AI/ML Engineer — Generative AI Mission Systems

Devconnectplatform; Laurel (MD); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Remote-work support

Professional development

Job summary

Rackner is seeking an AI/ML engineer to advance generative AI for secure mission systems. You will design, build, and integrate LLM-enabled capabilities, RAG, and agentic-AI into operational workflows used in national-security applications.

The role requires collaboration with software, cybersecurity, and customer teams, and involves on-site collaboration in Laurel, Maryland, with a remote-friendly setup. A strong background in AI/ML and secure software practices is essential.

Qualifications

• A master’s degree or Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Science, or a related field with demonstrated experience.
• At least four years of AI/ML experience including work with LLMs, RAG, and prompt engineering.
• Hands-on experience integrating LLM-enabled software and RAG capabilities into applications/workflows.
• Experience designing and supporting inference pipelines and evaluating AI capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and integrate AI-enabled software capabilities.
• Build and integrate LLM-enabled capabilities into secure workflows.
• Develop retrieval-augmented generation capabilities and agentic-AI components.
• Create prompts, system instructions, and supporting AI workflows; maintain inference pipelines.
• Collaborate with software engineers, cybersecurity, DevSecOps, and customer teams; perform reviews and security remediation.

Skills

Large language models

Retrieval augmented generation

Prompt engineering

Inference pipelines

OpenShift

Education

Master's degree or PhD in AI/ML/CS

Tools

Kubernetes

OpenShift

CI/CD

Containerized applications

Job description

# AI/ML Engineer — Generative AI Mission SystemsRacknerSalary not statedFull-timeremote· midUSAllmkubernetesListed via Jobicy · posted 13 Nov 2026. The application happens there, not on DevConnect.Apply on Jobicy## DescriptionAI/ML Engineer — Generative AI Mission SystemsLocation: Mainly remote within the United States, with onsite collaboration in Laurel, Maryland, typically one day approximately every six weeks for team-wide sprint planning.Clearance: Active final DoD Secret clearance requiredThis position supports a pending contract opportunity and is contingent upon contract award, with an anticipated start in November 2026.Build Applied AI for Secure Mission SoftwareHelp turn generative-AI concepts into dependable capabilities used within secure mission-planning and decision-support software.At Rackner, you will integrate large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, agentic AI, prompt-engineering workflows, and inference pipelines into an established software application supporting a high-impact national-security mission. You will work across AI, software engineering, cybersecurity, DevSecOps, and customer technical teams to move capabilities beyond standalone demonstrations and into practical application workflows.This role offers the opportunity to deepen your applied-AI experience, influence how emerging capabilities are designed and evaluated, and contribute to software where reliability, security, and mission usefulness matter.This is a primarily remote role within the United States. Work will be performed using customer-provided systems, with virtual collaboration across the engineering team. Any classified work will be completed onsite at the customer location.What You’ll Do- Design, develop, test, and integrate AI-enabled software capabilities.- Build and integrate LLM-enabled capabilities into secure application workflows.- Develop or integrate retrieval-augmented generation capabilities.- Develop and support agentic-AI components and multi-step workflows.- Design and refine prompts, system instructions, and supporting AI workflows.- Build and maintain inference pipelines.- Connect AI capabilities with existing backend services and decision-support processes.- Evaluate AI outputs for grounding, reliability, accuracy, relevance, and mission usefulness.- Develop tests for AI-enabled functionality and support broader integration testing.- Demonstrate working prototypes and incorporate technical and user feedback.- Document AI designs, workflows, limitations, evaluation results, and implementation decisions.- Participate in code reviews, technical reviews, and security-remediation activities.- Collaborate with software engineers, security professionals, DevSecOps teams, and customer stakeholders.What You Bring- A master’s degree or Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Science, or a related field, along with demonstrated experience working on or developing AI/ML capabilities.- At least four years of relevant AI/ML experience that includes work with large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, and prompt engineering.- Hands-on experience integrating LLM-enabled software and RAG capabilities into applications or workflows.- Developing or supporting agentic-AI capabilities and multi-step AI workflows.- Designing, building, or supporting inference pipelines.- Ability to evaluate AI-enabled capabilities and clearly document findings, design decisions, and results.- Testing and documenting AI-enabled software capabilities.- Ability to clearly explain your personal technical ownership and contributions.- Strong collaboration and technical-communication skills.Preferred BackgroundExperience with several of the following can strengthen your fit:- Moving AI capabilities beyond coursework, personal projects, or demonstrations into operational software workflows.- Evaluating grounding, reliability, output quality, hallucinations, or other limitations of AI-enabled systems.- Integrating AI services with backend APIs or established software applications.- Secure software-development lifecycle and DevSecOps practices.- OpenShift, Kubernetes, CI/CD, or containerized application delivery.- Secure, restricted, disconnected, on-premises, or classified development environments.- Defense, government, aerospace, mission-planning, or other regulated environments.- Collaboration with software-engineering, cybersecurity, platform, and customer-facing technical teams.Why RacknerAt Rackner, you will have the opportunity to build technology that supports critical defense and public-sector missions.You will work on more than isolated AI experiments or prompt-engineering tasks. This role combines hands-on LLM integration, retrieval and agentic-AI development, secure software delivery, and close collaboration across AI, software, cybersecurity, DevSecOps, and mission-focused teams.Rackner has delivered more than $30 million in recent federal awards and supports mission-critical work across defense, civilian, and public-sector environments. We are looking for an applied AI engineer who can build on that momentum by turning emerging generative-AI capabilities into secure, dependable software with meaningful mission impact.Benefits & Professional Growth- Competitive compensation- Company-supported certifications aligned with current and future program work- 401(k) with 100% company match up to 6%- Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage- Paid time off and company holidays- Remote-work support and home-office equipment plan- Fitness and wellness reimbursement- Weekly pay schedule- Professional-development and future growth opportunitiesApplyIf you are an AI/ML engineer who wants to move beyond standalone prototypes and help integrate LLM, RAG, and agentic-AI capabilities into secure mission software, we would like to hear from you.