2027 Summer Intern, Software Engineer (Reston, VA)

ICF International; Reston (VA); Hybrid; USD 28,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentorship

Hands-on experience

Learning opportunities

Networking

Job summary

ICF International in Reston, VA is seeking a Software Engineer Intern to join our AI research team for a 10‑week, full‑time program starting in June and finishing in August. You will collaborate with AI researchers, engineers, data scientists, and product teams on real‑world ML projects.

You will design, train, and eval ML models, write production‑quality code in Python, C++, and other languages, and gain hands‑on mentorship while contributing to scalable AI solutions.

Qualifications

• By start date, a minimum of 30 completed college credits in CS/IT or related field.
• Strong foundation in CS concepts and data structures.
• Experience with ML frameworks and Python programming preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support end-to-end AI product development, from data to deployment and evaluation.
• Design, train, and evaluate ML models including NLP/vision/Generative AI.
• Write production‑quality code in Python, C++, and other languages.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to refine requirements and deliver AI solutions.
• Participate in code reviews, testing, and system design discussions.
• Prototype cutting‑edge AI methodologies and stay current with research trends.

Skills

Python programming

C++ programming

Java programming

ML fundamentals

Data preprocessing

Deep learning

Education

30+ college credits in CS/IT

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Scikit-learn

Keras

Git

Job description

As a Software Engineer Intern, you will join our innovative AI research and development team to work on cutting‑edge, impactful real‑world AI challenges. You will collaborate with experienced AI researchers, machine learning engineers, data engineers, and data scientists to design, develop, and implement advanced machine learning models, including large language models to deliver scalable and transformative AI‑driven solutions. This internship offers the chance to apply theoretical knowledge to real‑world, high‑impact AI projects and receive hands‑on technical mentorship and career development support from industry‑leading experts.

This is an entry‑level, 10‑week, full‑time internship expected to begin in June and end in August. Work will be hybrid from our Reston, VA office. At this time, we are unable to provide housing nor relocation assistance for this position.

What you will do:

• Support the end-to end AI product development process, encompassing data acquisition, preprocessing, model design, training, optimization, deployment, monitoring, and evaluation to ensure scalable and robust solutions.
• Assist in all phases of the machine learning lifecycle, including data collection, preprocessing, model development, optimization, deployment, and evaluation.
• Design, develop, and train advanced machine learning models, including deep learning and large-scale models, to address complex challenges in domains like natural language processing (NLP) and Generative AI.
• Build and train machine learning models, including deep learning models, to solve complex challenges in areas such as natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, or generative AI.
• Conduct exploratory data analysis and advanced feature engineering on large-scale, semi-structured datasets to uncover actionable insights and enhance model accuracy and efficiency.
• Perform data analysis and feature engineering on massive, semi-structured datasets to extract meaningful insights and improve model performance.
• Develop high-quality, production-ready code in languages such as Python, Java, C++, R, JavaScript, along with a good understanding of common AI development frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, and Scikit-learn while actively participating in system design discussions, code reviews, and testing to ensure robust and maintainable software.
• Write clean, production-level code in languages like Python and C++, and participate in design sessions and code reviews to ensure software quality.
• Research and prototype cutting-edge AI and machine learning methodologies, including advancements in areas like explainable AI, federated learning, or multimodal models, while keeping abreast of the latest research and industry trends.
• Help research and prototype new AI and machine learning techniques, staying up‑to‑date on the latest advancements in the field.
• Partner with cross‑functional teams, including product or project managers, data engineers and scientists, and software engineers to refine project requirements, align on objectives, and deliver innovative, high‑impact AI-driven solutions.
• Work closely with cross‑functional teams, including product managers and other engineers, to define project requirements and deliver high‑quality technology products.

Minimum Qualifications

• By start date, a minimum of 30 completed college-level credit hours is required preferably in computer science, Information Technology, or related field.
• Candidate must be a US citizen, reside in the U.S., be authorized to work in the U.S., and all work must be performed in the U.S. per contract requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• A strong foundation in core computer science concepts, including object-oriented design, data structures, algorithms, and complexity analysis.
• Proficiency in at least one general-purpose programming language, with a strong preference for Python.
• Experience with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or Scikit-learn.
• Demonstrated experience with large-scale datasets and data preprocessing.
• Excellent problem‑solving, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Experience with version control systems like Git is a plus.

Perks of working with us

• Mentorship: You will be paired with a dedicated mentor to support your growth and development throughout the internship.
• Hands‑on experience: Gain valuable, practical experience working on impactful, real‑world AI projects.
• Learning opportunities: Access training resources and workshops to enhance your technical and professional skills.
• Networking: Build valuable connections with a community of world‑class scientists, engineers, and visionaries.