Principal Cognitive Systems Engineer IV

BCT LLC; Annapolis (MD); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Health coverage

Life/AD&D/Disability

Tuition reimbursement

Wellness program

Oriole game tickets

Pet adoption program

Scholarships

Referral program

Job summary

BCT LLC seeks a Principal Cognitive Systems Engineer IV to lead the NerveCenter platform’s architecture, development, and deployment in secure ITAR environments. You will guide a multidisciplinary team, integrate LLMs, deep learning, and stateful multi-agent systems, and own cognitive system performance and safety.

The role requires 10+ years in AI/systems with 3+ years of enterprise-scale leadership, and a strong security mindset in government/defense contexts. Annapolis Junction, MD on-site.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of systems engineering, AI, or ML.

Responsibilities

• Architect cognitive models emphasizing human-machine teaming and NL understanding.

Skills

Python

Java/Go/C++

NLP understanding

RLHF

Semantic mapping

Education

Master’s or PhD in Cognitive Science/CS/AI/HCI

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

LangChain

Pinecone

Milvus

Azure Vertex AI

Assured Workloads

GCC High

Job description

If you are looking for an opportunity to connect with other professionals in contributing to something larger than yourself with people who are determined to make a difference, BCT is the right place for you. We are always looking for the next great addition to our team.

A career at BCT LLC means being part of something bigger than yourself. Our success comes from the dedication of our people and their commitment to delivering meaningful solutions for our customers and their missions. If you’re looking for a supportive, team-oriented workplace where collaboration and shared success matter, we invite you to explore a career with BCT LLC.

MUST BE A US CITIZEN

About the job:

BCT LLC is seeking a Principal Cognitive Systems Engineer IV to lead the architectural design, development, and deployment of the NerveCenter platform. This senior technical role bridges the gap between human cognitive processes and advanced artificial intelligence, ensuring that NerveCenter functions as a highly intuitive, adaptive, and scalable mission-enabling system. The Level IV Engineer will serve as the primary technical authority on cognitive architectures, directing a multidisciplinary team to integrate Large Language Models (LLMs), deep learning frameworks, and stateful multi-agent systems into secure, ITAR-compliant enterprise environments.

Core Responsibilities:

• Cognitive Architecture Design: Architect and implement the core cognitive models powering NerveCenter, focusing on human-machine teaming, natural language understanding, and automated reasoning capabilities.
• Multi-Agent Orchestration: Design protocols for multi-agent workflows, enabling specialized AI agents within NerveCenter to securely share context, execute complex multi-step plans, and interact with internal enterprise APIs and data stores.
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Optimization: Lead the development of advanced RAG pipelines, ensuring the system accurately grounds outputs in verified enterprise data while navigating complex access control lists (ACLs) and zero-trust security boundaries.
• Systems Integration: Seamlessly embed cognitive capabilities into existing government and defense architectures, prioritizing high-speed, multi-turn stateful interactions.
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for cognitive systems across BCT, providing strategic technical direction to Level I-III engineers, data scientists, and cloud architects.
• Performance & Safety Tuning: Establish rigorous testing frameworks to monitor model latency, token consumption, hallucination rates, and prompt-injection vulnerabilities, ensuring continuous optimization of the NerveCenter platform.

Technical and Professional Requirements:

10+ years of applied experience in systems engineering, artificial intelligence, or machine learning, with at least 3 years leading enterprise-scale AI.

Programming & Scripting

• Expert level proficiency in Python
• Strong capability in Java, Go, or C++

AI/ML Frameworks

• Deep expertise with PyTorch, TensorFlow, LangChain, and advanced vector databases (e.g., Pinecone, Milvus, Azure AI Search).
• Proven experience deploying AI models in highly secure cloud environments, specifically Google Cloud Platform (Vertex AI / Assured Workloads) or Microsoft Azure Government (GCC High).

Cognitive Modeling

• Demonstrated capability in translating human decision-making processes into computational models, including reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) and semantic mapping.

Required Education:

Master’s degree or PhD in Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction, or a closely related discipline.

What We Offer

• Competitive 401(k) Plan with Matching Contributions
• Independent 401(k) and Investment Advisory Services
• Health Coverage with Employer Funded Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Life/AD&D/Disability Coverage paid 100% by BCT
• Generous Employee Referral Program
• Tuition/Training Reimbursement
• Wellness Membership Program
• Box Seats to Orioles Games
• Pet Adoption Program
• Several Scholarship Opportunities available to BCT family members/dependents

Our Story

Founded in 2006, BCT LLC is a small business built on a strong foundation of core values: Humility, Respect, Integrity, Loyalty, Kindness, Gratitude, Innovation, and Initiative. These principles guide everything we do and drive our commitment to delivering exceptional service to every customer.

Headquartered in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, BCT proudly supports clients throughout the DMV region and beyond. With more than 70 years of combined experience supporting National Security missions, our leadership brings deep expertise, insight, and dedication to the work we do. At BCT, our employees are at the heart of our success. Team members benefit from a highly supportive, hands-on home-office staff and leadership that is genuinely invested in their growth, well-being, and long-term success. Simply put, BCT delivers the small-business experience unlike any other—come see the difference.

BCT LLC is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All facets of employment, including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be based solely on merit & business need. Candidates and Employees will never be subject to discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, genetic information, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

BCT LLC
10810 Guilford Road, Suite 111 | Annapolis Junction, MD 20701