AI / LLM Platform Engineer

Sierra Nevada Corporation; Lone Tree, Northern (CO, KY); Hybrid; USD 108,000 - 149,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision plans

401(k) with 150% match up to 6%

Paid time off

Job summary

Sierra Nevada Corporation in Colorado (Lone Tree) is seeking an AI/ML Engineer II with mid-level experience to design and deploy AI/ML solutions for autonomous systems, predictive maintenance, and computer vision. You will own projects, analyze data, and optimize models for performance and scale while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to meet mission-critical objectives.

Responsibilities include building platform services like LLM gateway, model routing, and workflow orchestration;

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS or related STEM; 2+ years in field; degree may be substituted by experience.
• Experience building and operating APIs at scale in a cloud environment (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Hands-on experience integrating with major LLM providers.
• Proficiency in Python and at least one of TypeScript or Go.
• Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes and GitOps workflows.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and optimize platform services such as the LLM gateway, model routing, and workflow orchestration.
• Develop integrations connecting LLMs to enterprise systems, data sources, and APIs.
• Identify gaps in platform capability and propose solutions.
• Conduct performance testing and validation of platform services, including prompt evaluation frameworks.
• Optimize for reliability, cost, and scalability.
• Write and deploy efficient, modular code to integrate LLMs and AI agents into enterprise systems.
• Test platform changes in staging environments to evaluate performance under real-world load.
• Collaborate with Forward Deployed AI team, software developers, and platform architects to align capability with requirements.
• Document technical designs, workflows, and testing procedures; share findings with team.
• Explore LLM providers and orchestration tools to enhance platform capabilities.
• Monitor model performance, cost, and usage; manage routing to balance capability vs. spend.
• Execute validation procedures and support platform compliance with CMMC, FIPS, SNC policy.
• Maintain platform SLOs and participate in on-call rotation for AI infrastructure.

Skills

APIs at scale

LLM integration

Python

TypeScript

Go

Docker

Kubernetes

Cloud platforms

GitOps

Education

Bachelors in CS or related STEM

Tools

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Job description

The AI/ML Engineer II is a mid-level position for individuals with professional experience in designing and implementing machine learning algorithms. In this role, you will independently develop and deploy AI/ML solutions to address complex challenges, such as autonomous systems, predictive maintenance, and computer vision. You will take ownership of specific projects, perform data analysis, and optimize models for performance and scalability. This position requires a combination of technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and the ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to meet mission-critical objectives. As SNC's corporate team, we provide the company and its business areas with strategic direction and business support spanning executive management, finance and accounting, operations, human resources, legal, IT, information security, facilities, marketing, and communications.

Responsibilities:

Design, implement, and optimize platform services such as the LLM gateway, model routing, and workflow orchestration systems. Develop and maintain integrations that connect LLMs to enterprise systems, data sources, and APIs. Identify gaps in platform capability and propose solutions. Conduct performance testing and validation of platform services, including prompt evaluation frameworks. Optimize for reliability, cost, and scalability. Write and deploy efficient, modular code to integrate LLMs and AI agents into enterprise systems, ensuring reliability and compatibility with existing platforms. Test platform changes in staging environments to evaluate performance under real-world load. Contribute to system-level debugging and troubleshooting. Collaborate with the Forward Deployed AI team, software developers, and platform architects to align platform capability with business and enterprise requirements Keep: Document technical designs, workflows, and testing procedures for internal and external use. Share findings and best practices with team members. Document technical designs, workflows, and testing procedures for internal and external use. Share findings and best practices with team members. Explore and integrate emerging LLM providers, agent frameworks, and orchestration tools to enhance platform capabilities. Monitor model performance, cost, and usage; continuously optimize routing logic to balance capability vs. spend Execute validation procedures and support platform compliance with CMMC, FIPS, and SNC security policy requirements. Implement prompt management, versioning, and evaluation frameworks to ensure AI output quality and reliability Maintain platform SLOs and participate in on-call rotation for AI infrastructure.

Qualifications You Must Have:

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, mathematics, applied statistics, various engineering disciplines, or related STEM discipline 2+ years of experience in a related field. Relevant experience can be considered as a substitute for the required educational qualifications. In the absence of a degree, a minimum of 6 years of related experience is required. Higher level relevant degree may substitute for experience. Practical experience building and operating APIs at scale in a cloud environment (AWS, Azure, or GCP). Hands-on experience integrating with at least one major LLM provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere, Mistral, etc.). Assisted with deploying software services into production environments. Proficiency in Python and at least one additional language (TypeScript or Go preferred). Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and GitOps workflows.

Qualifications We Prefer:

Degree in Computer Science or related field. Experience with generative AI models and transformer-based LLM architectures. Working knowledge of Agile or DevOps practices in software/ML project environments. Exposure to LLM orchestration frameworks such as LangChain or LlamaIndex. Experience with prompt engineering and evaluation frameworks. Familiarity with cost optimization and FinOps practices for cloud or API-based platforms. Familiarity with CMMC or FedRAMP compliance requirements. Experience with MLflow or similar experiment tracking tools.

Essential Functions:

Work extensively on a computer for coding, debugging, and integrating AI/ML systems. Travel occasionally to testing sites, customer locations, or conferences (up to 10-20%). Ability to work in a hybrid environment and manage multiple tasks effectively. This posting will be open for application for a minimum of 5 days and may be extended based on business needs.

Estimated Starting Salary Range:

Estimated Starting Salary Range: $108,496.89 - $149,183.22. Compensation varies depending on a wide array of factors, such as candidates' key skills, relevant work experience, and education/training/certifications. The disclosed range estimate may be adjusted for any applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled.

Benefits:

SNC offers a generous benefit package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, 401(k) with 150% match up to 6%, life insurance, 3 weeks paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and more.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

To conform to U.S. Government international trade regulations, applicant must be a U.S. Citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce. Learn more about the background check process for Security Clearances.

SNC is a global leader in aerospace and national security committed to moving the American Dream forward. We’re known and respected for our mission and execution focus, agility, and disruptive and rapid innovation. We provide leading edge technologies and transformative solutions that support our nation’s most critical security needs. If you are mission-focused, thrive in collaborative environments, and want to make our country stronger with state-of-the-art technologies that safeguard freedom, join our team! SNC is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to an environment free of discrimination. Employment decisions are made based on merit without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law. SNC is a trusted global leader in aerospace and national security. Our innovative solutions enable connected protection through command, control and communications systems, as well as ISR, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum management, and other high capabilities for systems across all domains – sea, land, air, space and cyber. As a longstanding leader in defense technology, SNC is the optimum intersection of commercial, defense and non-traditional contractors. We are one of the only privately owned mid-tier A&D contractors and we pride ourselves on our ability to invest early and often to ensure mission success on or ahead of schedule. It’s part of our mission to always stay one step ahead; working on solutions today to solve the problems of tomorrow. Founded in 1963, SNC is owned by Chairwoman Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen.