Senior AI Engineer — Policy Lab Tools & Workflows

Center for a New American Security; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 125,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

403(b) retirement plan

Transportation subsidies

Job summary

Center for a New American Security is seeking an AI Engineer to embed with its AI Policy Lab, working with top researchers and editors to prototype and scale AI-enabled tools for national security analysis.

The role emphasizes hands-on software development, building agent workflows, and training colleagues to use the tools effectively, with wide latitude to shape practical AI applications for CNAS policy work.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience using AI coding tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor.
• Strong programming skills in Python and JavaScript/TypeScript with API work.
• Full-stack engineering experience building and deploying AI-enabled tools.
• Ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical colleagues.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects.
• Legal right to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Embed with CNAS researchers to build custom code, applications, and AI agent workflows.
• Rapidly prototype tools and refine them based on usage.
• Build agents and pipelines for documents, transcripts, and datasets.
• Build tools to automate business functions and accelerate productivity.
• Train staff to use and adapt the tools and document best practices.
• Track new AI models and assess which to adopt.
• Standardize AI-enabled workflows for recurring tasks.
• Test, refine, document, and maintain AI tools.
• Ensure tools meet CNAS standards for data security and responsible AI use.

Skills

Python

JavaScript/TypeScript

APIs

AI coding tools

Full-stack engineering

Explain technical concepts

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/Software Engineering or related field

Tools

Claude Code

OpenAI Codex

Cursor

Job description

Center for a New American Security is seeking an AI Engineer to embed with its AI Policy Lab, working with top researchers and editors to prototype and scale AI-enabled tools for national security analysis.

The role emphasizes hands-on software development, building agent workflows, and training colleagues to use the tools effectively, with wide latitude to shape practical AI applications for CNAS policy work.