Principal AI Software Engineer TS/SCI w/Poly

Aimlroles; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 200,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) matching

Educational reimbursement

Parental leave

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Amentum seeks a Principal AI Software Engineer to lead AI/ML-enabled mission systems, working across software, data science, and LLM integration for rapid prototyping to deployment. This role engages with stakeholders to deliver scalable AI solutions for intelligence workflows.

Candidates should have advanced degrees with extensive relevant experience and strong programming skills in Java and Python, plus experience with Jupyter Notebooks. Security clearance TS/SCI Poly is required.

Qualifications

• Proficient in AI/ML techniques (classification, clustering, retrieval).
• Experience with LLMs for representative and generative tasks.
• Proficiency in Java and Python; experience with Jupyter Notebooks.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of AI-enabled applications from proof-of-concept to deployment.
• Collaborate with mission stakeholders to operationalize AI/ML capabilities.
• Shape strategy and best practices for deployment, sustainment, and evolution of AI-enabled systems.

Skills

AI/ML technologies

LLMs

Java

Python

Jupyter Notebooks

Education

Doctoral degree

Master’s degree

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Jupyter Notebooks

Job description

Purpose and Impact:

Amentum is seeking a motivated Principal AI Software Engineer to support the exciting Corporate Directory Services mission. Engineer 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. The candidate will work across multiple technical domains including software engineering, data science, machine learning, and large language model (LLM) integration to deliver innovative capabilities from proof-of-concept through operational deployment.

Essential Responsibilities:

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.

Minimum Requirements (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities):

• Proficient in current AI/ML technologies such as classification, clustering, collaborative filtering, search, and retrieval using techniques such as but not limited to deep neutral networks (DNN), recurrent neural networks (RNN), attention-based transformers, etc.
• Experience in current large language models (LLM) for representative and generative tasks. equivalent.
• Proficiency with object-oriented languages (JAVA, Python) and experience with Jupyter Notebooks.

Security Clearance Required:

• TS/SCI Poly

Minimum Years of Experience:

• A Doctoral degree plus 7 years of relevant experience, or
• a Master's degree plus 9 years of relevant experience, or
• a Bachelor's degree plus 11 years of relevant experience, or
• an Associate's degree plus 13 years of relevant experience, or
• a High School diploma/GED plus 15 years of relevant experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• 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 probability distributions, nonparametric probability distributions, Bayesian analysis, and covariance matrices.
• Proficiency in agentic systems that can automatically carry out mission goals with limited supervision.

This position is not designated as a safety sensitive position.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and compliant work environment, Amentum is a drug-free workplace and requires all personnel to comply with company drug and alcohol policies as a condition of employment. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of the drug screening process. Please note that this may include pre-hire screening for marijuana, as well as other federally controlled substances due to Amentum’s role as a federal contractor and trusted partner to the US Government.

Other Responsibilities:

Safety - Amentum enforces a safety culture whereby all employees have the responsibility for continuously developing and maintaining a safe work environment. As appropriate, each employee is responsible for completing all training requirements and fulfilling all self-aid/buddy aid responsibilities, participating in emergency response tasks and serving on safety committees and teams.

Quality - Quality is the foundation for the management of our business and the keystone to our goal of customer satisfaction. It is our policy to consistently provide services that meet customer expectations. Accordingly, each employee must conform to the Amentum Quality Policy and carry out job activities in compliance with applicable Amentum Quality System documents and customer contracts. Each employee must read and understand his/her Quality Management and Customer Satisfaction responsibilities.

Procedure Compliance - Each employee must read, understand and implement the general and specific operational, safety, quality and environmental requirements of all plans, procedures and policies pertaining to his/her job. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

Compensation Details:

$200000-255000

The compensation range or hourly rate listed for this position is provided as a good-faith estimate of what the company intends to offer for this role at the time this posting was issued. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as job responsibilities, education, experience, skills, internal equity, market data, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and relevant laws.

Benefits Overview:

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to support you and your priorities. Offerings include:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off and holidays
• Retirement benefits (including 401(k) matching)
• Educational reimbursement
• Parental leave
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Tax-saving options
• Disability and life insurance
• Pet insurance

Note: Benefits may vary based on employment type, location, and applicable agreements. Positions governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), or other employment contracts may include different provisions/benefits.

Amentum is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our hiring practices provide equal opportunity for employment without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, ancestry, United States military or veteran status, color, religion, creed, marital or domestic partner status, medical condition, genetic information, national origin, citizenship status, low-income status, or mental or physical disability so long as the essential functions of the job can be performed with or without reasonable accommodation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law. Learn more about your rights under Federal laws and supplemental language at Labor Laws Posters.