AI & Financial Engineering Developer

Aktra; McLean, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Aktra in McLean, VA seeks an experienced AI & Financial Engineering Developer to build AI-powered financial applications and scalable APIs. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative solutions.

The role emphasizes hands-on engineering with strong Python and ML/AI expertise, experience with LLMs and AI agents, and cloud platform proficiency.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software development experience.
• Strong experience building APIs and AI-powered applications.
• Expert programming skills in Python with experience in Java, C++, or Scala.
• 1–3 years of experience in financial services or FinTech.
• Experience developing applications using LLMs; AI agents is highly preferred.
• Experience with cloud platforms and modern software practices.
• Bachelor's degree preferred; advanced degrees are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy AI/ML solutions for financial applications.
• Build and optimize LLM, NLP, and generative AI applications.
• Develop scalable APIs, microservices, and distributed systems.
• Create data pipelines and implement MLOps for deployment and monitoring.
• Develop quantitative models, financial analytics, and simulation tools.
• Build real-time market data processing and analytics solutions.
• Write production-quality, scalable, maintainable code.
• Collaborate with stakeholders, quants, data engineers, and product teams.

Skills

Python

Java

C++

Scala

SQL

API design

ML/AI development

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's or PhD in quantitative field

Tools

QuantLib

pandas

NumPy

MLflow

Weights & Biases

Job description

Only considering candidates already local to the Washington, D.C. area who can start immediately.

We are seeking an experienced AI & Financial Engineering Developer with expertise in AI/ML, financial systems, and enterprise software development. This role is ideal for a hands‑on engineer who can build AI-powered financial applications, develop scalable APIs, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative solutions.

Must-Have Qualifications

• 7+ years of software development experience
• Strong experience building APIs and AI-powered applications
• Expert programming skills in Python with experience in Java, C++, or Scala
• 1–3 years of experience in financial services or FinTech
• Experience developing applications using LLMs; experience with AI agents/agentic AI is highly preferred
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and modern software engineering practices
• Bachelor's degree preferred (Master's or PhD in a quantitative field is a plus)

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy AI/ML solutions for financial applications
• Build and optimize LLM, NLP, and generative AI applications
• Develop scalable APIs, microservices, and distributed systems
• Create data pipelines and implement MLOps best practices for model deployment and monitoring
• Develop quantitative models, financial analytics, and simulation tools
• Build real-time market data processing and financial analytics solutions
• Write production-quality, scalable, and maintainable code
• Collaborate with business stakeholders, quants, data engineers, and product teams

Required Technical Skills

• Languages: Python, Java, C++, Scala, SQL
• Experience with REST APIs, microservices, Git, and modern development workflows

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with RAG architectures, LLM fine-tuning, and AI agents
• Knowledge of quantitative finance, derivatives, risk management, or portfolio analytics
• Experience with financial engineering libraries (QuantLib, pandas, NumPy)
• Familiarity with MLOps tools such as MLflow or Weights & Biases
• CFA, FRM, or other financial certifications are a plus
• Experience with reinforcement learning, real‑time streaming, or low‑latency systems is a plus