Principal AI Software Engineer (TS/SCI + Poly) Fort Meade, MD

Aperio Global; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 207,000 - 227,000; Full time

Job summary

Aperio Global in Fort Meade, MD is looking for a Principal AI Software Engineer to lead the development of advanced AI and Machine Learning solutions. The role involves close collaboration with mission stakeholders to design and operationalize applications that automate intelligence processes.

The ideal candidate holds a Bachelor’s degree with 11 years of experience and is proficient in object-oriented languages such as Java and Python. A TS/SCI clearance is required for this position.

Qualifications

• 11 years of relevant experience or equivalent.
• Proficiency with object-oriented languages (Java, Python).
• Experience with Jupyter Notebooks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of AI/ML solutions for mission workflows.
• Collaborate with customers to enhance operational analysis.
• Design and operationalize AI-enabled applications.

Skills

AI/ML technologies proficiency

Java

Python

Jupyter Notebooks

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Principal AI Software Engineer (TS/SCI + Poly)

Fort Meade, MD

We are seeking a Principal AI Software Engineer to support the Corporate Directory Services mission. You will work closely with mission stakeholders to lead the development of advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) solutions, intelligence mission workflows, and emerging analytic capabilities. This role is responsible for designing, developing, prototyping, and operationalizing AI-enabled applications that automate complex intelligence processes, discover emergent intelligence value, and accelerate mission outcomes.

Mission Focus:

• Collaborate closely with customers to drive the rapid development, evaluation, and transition of AI/ML-enabled mission capabilities that enhance operational analysis and intelligence workflows.
• Leverage emerging technologies, scalable software architectures, and advanced analytics to automate discovery, accelerate insight generation, and deliver production-ready solutions across diverse mission domains.
• Shape technical strategy and best practices to ensure effective deployment, sustainment, and evolution of AI-enabled mission systems.

Technical Proficiency:

• Proficient in current AI/ML technologies such as classification, clustering, collaborative filtering, search, and retrieval using techniques including deep neural networks (DNN), recurrent neural networks (RNN), attention-based transformers, etc.
• Experience with large language models (LLM) for representative and generative tasks.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree plus 11 years of relevant experience or equivalent.
• Proficiency with object-oriented languages (Java, Python) and experience with Jupyter Notebooks.

Security Clearance: Active TS/SCI with Polygraph required (CCA).

Nice to Have:

• Proficiency in approaches to retrieval augmented generation (RAG), model context protocol (MCP), and other recent technologies supporting agentic AI.
• Foundational knowledge of statistics related to parametric and nonparametric probability distributions, Bayesian analysis, and covariance matrices.
• Proficiency in agentic systems that can automatically carry out mission goals with limited supervision.

Salary Range: $207,000–$227,000.

Aperio Global is an equal‑opportunity employer. We are committed to building an inclusive workforce where all employees and applicants are treated with respect and fairness. Employment decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs—with no discrimination on protected basis.