AI Systems Software Engineer: Mission-Critical Defense

Aptima Inc.; Fairborn (OH); On-site; USD 125,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Aptima Inc. seeks a Software Engineer, AI Systems to design, develop, deploy, and sustain AI-enabled software for mission-critical environments in the Dayton, OH or Washington, DC area. You will prototype AI models, build backend services, and deploy production-ready systems.

You will bridge AI research and software engineering, transforming cutting-edge algorithms into robust architectures. You will work with researchers and engineers, deliver scalable solutions, and support DoW customers with

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of relevant experience and ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Security Clearance.
• Willingness to travel when necessary
• Demonstrated technical ability and initiative to lead and execute work independently.
• Understanding across multiple technical domains, with expertise spanning AI/ML and software engineering.
• Ability to apply engineering principles and software development practices to produce high-quality, customer-focused technical solutions.
• Strong software engineering experience, including:
• • Object-oriented programming (Python preferred; Java, C#, or similar languages a plus).
• • Software architecture and modular design principles.
• • API and backend service development.
• • Version control and collaborative development workflows.
• • Testing, debugging, and production software practices.
• • Containerization and deployment technologies (Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines).
• Experience building AI/ML systems using frameworks such as:
• • PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, LangChain, or similar tools.
• • LLMs, NLP, agentic AI workflows, computer vision, or multimodal systems.
• • Data processing pipelines and model development from large datasets.
• Experience deploying AI models into operational environments, cloud platforms, or edge systems preferred.
• Familiarity with MOSA, MBSE, and Government Reference Architectures, including modular design, defined interfaces, and standards-based integration is preferred
• Familiarity with MLOps, cloud technologies (AWS, Azure, Kubernetes), and scalable deployment architectures is a plus.
• Experience translating research prototypes into maintainable, production-quality systems strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, deploy, and maintain AI-enabled software systems that leverage multimodal data sources to classify, assess, and model human performance and operational behaviors.
• Build and integrate AI capabilities-including LLMs, agentic systems, computer vision models, and multimodal analytics-into scalable software applications and services.
• Design and implement backend services, APIs, workflows, and software infrastructure that support production AI applications.
• Collaborate within agile, cross-functional teams to transition research algorithms into operational software systems.
• Develop, test, containerize, deploy, and maintain production-ready applications using modern software engineering and DevSecOps practices.
• Contribute to software architecture, system integration, testing, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud or edge deployment strategies.
• Successfully design and implement scientific and technical components of projects and proposals.
• Lead execution of technical tasks, ensuring work is delivered with high quality and on schedule.
• Contribute to technical reports, publications, presentations, proposals, and customer deliverables.
• Support customer engagements through software demonstrations, integration activities, technical discussions, and capability briefings.
• Continue professional development through conferences, technical literature, and emerging technologies in AI and software engineering.
• Present work through professional publications, technical forums, and conferences.

Skills

Python

Java

C#

APIs

Backend services

CI/CD

Docker

Kubernetes

Version control

Testing

AI/ML frameworks

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Hugging Face

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Hugging Face

LangChain

Job description

Aptima Inc. seeks a Software Engineer, AI Systems to design, develop, deploy, and sustain AI-enabled software for mission-critical environments in the Dayton, OH or Washington, DC area. You will prototype AI models, build backend services, and deploy production-ready systems.

You will bridge AI research and software engineering, transforming cutting-edge algorithms into robust architectures. You will work with researchers and engineers, deliver scalable solutions, and support DoW customers with