitute degree)
  - 12 years of experience in software development
  - Strong Python expertise
  - Extensive hands-on experience building and deploying AI-powered applications in production
  - Expert-level understanding of modern AI architectures (agents, RAG, chains, function calling)
  - Proven track record of integrating multiple AI services and handling their failure modes
  - Strong experience with MCP servers or similar model serving infrastructure
  - Advanced prompt engineering skills with demonstrable results
  - Experience building resilient distributed systems and handling async workflows
  - Deep understanding of AI model capabilities and limitations across providers
  - Ability to rapidly prototype while maintaining production-quality standards
  - Experience solving novel technical problems without existing solutions
  - Excellent debugging skills for non-deterministic AI behaviors Benefits of becoming a Visionist: Your New Career
  - We are a 100% employee-owned company, so our employees see the benefit of their contributions and have a stake in our overall success!
  - Competitive 15% retirement contribution! (5% 401K match & 10% ESOP)
  - 4 weeks paid time off that is never “use or lose”, 12 paid holidays, comp time, overtime, AND flexible work hours
  - 80 hours of paid parental leave with an additional $8,000 supplemental payment upon returning from maternity
  - Medical, dental, & vision benefits for both individuals and families (those who waive medical benefits will receive an additional $4,160/year)
  - Annual lifestyle bonus of $600 – use it towards gyms/fitness, new tech, or your HSA!
  - Annual merit increases & performance-based bonuses
  - Term life insurance, short-term disability, & long-term disability  Salary range: $165,000 - $240,000
Disclaimer: Salary for this position, along with additional compensation options, will be determined on an individual basis following the interview process, considering various factors such as years of experience, skills, education/certifications, contract specifications, market conditions, etc.  ----- Not a good fit? Check out our other opportunities: https://jobs.jobvite.com/visionist Next steps: Apply online and one of our recruiters will reach out to you. We have a streamlined process of phone screen with a recruiter, interview with a Visionist team at our HQ in Columbia, MD, and that is all! Interested in learning more about Visionist and the work we do? Check out our website! https://www.visionistinc.com/what-we-do ----- U.S citizenship required (green card holders and permanent residents are not eligible). Applicants selected will be required to obtain / maintain a government security clearance.  Visionist, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity / Protected Veterans / Individuals with Disabilities employer.