Principal AI/ML Engineer - TS/SCI w/ Poly

Parsons; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 148,000 - 267,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401(k)

Paid time off

Flexible work schedules

Job summary

Parsons in the United States is seeking a Senior AI/ML Engineer to advance AI/ML capabilities within a national security context. You will design and integrate models and agent workflows, partnering with data scientists and mission analysts to deliver production-grade AI for the command.

This role requires TS/SCI with Poly, deep Python experience, and hands-on work with LLM/agent frameworks, RAG pipelines, and AI governance guardrails.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or related discipline
• Active TS/SCI clearance w/Poly
• Advanced proficiency in Python for AI/ML application development
• Demonstrated experience building or integrating LLM/agent-based systems in production
• Experience with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vector databases, and prompt/context engineering
• Ability to manage competing priorities in fast-paced mission environments and identify/escalate operational risks early

Responsibilities

• Provide embedded operations support, capability integration, and rapid prototyping for AI/ML-enabled tools in support of our customer.
• Design and integrate LLM/agent orchestration workflows using agentic frameworks such as LangGraph, Agno, and the NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit.
• Tune model gateway routing logic to select, evaluate, and optimize across multiple frontier and open-weight models for cost, performance, and mission fit.
• Develop and integrate RAG pipelines, vector databases, and memory services to give agents access to mission knowledge and context.
• Implement MCP (Model Context Protocol)-based tool-broker integrations so agents can safely and securely access enterprise tools and data.
• Evaluate, benchmark, and tune models and agent behaviors; build automated evaluation pipelines to track quality, safety, and performance over time.
• Partner with data scientists and mission analysts to translate research and prototypes into production-grade AI capabilities for the command.
• Implement AI governance guardrails — content/safety filters, policy enforcement, and approval gates — for agentic workflows, and document model/agent architectures and evaluation results for reuse.
• Research and evaluate emerging LLM, agent, and AI tooling to keep the command's AI capability current and adaptable.

Job description

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next!

At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what’s possible.

Job Description

Ready for a challenge that puts you at the center of AI innovation for cyber operations? Are you an experienced AI/ML engineer who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys turning research and prototypes into real mission capability, and wants to help shape how AI is built and delivered across a national mission?

If so, then be part of a team that supports the United States Cyber Command (USCC). Our team is standing up USCYBERCOM’s AI Enterprise capability — the central hub that mission teams turn to when they want to move an AI solution from prototype to a secure, governed, enterprise-scale service. As a Senior AI/ML Engineer on this team, you will design and integrate the models, agents, and AI workflows that run on that platform, with significant, visible impact on the mission of the USCC.

What You'll Be Doing

• Provide embedded operations support, capability integration, and rapid prototyping for AI/ML-enabled tools in support of our customer.

• Design and integrate LLM/agent orchestration workflows using agentic frameworks such as LangGraph, Agno, and the NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit.

• Tune model gateway routing logic to select, evaluate, and optimize across multiple frontier and open-weight models for cost, performance, and mission fit.

• Develop and integrate RAG pipelines, vector databases, and memory services to give agents access to mission knowledge and context.

• Implement MCP (Model Context Protocol)-based tool-broker integrations so agents can safely and securely access enterprise tools and data.

• Evaluate, benchmark, and tune models and agent behaviors; build automated evaluation pipelines to track quality, safety, and performance over time.

• Partner with data scientists and mission analysts to translate research and prototypes into production-grade AI capabilities for the command.

• Implement AI governance guardrails — content/safety filters, policy enforcement, and approval gates — for agentic workflows, and document model/agent architectures and evaluation results for reuse.

• Research and evaluate emerging LLM, agent, and AI tooling to keep the command's AI capability current and adaptable.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related discipline and 10+ years of experience; 4 additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree

• Active TS/SCI clearance w/Poly

• Advanced proficiency in Python for AI/ML application development

• Demonstrated experience building or integrating LLM/agent-based systems in production

• Experience with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vector databases, and prompt/context engineering

• Ability to manage competing priorities in fast-paced mission environments and identify/escalate operational risks early

Preference to Candidates that Have

• Master's degree and 8+ years of relevant experience

• Experience supporting USCYBERCOM, NSA, DoD cyber operations, or related mission environments

• Experience with frameworks such as LangGraph, Agno, or the NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit

• Experience with model inference/serving platforms (NVIDIA NIM, vLLM, Ollama, LiteLLM)

• Experience with MCP (Model Context Protocol) or similar tool-broker/integration standards

• Experience with AI evaluation frameworks, model benchmarking, and observability (logs/metrics/traces) for AI workloads

• Experience supporting USCYBERCOM, NSA, or DoD AI/cyber mission environments

Security Clearance Requirement

An active Top Secret SCI w/Polygraph security clearance is required for this position.

This position is part of our Federal Solutions team.

The Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to our US government customers that ensure the success of missions around the globe. Our intelligent employees drive the state of the art as they provide services and solutions in the areas of defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental. We promote a culture of excellence and close-knit teams that take pride in delivering, protecting, and sustaining our nation's most critical assets, from Earth to cyberspace. Throughout the company, our people are anticipating what’s next to deliver the solutions our customers need now.

Salary Range: $148,300.00 - $266,900.00

We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, 401(k), life insurance, flexible work schedules, and holidays to fit your busy lifestyle!

Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—.

About Us

Parsons is a digitally enabled solutions provider focused on the defense, security, and infrastructure markets. With nearly 75 years of experience, Parsons is uniquely qualified to deliver cyber/converged security, technology-based intellectual property, and other innovative services to federal, regional, and local government agencies, as well as to private industrial customers worldwide.

Parsons is an equal opportunity, drug-free employer committed to diversity in the workplace. Minority/Female/Disabled/Protected Veteran/LGBTQ+.

For more about Parsons, visit parsons.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.