Senior AI Engineer: LLMs, Production ML & MLOps

Steampunk, Inc.; McLean (VA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Steampunk is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to bridge data science with scalable production AI systems. You will oversee the full ML lifecycle from exploration to deployment, including LLM-driven apps and RAG pipelines. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams and mentor junior engineers.

The role is hybrid in the McLean, VA area and requires strong software engineering fundamentals. You will work on advanced AI techniques, test plans, and safety/compliance aspects, ensuring

Qualifications

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
• 7+ years of total experience in ML/AI and software engineering.
• 3-5 years hands-on with generative AI or LLM-based apps.
• Experience with structured and unstructured data modeling.
• Strong Python and modern AI frameworks expertise.

Responsibilities

• Build end-to-end ML/AI solutions including LLM-powered apps and RAG pipelines.
• Perform EDA, feature engineering, and data visualization to inform design.
• Develop scalable inference services and ML deployment across cloud.
• Design prompt strategies, context management, and LLM orchestration.
• Collaborate with product stakeholders to deliver mission-critical features.
• Mentor junior developers and improve engineering excellence.

Skills

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

LLM/AI frameworks

LangChain

RAG architectures

Vector stores

Context retrieval

MLOps/LLMOps

Cloud platforms

AWS SageMaker

Kubernetes

Docker

CI/CD

GIT/Bash/Unix

Security & Privacy

Communication

Team mentoring

Data visualization

SQL/Java/Scala

Fast prototyping

Education

Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in CS/DS/AI/Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Flask

Solr

Elasticsearch

AWS SageMaker

Azure HDInsight

Job description

Steampunk is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to bridge data science with scalable production AI systems. You will oversee the full ML lifecycle from exploration to deployment, including LLM-driven apps and RAG pipelines. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams and mentor junior engineers.

The role is hybrid in the McLean, VA area and requires strong software engineering fundamentals. You will work on advanced AI techniques, test plans, and safety/compliance aspects, ensuring