AI Security & LLM Engineer

Nava; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous medical insurance

401k plan with generous match

Paid leave and holidays

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

AnaVation is seeking an AI Security & LLM Engineer in Reston, VA to design, secure, and optimize next-generation generative AI infrastructure. You will bridge advanced AI capabilities with cybersecurity, building resilient multi-agent systems and defending against evolving threats.

You will implement robust architectures, guardrails, and production-grade code to deploy frontier models inside enterprise applications, while minimizing latency and token usage.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Active TS/SCI Clearance with CI Polygraph.
• Certifications aligned with program requirements.

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy multi-agent orchestration frameworks and RAG pipelines for generation.
• Develop and maintain input/output guardrails to defend against prompt injection.
• Conduct red teaming and simulations to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
• Optimize token usage, reduce latency, and manage API rate limiting.
• Write secure, production-grade code to integrate frontier models into enterprise apps.

Skills

AI Architecture

AI Security

Infrastructure Management

Rust or Python

Education

Bachelor’s degree

8 years of related experience

Active TS/SCI Clearance with CI Polygraph

Tools

RAG pipelines

Job description

Be Challenged and Make a Difference

In a world of technology, people make the difference. We believe if we invest in great people, then great things will happen. At AnaVation, we provide unmatched value to our customers and employees through innovative solutions and an engaging culture.

Description of Task to be Performed

The AI Security & LLM Engineer will design, secure, and optimize our next-generation generative AI infrastructure. In this role, you will bridge the gap between advanced AI capabilities and rigorous cybersecurity practices. You will build resilient multi-agent systems while actively defending against emerging vulnerabilities like prompt injection, data exfiltration, and model manipulation.

Core Responsibilities

• System Architecture: Design and deploy robust multi-agent orchestration frameworks and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines.
• Adversarial Defense: Develop, implement, and maintain advanced input/output guardrails to neutralize prompt injection and adversarial attacks.
• Red Teaming: Conduct continuous LLM red teaming and simulations to identify system vulnerabilities and structural weaknesses.
• Performance Optimization: Manage token usage, reduce latency, and engineer efficient API rate limit management strategies.
• Secure Development: Write clean, secure, and production-grade code to integrate frontier models into enterprise applications.

Primary Languages & Technical Stack

• Rust or Python (at least one required)

Required Qualifications

• Clearance: Active TS/SCI Clearance with CI Polygraph
• Education & Years of Experience: Bachelor’s degree and8years of experience related to specific functional area.
• Certifications:Active certifications for both IAT Level II (e.g.CompTIA Security+) and Cyber Security Service Provider (CSSP) Infrastructure Support (e.g.CompTIA Cloud+) by program onboarding date.
• The following individual certifications cover both certificationrequirementsfor this program:CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst,CySA+; EC-CouncilCertifiedNetwork Defender (CND);GlACGlobal Industrial Cyber Security Professional, GICSP;(ISC)2 System Security Certified Practitioner (SCCP).
• Hands-on experienceandknowledge with the following:
  • AI Architecture: Proven experience with multi-agent orchestration tools and production-grade RAG pipelines.
  • AI Security: Deep understanding of OWASP Top 10 for LLMs, prompt injection defense, and guardrail frameworks.
  • Infrastructure Management: Experience handling token optimization, context window constraints, and API throttling.

Preferred Qualifications

• Frontier Model Expertise:Hands-on experience deploying commercial frontier models (e.g., ChatGPT, Grok, Claude).
• AI Developer Tools:Experience utilizing advanced AI-assisted development workflows such as Claude Code or Codex.
• Security Testing:Background in traditional penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, or cryptographic concepts.

Benefits

• Generous cost sharing for medical insurance for the employee and dependents
• 100% company paid dental insurance for employees and dependents
• 100% company paid long-term and short-term disability insurance
• 100% company paid vision insurance for employees and dependents
• 401k plan with generous match and 100% immediate vesting
• Competitive Pay
• Generous paid leave and holiday package
• Tuition and training reimbursement
• Life and AD&D Insurance

About AnaVation

AnaVation is the leader in solving the most complex technical challenges for collection and processing in the U.S. Federal Intelligence Community. We are a US owned company headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia. We deliver groundbreaking research with advanced software and systems engineering that provides an information advantage to contribute to the mission and operational success of our customers. We offer complex challenges, a top-notch work environment, and a world-class, collaborative team.

If you want to grow your career and make a difference while doing it, AnaVation is the perfect fit for you!

AnaVation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.