AI/ML Engineer

Cornerstone Defense LLC; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Cornerstone Defense LLC in Herndon, Virginia is seeking an AI/ML Engineer to work on developing high-performance, distributed systems focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning. You will join a skilled team to automate enterprise-wide applications and improve mission management tools.

The ideal candidate should have a solid background in both backend (Python, Java) and frontend (Angular) development along with experience in AWS and Linux systems. This position requires an active TS/SCI clearance and involves significant technical leadership.

Qualifications

• 4–6 years of backend development, proficient in both Python and Java.
• 4–6 years of frontend development, such as Angular.
• 6–8 years of AWS architecture design proficiency.
• 6–8 years of Linux proficiency, including shell scripting.
• 2–3 years working with AI/ML development and data science understanding.

Responsibilities

• Integrating AI/ML technology into a production web application.
• Participating with iterative software development teams.
• Designing, developing and unit testing code for a production system.
• Providing demonstrations and detailed walkthrough of features.
• Writing and maintaining technical documentation for application workflows.

Skills

Backend development in Python and Java

Frontend development in Angular

AWS architecture design proficiency

Linux proficiency

AI/ML development knowledge

Agile software development

Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases

Experience with search tools like ElasticSearch

ETL experience

Microservices experience

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

GitHub

Job description

AI/ML Engineer

Location: Herndon, Virginia

Clearance: Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply

Company Overview

Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government. Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission. Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems. If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Job Description

Currently seeking a Software Engineer (Expert) in Herndon VA to work on a suite of services that will supply users with tools to automate a wide range of enterprise-wide applications and data centric mission management applications, with a focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). The candidate will be part of a team of Software Developers, ETL Developers, and Data Scientists to enhance existing production applications and build out new web services on a routinized production cadence to meet the evolving needs of users. This role is focused on developing high-performance, distributed systems that operate on petabyte-scale structured and unstructured data, enabling mission users to rapidly access, process, and exploit critical information.

You will operate at the intersection of big data, distributed systems, and mission analytics, building core platform capabilities such as ingest pipelines, text extraction services, and search infrastructure that directly enable downstream analytics, AI, and operational workflows.

This is a hands‑on technical leadership role for engineers who thrive on building scalable systems from the ground up, solving hard data problems, and delivering production‑grade capabilities that operate in high‑stakes, real‑world environments.

Responsibilities

• Integrating AI/ML technology into a production web application
• Participating with iterative software development teams with adherence to all reporting requirements
• Designing, developing and unit testing code for a production system and demonstration capabilities
• Developing rapid prototypes to drive out requirements and design
• Providing demonstrations and detailed walkthrough of features to a variety of technical and non‑technical audiences
• Meeting with stakeholders, analyzing requirements, developing user stories, and translating these into software development tasks
• Developing technical documentation and briefing materials to support program status reviews, control gates, and other presentations as directed
• Writing and maintaining technical documentation for application workflows, integrations, and compliance procedures
• Optimizing and enhancing application performance, ensuring scalability and security

Qualifications

• 4–6 years of backend development, proficient in both Python and Java
• 4–6 years of frontend development, such as Angular
• 6–8 years of AWS architecture design proficiency
• 6–8 years of Linux proficiency, including shell scripting, mounting drives, text editing with vi or emacs, and system diagnostic checks
• 2–3 years working with AI/ML development and data science understanding
• Experience on Agile software development teams following Agile methodologies (Scrum and Kanban)
• Experience using Jira, Confluence, and GitHub for documenting work and team collaboration
• 6–8 years of experience with SQL and NoSQL databases
• 6–8 years of experience deploying applications in the Commercial Cloud Services or Amazon Web Services environment
• 6–8 years of experience with search and analytic tools (ElasticSearch, Solr/Lucene, OpenSearch)
• 2–4 years of ETL experience with large structured and unstructured raw data sets
• 6–8 years in designing, developing, testing, and implementing new applications based on project requirements
• Ability to work individually and in project teams, decompose concepts into discrete development tasks, and manage work to deadlines
• 6–8 years of experience with microservices, including Docker, Podman, and containerization services
• 6–8 years of object‑oriented programming experience; Python is the preferred development language