Senior AI Software Engineer
At a glance
Senior AI Engineering role at Credence. McLean · full-time · $155,000–$200,000 base.
aimlroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Build and refine generative AI and LLM applications using retrieval, prompt and context design, and secure API connections
- Take agentic AI systems from model choice and agent design through tool calling, orchestration, evaluation, and deployment
- Set software patterns, review code, and build systems that are maintainable, testable, and able to scale
- Work with engineering, data, cloud, and mission teams to turn their needs into operational AI and automation
- Automate secure cloud delivery with infrastructure as code, CI/CD, and containers, then monitor and tune systems in production
What you bring
- A computer science, AI/ML, or related degree, plus at least seven years of hands-on software engineering
- Substantial delivery experience with AI/ML, generative AI, or LLM solutions in production or comparable settings
- Practical generative AI and LLM application work, including tool calling and methods such as evaluation, retrieval, or prompt design
- Experience creating agentic AI solutions with a framework or platform such as Bedrock Agents, CrewAI, LangChain, or LangGraph
- Strong TypeScript skills, Python proficiency, and U.S. citizenship with eligibility for a DoD Secret clearance
Who this fits
This senior individual-contributor role suits an engineer who can guide technical direction, review code, and mentor teammates while delivering AI systems. The work is onsite in McLean, and U.S. citizenship with eligibility for a DoD Secret clearance is required.
From the employer
Overview
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.
We’ve been recognized as a Top Workplace by the Washington Post for six straight years and named to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies 13 of the past 14 years. Credence is a welcoming home for those looking to grow and contribute to positive change. We encourage all employees to expand beyond their boundaries, dive into important world-changing Federal challenges.
Position Summary
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 include, but are not limited to the duties listed below
- Generative AI & LLM Solution Delivery
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. - Agentic AI System Development
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. - Senior Software Engineering Leadership
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. - Cross-Functional Technical Collaboration
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. - Cloud Enablement & DevSecOps Integration
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. - Production Monitoring & Optimization
Monitor AI systems post-deployment, perform performance tuning, and apply best practices for reliability and scalability. - Technical Rigor & Documentation
Write clean, well-documented code following industry and federal guidelines; support reproducible development. - Technical Mentorship & Continuous Improvement
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
What You Bring
- 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.
- U.S. Citizenship with eligibility for DoD Secret clearance.
Preferred
- 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.
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