AI Developer - Washington, DC (Hybrid) - Locals

Job Description

THE OVERALL PURPOSE OF POSITION:

• Support AI pod and analyze client needs, stand up prototypes, and convert those prototypes into secure, production-ready applications.
• Will own the end-to-end development life cycle for changing client efforts while constantly scouting, testing, and injecting emerging AI technologies into the process.
• Candidate must pair an exceptional delivery discipline with hands-on engineering agility, moving seamlessly from whiteboard to working demo and back again.

SCOPE OF WORK:

Exploration & Scoping

• Rapidly synthesize client pain points into concise problem statements, success metrics, and guardrails
• Evaluate feasibility, cost, risk, and ROI for multiple GenAI solution paths (RAG, agentic workflows, synthetic-data pipelines, etc.)
• Aid in maintaining a dynamic backlog of ideas, continuously assisting in reprioritized against business value

Rapid Build & Iteration

• Spin up end-to-end prototypes using technologies like AWS Bedrock / SageMaker, FastAPI, Streamlit React, Next.js, or whatever framework or architecture efficiently to meet client needs
• Implement evaluation harnesses for accuracy, latency, and cost; demo tangible progress each Sprint.
• Capture stakeholder feedback live and fold it into the next sprint with minimal overhead

Adapt & Enhance

• Refactor architecture as user requirements shift or new data sources emerge
• Introduce cutting-edge libraries or architectures when they offer measurable uplift
• Document decision trade-offs and lessons learned for future waves

Hardening & Transition

• Elevate promising POCs into client-compliant pilots and integrate CI/CD pipelines
• Produce all delivery artifacts: architecture diagrams, security traceability, runbooks, video demos
• Alignment to USAC and AFS security practices
• Creating/Updating existing relevant client documentation

o Aiding in creation of video demos

o Conducting live demos

• Guide pilots through acceptance, hand-off, and sustainment planning with operations teams

Emerging-Tech Tracking & Best Practices

• Track novel GenAI trends (open-source LLMs, small-context agents, memoryefficient RAG) and run spike proofs to gauge fit
• Present briefings to the Innovation leadership (when applicable) and seed reusable patterns into our internal asset library
• Mentor junior practitioners on prompt engineering, token-cost governance, and evaluation best practices

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERINECE:

• Bachelor's degree in technology, innovation, or related field of study
• 3 years delivering data products or full stack applications
• 1 years building & deploying GenAI applications
• Practical understanding of technologies like:

o AWS core services using Bedrock or SageMaker for LLM hosting

o Java, Python, FastAPI, Docker, GitHub Actions, Terraform or AWS CDK

o React / Next.js, TypeScript, and modern vector stores

o LangChain, LlamaIndex, LangGraph, or equivalent RAG / agent frameworks

• Demonstrated ability to compress ideation demo hardened pilot into < 90 days
• Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills
• Able to translate technical insights into executive-ready stories
• High comfort operating in fast-paced, ambiguous environments where priorities shift rapidly