Senior Software Engineer 3 - (AI, Python, Kubernetes)

Akina, Inc.; Maryland; On-site; USD 241,000 - 295,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

24 days PTO

11 federal holidays

401k with 10% company contribution

Healthcare costs covered for employees

Education assistance

Job summary

Akina, Inc. is seeking a Senior Software Engineer 3 in Annapolis Junction, MD to build and maintain AI infrastructure tools. You will lead AI tooling initiatives, work with customers, and ensure reliable, scalable services under TS/SCI clearance.

The role emphasizes Python proficiency, Kubernetes, and cloud experience, with opportunities to shape governance and engineering practices while coaching junior developers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field; 12+ years SWE experience required.
• Four additional SWE years may substitute for a bachelor's degree.
• TS/SCI – Polygraph clearance required.
• Experience developing and maintaining production software.

Responsibilities

• Develop high-quality AI tools and applications for the workforce to use.
• Ensure high availability, reliability, performance, and security of AI tools.
• Modify FOSS to accommodate customer use cases.
• Engage with customers to elicit requirements and develop solutions.
• Maintain existing customer-facing infrastructure and applications.
• Serve as technical lead for AI Tools and Applications initiatives.
• Conduct one-on-ones and provide coaching to team members.
• Act as team POC for contract administration functions.
• Navigate ambiguity and define solutions for complex systems.
• Establish technical policies, standards, and governance frameworks.
• Drive adoption of new technologies across engineering teams.
• Implement monitoring, logging, and observability for AI services.
• Communicate with stakeholders at multiple levels.

Skills

Python

LLM workflows

Kubernetes

CI/CD

SRE

Docker

AWS

UI/UX

Communication

Leadership

Production software

Learning agility

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Argo CD

CI/CD tools

Job description

Senior Software Engineer 3 - (AI, Python, Kubernetes)

• Annapolis Junction, Maryland

Senior Software Engineer 3 - (AI, Python, Kubernetes)

Clearance: TS/SCI - Polygraph required
Position ID: 20-24-038-SWE3
Location: Annapolis Junction, Maryland

Description:

Join us in building the next generation of AI infrastructure that will power innovation across the customer organization. We're seeking a software engineer to support our AI infrastructure team. In this role, you'll help build and maintain the foundation for customer AI capabilities, while supporting a broader ecosystem of AI-enabled applications. Your focus will be developing and maintaining high-quality tools and applications that let the customer base use AI seamlessly and efficiently. Requirements shift quickly as mission needs adapt and new technology develops, so you'll need to continue to grow and hone your skills and learn to turn loosely defined problems into solutions.

• Develop high-quality AI tools and applications for the workforce to use
• Ensure high availability, reliability, performance, and security of AI tools.
• Modify FOSS (Free and Open-Source Software) to accommodate the customer’s use cases.
• Regularly engage with customers, conducting requirements elicitation and developing solutions to address their needs.
• Maintain existing customer-facing infrastructure and applications, ensuring reliable services.
• Serve as a technical lead for AI Tools and Applications initiatives, coordinating work across integrated teams.
• Conduct regular one-on-ones and provide coaching, feedback, and support for assigned team members.
• Act as the team point of contact (POC) for contract administration functions.
• Navigate ambiguity and define solutions for complex, underspecified systems and requirements.
• Establish new technical policies, standards, and governance frameworks where gaps exist.
• Drive adoption of new technologies and practices across engineering teams.
• Implement and oversee monitoring, logging, and observability solutions for AI services.
• Ensure high availability, reliability, performance, and security of components.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders at multiple organizational levels.

Position Required Skills:

• Expertise in UI/UX principles.
• Significant experience with using LLMs as a part of a code solution workflow.
• Ability to learn new technologies quickly.
• Strong communication skills and willingness to ask questions.
• Mastery of Python.
• Demonstrate a willingness to learn, lead a team, and manage multiple junior developers.
• Significant experience developing and maintaining production software.
• Familiarity with AWS or other cloud service providers.
• Experience with Kubernetes/Helm.
• Familiarity with Argo CD and/or other CI/CD frameworks.
• Experience supporting production software using Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) best practices.
• Experience with Docker and containerization.

Nice to Haves

• Experience with LLM UI Open-Source software such as OpenWebUI
• Proficiency with AWS or other cloud service providers.
• Proficiency with Kubernetes/Helm.
• Proficiency with Argo CD and/or other CI/CD frameworks.
• Extensive Experience supporting production software using Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) best practices.
• Proficiency with Docker and containerization.
• Extensive experience with customer requirements elicitation, an expert in community outreach and integration.
• Experience with LLM model hosting.

SWE3 Qualifications:

A minimum of twelve (12) years of experience as a SWE in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity is required. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related discipline from an accredited college or university is required. Four (4) years of additional SWE experience on projects with similar software processes may be substituted for a bachelor's degree.

Salary Range: $241k-$295k (Annually)

The range displayed above is a likely salary range for this position. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possible contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

Akina is a Woman Owned, Service Disabled, Veteran Owned, Small Business, looking for talented and ambitious individuals to join our team. We offer a generous compensation package that includes 24 days PTO accrued annually and 11 federal holidays. Our 401k is 100% vested on your start date and the company makes a direct contribution worth 10% of your salary. Akina covers 100% of healthcare costs for employees and 50% toward dependents. We offer educational assistance towards college classes and will cover costs associated with job related training and certifications.

Akina is committed to excellence and creating innovative and flexible solutions for our clients. We are a small company with an open ear to our employees' needs in order to attract and retain quality talent that enables our customer's mission.

We are an equal employment opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.