Lead Engineer, AI Software

Maximus; Northern (KY); Remote; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Maximus is seeking a Lead Engineer, AI Software to join our AI Transformation and Experience team. You will design, build, test, and deploy AI-enabled software at scale, integrating models with enterprise data and cloud services. Strong emphasis on production readiness, security, observability, and governance. Remote work option available.

You will mentor engineers, lead technical implementations, and drive best practices across teams while delivering impactful government-facing solutions.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience with production systems.
• 3+ years in AI/ML or related technologies.
• 5+ years designing/building cloud-based solutions.
• Experience owning software through deployment, operations, troubleshooting, maintenance, and evolution.
• Strong fundamentals in system and API design, testing, and secure development.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, ship, and operate production software systems with AI/ML capabilities.
• Own difficult technical problems from exploration to deployment and improvement.
• Write high-quality code, APIs, services, tests, and tooling.
• Build AI-enabled applications integrating models, data, cloud services, and enterprise systems.
• Apply practices like automated testing, CI/CD, observability, security, and performance optimization.
• Mentor engineers through code reviews and design discussions.

Skills

Python

Rust

Go

C++

Cloud architectures

AI/ML concepts

System design

Code reviews

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Maximus is currently seeking a Lead Engineer, AI Software.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Lead AI Systems Engineer to join the Maximus AI Transformation and Experience team, building software and AI capabilities used across the enterprise and the government programs we support.

We are looking for an experienced software engineer who has built real systems, shipped them to production, and learned what it takes to keep them running there.

This is a hands‑on individual contributor role where you will spend most of your time designing, building, testing, deploying, and improving software. AI and machine learning are important parts of what we build, but software engineering comes first. Successful AI systems require well‑designed applications, APIs, infrastructure, security, testing, observability, and operational discipline in addition to the models themselves.

You will work alongside talented engineers and technical specialists on challenging problems where experimentation, engineering judgment, and pragmatic decision‑making matter. The work has meaningful impact, improving how Maximus employees do their jobs and the experiences of the citizens who rely on the government services we help deliver.

This is a remote position.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Design and develop advanced AI software applications, ensuring scalability, performance, and integration with enterprise systems.
• Responsible for developing and modifying systems software (i.e., software for use in operating/controlling hardware and providing a platform for running internal end‑user/business applications).
• Develop and communicate descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive insights/algorithms.
• Apply knowledge of experimental methodologies, statistics, optimization, probability theory and machine learning using code for tool building, statistical analysis and modeling, using both general purpose software and statistical languages.
• Lead technical implementation efforts in both theoretical and product design environments, translating complex algorithms and specifications into code while mentoring junior engineers and guiding team‑level development practices.

Job‑Specific Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Design, build, ship, and operate production software systems incorporating AI and machine learning capabilities.
• Own difficult technical problems from initial exploration through implementation, deployment, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.
• Write high-quality software and contribute directly to application code, APIs, services, automated tests, infrastructure, and engineering tooling.
• Build AI‑enabled applications that integrate models, enterprise data, cloud services, APIs, and existing systems.
• Apply strong engineering practices including automated testing, CI/CD, observability, security, resiliency, and performance optimization.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies through hands‑on experimentation and determine where they can provide practical value in production.
• Build reusable components, libraries, patterns, and reference implementations that help other teams deliver better software.
• Mentor other engineers through code reviews, pairing, design discussions, and shared problem solving.

Job‑Specific Minimum Requirements

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, including substantial experience building and supporting production systems.
• 3+ years of experience with artificial intelligence, machine learning, or related technologies.
• 5+ years of experience designing or building solutions in cloud environments.
• Demonstrated experience owning software through deployment, production operations, troubleshooting, maintenance, and evolution.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals, including system and API design, testing, source control, and secure development.
• Experience designing and implementing systems on AWS, Azure, GCP, or similar cloud platforms.
• Experience with modern software delivery practices including automated testing, CI/CD, infrastructure automation, and observability.
• Experience building or integrating AI/ML capabilities into software systems or demonstrated ability to quickly learn and apply emerging technologies.
• Ability to communicate technical decisions, tradeoffs, and risks clearly with technical and non‑technical colleagues.
• Must have the ability to obtain a Public Trust.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

• Deep expertise in Python, demonstrated through substantial production software rather than scripts, notebooks, or prototypes alone.
• Proficiency in at least one systems programming language, such as Rust, Go, C++, or C, with experience applying it to real‑world software engineering problems.
• Experience building and operating distributed or cloud‑native production systems.
• A track record of taking systems from initial development through production and ongoing operation.
• Experience diagnosing complex production problems across application, infrastructure, data, and integration boundaries.
• Experience designing APIs, services, asynchronous workflows, and system integrations.
• Practical experience building applications using large language models, machine learning models, or managed AI services.
• Experience working in environments where security, privacy, reliability, or regulatory requirements influence engineering decisions.
• Experience improving existing systems and leaving codebases safer, simpler, more reliable, or easier to operate.
• Experience mentoring engineers through collaboration, code reviews, and technical problem solving.

EEO Statement

Maximus is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected characteristics.

Pay Transparency

Maximus compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to job location, a candidate's education, training, experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value analysis including seniority and merit systems, as well as internal pay alignment. Annual salary is just one component of Maximus's total compensation package. Other rewards may include short- and long‑term incentives as well as program‑specific awards. Additionally, Maximus provides a variety of benefits to employees, including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays and paid time off. Compensation ranges may differ based on contract value but will be commensurate with job duties and relevant work experience. An applicant's salary history will not be used in determining compensation. Maximus will comply with regulatory minimum wage rates and exempt salary thresholds in all instances.

Accommodations

Maximus provides reasonable accommodations to individuals requiring assistance during any phase of the employment process due to a disability, medical condition, or physical or mental impairment. If you require assistance at any stage of the employment process—including accessing job postings, completing assessments, or participating in interviews,—please contact People Operations at [e-mail].