AI Lead Developer - Aerospace

ALTEN Technology USA; Herndon (VA); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

ALTEN Technology USA is seeking an experienced AI Systems Engineer to lead the design and development of enterprise-scale AI systems. The role requires proven expertise in AI and software engineering, ideally with over 6 years of experience. Candidates will have the opportunity to work in a hybrid model based in Herndon, VA. The position involves technical leadership and collaboration on innovative projects.

Qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree and expertise in Generative AI, Python, and cloud platforms like GCP. The salary range is $145,000 - $175,000, depending on qualifications and experience.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in Software/Data Engineering deploying ML/AI systems in production.
• Expertise in Generative AI, LLMs, RAG architectures, and prompt engineering.
• Proven ability to lead technical teams and present architectures.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of enterprise scale AI systems.
• Drive AI projects from PoC to production, ensuring scalability.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship.

Skills

Generative AI expertise

Expert Python proficiency

Experience with GCP

Software architecture skills

Leading technical teams

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

Kubernetes

APIs

Palantir Foundry

Job description

We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life‑saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.

As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.

When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of enterprise‑scale AI systems integrated with broader IT landscape (AWS, GCP, Palantir).
• Build RAG pipelines and multi‑agent systems, driving evolution toward autonomous Agentic AI.
• Drive AI projects from PoC to production (scaling, CI/CD, MLOps, monitoring).
• Provide technical leadership, code reviews, and mentorship to internal/external teams.
• Act as technical advisor bridging business requirements and technical feasibility.
• Implement AI governance guardrails for data privacy and hallucination prevention.

Education and Experience

• 6+ years in Software/Data Engineering with proven track record deploying ML/AI systems in production.
• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.

Qualifications

• Expertise in Generative AI, LLMs, RAG architectures, and prompt engineering.
• Expert Python proficiency and modern software architecture (APIs, microservices, Kubernetes).
• Experience with GCP preferred (AWS or comparable cloud platforms acceptable). Palantir Foundry is a plus.
• Proven ability to lead technical teams and present architectures to executive audiences.
• Experience with AI Agent frameworks (LangGraph, ADK) and classical ML is a plus.

Location

Hybrid in Herndon, VA (3 days office min)

Salary Range

$145,000 - $175,000

The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate’s combination of job‑related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

Compliance Notice

Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Drug Screening Requirement

As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug‑free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre‑employment drug screening as a condition of hire.