Secret-Cleared ML Engineer: Production LLMs for Secure AI

Stott and May; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Stott and May is helping a VC-backed startup recruit for a role building production LLM systems used in national security contexts in McLean, VA. The position requires an active U.S. Secret clearance and involves deploying AI systems in secure environments.

You will design and deploy LLM systems (RAG, embeddings, vector search), build APIs and backend services, and own full stack data pipelines to inference in air-gapped settings.

Qualifications

• Active U.S. Secret clearance is required to be considered.
• Experience deploying ML systems into production.
• Hands-on with LLMs and vector databases.
• Ability to own systems end-to-end in a fast-moving environment.
• Comfortable working in secure environments (air-gapped possible).

Responsibilities

• Designing and deploying LLM systems (RAG, embeddings, vector search).
• Building APIs and backend services for AI-powered applications.
• Working across the full stack from data pipelines to inference.
• Shipping systems into secure, sometimes air-gapped environments.

Skills

Production ML deployment

LLMs

Vector databases

Agentic workflows

End-to-end ownership

Tools

APIs

Backend services

Data pipelines

Vector search

Job description

Stott and May is helping a VC-backed startup recruit for a role building production LLM systems used in national security contexts in McLean, VA. The position requires an active U.S. Secret clearance and involves deploying AI systems in secure environments.

You will design and deploy LLM systems (RAG, embeddings, vector search), build APIs and backend services, and own full stack data pipelines to inference in air-gapped settings.