Demo

Senior AI Software Engineer

Dark Wolf Solutions
Dark Wolf Solutions Salary
Herndon, VA Full Time
POSTED ON 9/18/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 10/18/2026
Dark Wolf constructs and deploys data management and analytics solutions for the defense and intelligence communities. We're proud to boast a world-class engineering team that thrives on rolling up their sleeves to solve your mission's biggest challenges.

Dark Wolf is seeking a Senior AI Software Engineer to design, build, and integrate AI/ML solutions and microservices. You will work directly on integrating open-source and proprietary models, fine-tuning workflows, constructing RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) applications, and deploying secure software in multi-cloud environments.

Key Responsibilities
  • Fine-tune open-source and proprietary AI models for domain-specific mission requirements.
  • Develop RAG pipelines and vector search integrations using modern AI frameworks.
  • Build, deploy, and manage containerized microservices using Docker and Kubernetes.
  • Integrate automated security scanning tools directly into continuous integration pipelines.
  • Collaborate within Agile teams to break down technical requirements, conduct technical reviews, and mentor junior developers.

Required Qualifications:
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field (Master's degree preferred).
  • Experience: 4-7 years of software engineering experience.

Technical Competencies:
  • AI Frameworks: Hands-on experience with frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, or Hugging Face.
  • AI Models: Practical experience fine-tuning Large Language Models (LLMs) and Small Language Models (SLMs).
  • Machine Learning: End-to-end knowledge of model training, dataset curation, and data pipeline design.
  • Programming & Scripting: Strong proficiency in Python, C , and REST API architecture.
  • Containerization: Proficient with Docker, Kubernetes cluster orchestration, and Helm charts.
  • Agile Frameworks: Active participation in Agile sprint execution, story estimation, and backlog refinement.
  • Multi-Cloud Architecture: Experience configuring and managing cloud services across AWS or Azure GovCloud environments.
  • Security Scanning Tooling: Experience embedding SAST/DAST tools into CI/CD build environments.

Desired Qualifications:
  • Specialized technical certifications such as Kubernetes Certified Administrator (CKA) or AWS Certified Developer/Architect.
  • Experience working on high-assurance or government security projects.

Position Clearance Requirement:

ship with an active TS/SCI security clearance with Full-Scope Polygraph

Location: Chantilly/Herndon, VA.

Target Salary Range: $130,000.00 - $170,000.00 (Commensurate with specialized expertise and technical skillset).

Equal Opportunity Employer:

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

We are strictly looking for direct, full-time W2 employees. We do not engage with third-party staffing agencies, C2C, or 1099 independent contractors for this role.

Salary : $130,000 - $170,000

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Senior AI Software Engineer?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Senior AI Software Engineer career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$119,030 - $151,900
Income Estimation: 
$149,493 - $192,976
Income Estimation: 
$123,167 - $152,295
Income Estimation: 
$146,673 - $180,130
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Dark Wolf Solutions

  • Dark Wolf Solutions Herndon, VA
  • Dark Wolf is seeking multiple levels of Kubernetes Engineers to provide technical leadership in designing, building, and maintaining elastic, secure, and r... more
  • Just Posted

  • Dark Wolf Solutions Omaha, NE
  • Dark Wolf is seeking multiple levels of Kubernetes Engineers to provide technical leadership in designing, building, and maintaining elastic, secure, and r... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Dark Wolf Solutions Ogden, UT
  • Dark Wolf is seeking multiple levels of Kubernetes Engineers to provide technical leadership in designing, building, and maintaining elastic, secure, and r... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Dark Wolf Solutions Colorado, CO
  • Dark Wolf is seeking a Full Stack Developer to support United States Space Force (USSF). This role will focus on the rapid agile development of defensive c... more
  • 1 Day Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Senior AI Software Engineer jobs in the Herndon, VA area that may be a better fit.

  • Scale AI Washington, DC
  • Software is eating the world, but AI is eating software. We live in unprecedented times – AI has the potential to exponentially augment human intelligence.... more
  • 2 Days Ago

  • Surge AI Frederick, MD
  • About the job About Surge AI Surge AI partners with the world's leading AI labs to build the benchmarks and RL environments that train and evaluate frontie... more
  • 27 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!