Senior Applied AI Engineer

The Josef Group; Maryland; On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The Josef Group is seeking a Senior AI Engineer in Annapolis Junction, MD with TS/SCI and Poly requirements. You will architect and deploy production AI systems for cyber operations, leading cutting-edge exploration and building scalable, reliable infrastructure.

Responsibilities include designing agent orchestration, MCP server development, advanced prompt engineering, and robust API integrations. You will mentor engineers, refine architecture decisions, and drive strategic AI discussions

Qualifications

• 12+ years of software engineering with strong Python.
• Hands-on production AI deployments experience.
• Expert-level AI architectures including agents and RAG.
• Experience with multiple AI service integrations and failure modes.
• Strong MCP server or similar model serving background.
• Advanced prompt engineering with measurable results.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement production-grade AI systems for cyber operations, focusing on scale and reliability.
• Lead technical exploration into novel AI applications and chart paths through unproven territory.
• Design and build sophisticated agent orchestration systems coordinating multiple AI models and tools.
• Create robust MCP server implementations forming foundational infrastructure.
• Develop advanced prompt engineering strategies and reusable patterns for cyber scenarios.
• Build fault-tolerant API layers that handle model failures and edge cases.
• Mentor junior engineers while maintaining high code output.
• Make architectural decisions balancing innovation with reliability.
• Drive technical discussions on AI capabilities, limitations, and strategy.
• Create proof-of-concepts demonstrating previously impossible capabilities.
• Establish best practices for AI development within cyber operations.

Skills

12+ years software engineering

Python expert

Production AI deployments

AI architectures (agents, RAG, chains)

Model serving infrastructure

Prompt engineering

Distributed systems

Debugging non-deterministic AI

Integration of AI services

Async workflows

Job description

Senior AI Engineer

TS/SCI and Poly Required

Annapolis Junction, MD

Responsibilities:

• Architect and implement production-grade AI systems for cyber operations, handling scale and reliability.
• Lead technical exploration into novel AI applications, charting paths through unproven territory.
• Design and build sophisticated agent orchestration systems that coordinate multiple AI models and tools.
• Create robust MCP server implementations that become foundational infrastructure for the team.
• Develop advanced prompt engineering strategies and reusable patterns for complex cyber scenarios.
• Build fault-tolerant API integration layers that gracefully handle model failures and edge cases.
• Mentor junior engineers while maintaining high personal code output.
• Make architectural decisions that balance innovation with operational reliability.
• Drive technical discussions about AI capabilities, limitations, and strategic applications.
• Create proof-of-concepts that demonstrate previously impossible capabilities.
• Establish best practices for AI development within the unique constraints of cyber operations.

Skills Requirements:

• 12+ years of software engineering experience with deep Python expertise.
• Extensive hands-on experience building and deploying AI-powered applications in production.
• Expert-level understanding of modern AI architectures (agents, RAG, chains, function calling).
• Proven track record of integrating multiple AI services and handling their failure modes.
• Strong experience with MCP servers or similar model serving infrastructure.
• Advanced prompt engineering skills with demonstrable results.
• Experience building resilient distributed systems and handling async workflows.
• Deep understanding of AI model capabilities and limitations across providers.
• Ability to rapidly prototype while maintaining production-quality standards.
• Track record of solving novel technical problems without existing solutions.
• Excellent debugging skills for non-deterministic AI behaviors.

Nice to Haves:

• Direct experience applying AI to cybersecurity or intelligence use cases.
• Contributions to major AI frameworks or tools.
• Experience fine-tuning models for specialized domains.
• Background in building developer tools or platforms.
• Knowledge of adversarial AI and security considerations for AI systems.
• Published research or talks on applied AI topics.
• Experience leading technical initiatives in ambiguous problem spaces.