Senior AI Engineer

CACI International Inc; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 115,000 - 252,000; Full time

Job summary

CACI seeks a Senior AI Engineer to architect and deploy AI-powered solutions enabling federal oversight missions for the DHS OIG. You will design, implement, and deploy AI applications, including OIG Chat, with secure guardrails and governance across Azure Government and commercial environments.

You will lead model routing architectures, data pipelines, and integration with enterprise data platforms while ensuring explainability and security.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 15+ years of AI/ML/software experience; equivalents accepted.
• Hands-on experience developing AI/ML applications with LLMs, generative AI, and prompt engineering.
• Production experience with Azure OpenAI or similar enterprise AI platforms.
• Strong Python programming with AI/ML frameworks (LangChain, Semantic Kernel, Hugging Face, TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn).
• Experience designing secure, governed AI solutions with guardrails, validation frameworks, monitoring and enterprise data integration.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement enhancements to OIG Chat and pilot AI applications.
• Implement AI guardrails, safety controls, logging, and model access patterns.
• Build AI/ML model pipelines consuming governed datasets with data lineage and governance.
• Develop AI-assisted analysis capabilities for investigative datasets and trend identification.
• Implement model versioning, monitoring, and automated validation for production AI operations.
• Support development of pilot AI applications for eDiscovery, translation, transcription, and analytics use cases.
• Prototype and test AI approaches with limited data and validation frameworks.
• Develop secure coding practices and data protection within AI applications.
• Provide guidance on prompting, AI-enabled workflows, demonstrations, and training content.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to integrate AI within Agile delivery.

Skills

Python

Prompt engineering

AI/ML applications

Security governance

Tools

Azure OpenAI

Azure AI services

LangChain

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Hugging Face

scikit-learn

AWS Bedrock

Google Vertex AI

Job description

Job Title: Senior AI Engineer

Job Category: Information Technology

Time Type: Full time

Minimum Clearance Required to Start: None

Employee Type: Regular

Percentage of Travel Required: None

Type of Travel: None

The Opportunity

CACI is seeking an accomplished Senior AI Engineer to support the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG). This role offers a unique opportunity to architect and develop cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions that directly strengthen national security oversight through investigative, audit, and inspection operations. As a Senior AI Engineer, you will design, develop, and deploy AI-powered applications and capabilities that transform how federal oversight professionals analyze complex datasets. You will lead the technical implementation of OIGChat—a large language model-based assistant—build AI pipelines that consume governed enterprise data, and develop mission-specific applications for investigative analytics, eDiscovery, and pattern detection. From designing model routing architectures to implementing guardrails and validation frameworks, you will ensure AI solutions are secure, explainable, and mission-effective. Working within Azure Government and Commercial environments, you will shape the technical foundation of AI capabilities on a transformational program of national importance. Join us to make a meaningful impact by bringing next-generation AI to federal oversight missions.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement enhancements to OIG Chat and pilot AI applications, including model routing architectures, API patterns, prompt handling logic, and integration with Azure Open AI, Azure AI Foundry, and approved AI services
• Implement comprehensive AI guardrails, safety controls, logging mechanisms, and model access patterns to prevent data leakage, unauthorized use, and ensure outputs meet quality and security standards
• Design and build AI/ML model pipelines that consume governed datasets from the enterprise data platform, ensuring data lineage, quality, and compliance with data governance policies
• Develop AI-assisted analysis capabilities for investigative hotline data, case records, and federal datasets to support trend identification, anomaly detection, link analysis, and pattern recognition
• Implement machine learning features including model versioning, monitoring, performance tracking, and automated validation to support production AI operations
• Support development and deployment of pilot AI applications for eDiscovery, translation, transcription, and specialized investigative analytics use cases
• Conduct iterative prototyping and testing against limited datasets to validate AI approaches prior to enterprise implementation, including output validation frameworks
• Develop secure coding practices for AI applications, including input validation, error handling, sensitive data protection, and integration with security controls
• Provide technical expertise for prompting guidance, AI-enabled workflows, use case demonstrations, troubleshooting guides, and training content to support user adoption
• Collaborate with Government stakeholders, data engineers, platform teams, and security specialists to integrate AI capabilities within Agile delivery framework

Qualifications

Required –

• Bachelor's degree + 15 years of experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, software engineering, or related field; equivalencies considered (Master's + 12 years; 21 years with no degree; AA + 17 years)
• Extensive hands-on experience developing AI/ML applications, with deep expertise in large language models (LLMs), generative AI, and prompt engineering
• Proven experience with Azure OpenAI, Azure AI services, or equivalent enterprise AI platforms (AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex AI) in production environments
• Strong programming skills in Python with experience in AI/ML frameworks (LangChain, Semantic Kernel, Hugging Face, TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn)
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement secure, governed AI solutions including guardrails, validation frameworks, monitoring, and integration with enterprise data platforms

Desired –

• Experience developing AI solutions for federal government, law enforcement, investigative, or national security applications with understanding of sensitive data handling requirements
• Hands-on experience with RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architectures, vector databases, semantic search, and knowledge graph integration
• Background in natural language processing (NLP), text analytics, entity extraction, sentiment analysis, or investigative analytics use cases

What You Can Expect

A culture of integrity.

At CACI, we place character and innovation at the center of everything we do. As a valued team member, you’ll be part of a high-performing group dedicated to our customer’s missions and driven by a higher purpose – to ensure the safety of our nation.

An environment of trust.

CACI values the unique contributions that every employee brings to our company and our customers – every day. You’ll have the autonomy to take the time you need through a unique flexible time off benefit and have access to robust learning resources to make your ambitions a reality.

A focus on continuous growth.

Together, we will advance our nation's most critical missions, build on our lengthy track record of business success, and find opportunities to break new ground — in your career and in our legacy.

Pay Range

There are a host of factors that can influence final salary including, but not limited to, geographic location, Federal Government contract labor categories and contract wage rates, relevant prior work experience, specific skills and competencies, education, and certifications. Our employees value the flexibility at CACI that allows them to balance quality work and their personal lives. We offer competitive compensation, benefits and learning and development opportunities. Our broad and competitive mix of benefits options is designed to support and protect employees and their families. At CACI, you will receive comprehensive benefits such as; healthcare, wellness, financial, retirement, family support, continuing education, and time off benefits.

Since this position can be worked in more than one location, the range shown is the national average for the position.

The Proposed Salary Range For This Position Is

$114,600-$252,100

CACI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic.