AI Developer

System One, Inc.; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 34,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

System One, Inc. is seeking a Junior AI Developer in Washington, DC, on a 12-month contract with hybrid work (3 days on site). You will develop and maintain data pipelines, build RAG knowledge bases, and create Python services that integrate with LLMs.

The role emphasizes collaboration, security, and scalable AI deployments. Ideal candidates have 1+ year Python experience, familiarity with cloud platforms, and a drive to work with end users, data governance, and CI/CD workflows in a federal

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 1+ year of hands-on Python development experience.
• Experience building data pipelines, ETL/ELT processes, or data processing workflows.
• Experience with SQL and relational or NoSQL databases.
• Hands-on exposure to Generative AI technologies, including LLM APIs, embeddings, vector databases, or RAG solutions through work, internships, or significant personal projects.
• Familiarity with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
• Experience with Git and CI/CD tools.
• Experience providing technical support, troubleshooting issues, and working directly with end users.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder.
• Must reside within the Washington, DC metropolitan area and be able to work onsite three days per week.
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain ETL/ELT data pipelines for AI applications.
• Support development of knowledge bases for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), including document chunking and embeddings.
• Develop Python-based services, APIs, and integrations with LLMs.
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines with automated testing and deployment workflows.
• Curate and maintain datasets, metadata, and data lineage documentation.
• Implement data quality controls, PII masking, and data governance standards.
• Create and execute unit and integration tests; support model evaluation.
• Monitor data pipelines and AI system performance; troubleshoot issues.
• Provide technical support and helpdesk assistance for AI applications.
• Create and maintain technical documentation and user guides.
• Support configuration management and code repositories with traceability.

Skills

Python

Data pipelines

SQL

NoSQL

Cloud basics

CI/CD

End-user support

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Git

CI/CD tools

LLM APIs

Embeddings

Vector databases

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Job Title: Junior AI Developer

Location: Washington, DC (Hybrid – 3 days onsite)

Compensation: $30/hr

Type: 12-month contract (with possibility of extension)

Clearance: Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Public Trust

Overview

We are seeking a Junior AI Developer to support the development and deployment of AI-powered solutions for a federal government program. This role is ideal for an early-career engineer with experience in Python development, data pipelines, cloud technologies, and Generative AI. The successful candidate will help build data ingestion and processing pipelines, support Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions, develop AI integrations, and provide technical support to end users in a dynamic and collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain ETL/ELT data pipelines that prepare structured and unstructured data for AI applications.


• Support the development and maintenance of knowledge bases for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), including document chunking, embeddings, vector databases, and content refresh processes.


• Develop Python-based services, APIs, and integrations with Large Language Models (LLMs).


• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines with automated testing, security scanning, and deployment workflows.


• Curate, validate, and maintain datasets, metadata, and data lineage documentation.


• Implement data quality controls, PII masking, and data governance standards.


• Create and execute unit and integration tests and support model evaluation activities.


• Monitor data pipelines, ingestion jobs, and AI system performance, troubleshooting issues as needed.


• Provide technical support and helpdesk assistance for AI application users.


• Create and maintain technical documentation, user guides, and operational procedures.


• Support configuration management and maintain code repositories with full traceability.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent experience.


• 1+ year of hands-on Python development experience.


• Experience building data pipelines, ETL/ELT processes, or data processing workflows.


• Experience with SQL and relational or NoSQL databases.


• Hands-on exposure to Generative AI technologies, including LLM APIs, embeddings, vector databases, or RAG solutions through professional work, internships, or significant personal projects.


• Familiarity with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.


• Experience with Git and CI/CD tools.


• Experience providing technical support, troubleshooting issues, and working directly with end users.


• Must be a U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder.


• Must reside within the Washington, DC metropolitan area and be able to work onsite three days per week.


• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.

Preferred

• 3+ years of software engineering, data engineering, or AI development experience.


• Experience supporting federal government programs.


• Experience with vector databases and RAG frameworks.


• Experience with document processing technologies, OCR, and PDF extraction tools.


• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and MLOps tools.


• Familiarity with ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, or ITIL practices.


• Generative AI or Machine Learning certificates such as Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate, AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer, Google Professional Machine Learning Engineer, Databricks, or NVIDIA certifications.


• Active Public Trust clearance or prior federal background investigation.

System One, and its subsidiaries including Mountain Ltd., are leaders in delivering outsourced services and workforce solutions across North America. We help clients get work done more efficiently and economically, without compromising quality. System One not only serves as a valued partner for our clients, but we offer eligible employees health and welfare benefits coverage options including medical, dental, vision, spending accounts, life insurance, voluntary plans, as well as participation in a 401(k) plan.

System One is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, family care or medical leave status, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

#M-1

#LI-

Ref: #856-Baltimore-S1