AI Prompt Engineer

CDIT; Ashburn (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

CDIT LLC in Ashburn, VA is seeking a highly creative AI Prompt Engineer to join a growing AI team supporting a federal border security mission. You will design, test, and optimize prompts for LLMs to produce reliable outputs across mission-use cases in an Agile delivery environment.

The role emphasizes translating complex requirements into effective AI interactions, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and contributing to RAG strategies and model fine-tuning. U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, IT, or related field (equivalent experience considered).
• 0–3 years of professional software development experience or relevant academic project work.
• 1+ year of hands‑on experience with LLMs (e.g., OpenAI GPT series, Llama, Gemini).
• Familiarity with prompt engineering techniques (few-shot, chain-of-thought, structured outputs, function calling).

Responsibilities

• Prompt Design & Optimization — Develop, refine, and iterate on prompts for generative AI models (LLMs) to elicit desired behaviors and outputs.
• Iterative Testing & Analysis — Conduct structured testing to compare prompt variations and drive continuous improvement.
• Collaboration — Work closely with cross‑functional teams to integrate prompts that streamline manual processes.
• Fine‑Tuning & RAG Support — Provide input on model fine-tuning and Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) strategies.
• Problem Solving — Debug unexpected model behaviors, identifying root causes in prompt structure or data context.

Skills

Prompt design

Structured outputs

Few-shot prompting

Chain-of-thought

Collaboration

Problem solving

Communication

Agile/Scrum

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/SE/IT

Equivalent experience

Tools

OpenAI GPT models

Llama / Gemini

RAG tooling

Vector databases

Job description

Ashburn, United States | Posted on 09/21/2026

CDIT LLC is seeking a highlycreative, technically proficient, and detail-oriented AI Prompt Engineer tojoin a growing AI team supporting a federal border security mission. This roleis responsible for designing, testing, and optimizing prompts for LargeLanguage Models (LLMs) to produce high-quality, reliable outputs across a rangeof mission use cases — translating complex requirements into effective AIinteractions, within an Agile delivery environment.

Responsibilities

• Prompt Design & Optimization — Develop,refine, and iterate on prompts for generative AI models (LLMs) to elicitdesired behaviors and outputs.
• Iterative Testing & Analysis — Conductstructured testing to compare prompt variations and drive continuousimprovement.
• Collaboration — Work closely withcross‑functional teams to integrate prompts that streamline manual processes.
• Fine‑Tuning & RAG Support — Provide input onmodel fine-tuning and Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) strategies.
• Problem Solving — Debug unexpected modelbehaviors, identifying root causes in prompt structure or data context.

RequiredQualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to passa federal background investigation (criminal, drug use, and misconduct checks).
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, SoftwareEngineering, IT, or related field (equivalent experience considered)
• 0–3 years of professional software developmentexperience or relevant academic project work
• 1+ year of hands‑on experience with LLMs (e.g., OpenAIGPT series, Llama, Gemini)
• Familiarity with prompt engineering techniques(few‑shot, chain‑of‑thought, structured outputs, function calling)

DesiredQualifications

• Strong, data‑driven problem‑solving skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Exposure to RAG concepts, embeddings, and vectordatabases
• Understanding of AI safety considerations (promptinjection, bias, data privacy)
• Exposure to Agile/Scrum environments

CDIT LLC is an Equal OpportunityEmployer. This position supports a federal government client and requires the ability to obtain and maintain a background investigation as a condition of employment.