AI Engineer Trainee: Path to Forward Deployed Engineer

SkillStorm Commercial Services LLC; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

401(k)

Job summary

SkillStorm Commercial Services LLC is seeking forward deployed engineers to deploy to federal and Fortune 100 clients in the DC metro after six weeks of paid AI engineering training. Earn $95,000–$120,000 in your first year, with full benefits, and a fast path to the $170K+ base earned by experienced FDEs.

No AI experience required — we train you; U.S. citizenship and security clearance readiness are required.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of professional experience as a software developer (full-time employment).
• Proficiency in at least one of: Java, C#, Python, or JavaScript/Node.js. Framework experience (Spring Boot, .NET Core, Django, Express, or similar) is a plus — not a requirement
• Experience building or consuming REST APIs
• Working knowledge of SQL and relational databases (Oracle, Postgres, SQL Server, or similar)
• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field
• U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a Secret security clearance
• Able to work hybrid on-site in Tysons Corner, VA — or willing to relocate. Candidates regularly relocate for this program, and we’ll talk you through it
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for client-facing work
• W2 employment through SkillStorm; not a C2C opportunity

Responsibilities

• Build and deploy agentic AI applications inside the client’s cloud environment
• Own delivery of a client-facing capability end to end — from problem framing through deployment and handoff
• Work embedded with client engineers and stakeholders inside their environment, tooling, and constraints
• Translate ambiguous business needs into scoped specifications and defensible architecture
• Apply AI-assisted development tooling to accelerate delivery and build AI-enabled capability where it fits the client mission
• Set patterns other engineers follow: reference implementations, coding standards, review practices
• Brief client stakeholders on progress, tradeoffs, and risk; produce documentation that outlives the engagement

Skills

Java

C#

Python

JavaScript/Node.js

REST APIs

SQL

U.S. citizenship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a technical field

Job description

SkillStorm Commercial Services LLC is seeking forward deployed engineers to deploy to federal and Fortune 100 clients in the DC metro after six weeks of paid AI engineering training. Earn $95,000–$120,000 in your first year, with full benefits, and a fast path to the $170K+ base earned by experienced FDEs.

No AI experience required — we train you; U.S. citizenship and security clearance readiness are required.