Senior Software Engineer – AI Infrastructure

Bitwise; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 282,000 - 332,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top salaries

PTO 3–5 weeks

Paid federal holidays

Snow days

401(k) match

Education assistance

Spot bonuses

Employer-paid benefits

Job summary

Bitwise is seeking a Senior Software Engineer – AI Infrastructure in Laurel, MD to design, build, and operate the infrastructure powering next-generation AI capabilities for a mission-critical customer. The role combines hands-on engineering with technical leadership responsibilities.

You will lead production AI services, ensure reliability and security, and influence policy and governance across the team, while collaborating with customers and stakeholders on critical missions.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in software engineering, or a B.S. in a technical discipline with 8+ years of experience.
• Experience designing, building, and operating large-scale production systems.
• Strong skills in systems integration across diverse platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of production AI services including RAG and autonomous agents.
• Own reliability, observability, and security posture of the platform; guide tech direction.

Skills

Large-scale systems

Kubernetes

AWS cloud

Observability tools

Leadership

Policy governance

Communication

LangChain

vLLM/LiteLLM

Vector databases

Distributed systems

AI infrastructure

Education

B.S. in technical discipline

Tools

AWS

Kubernetes

OpenTelemetry

Grafana

Prometheus

LangChain

vLLM

LiteLLM

Job description

Senior Software Engineer – AI Infrastructure

• Laurel, MD

** An active TS//SCI clearance with polygraph is required for this role **

Bitwise is a leading provider of mission-focused intelligence solutions that advance national security for the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. We're a small and growing company, so you can expect to hop in on the ground floor with us and be a consequential member of the team. You'll be more than a contract performer for us — you'll also be asked for ideas to improve our company and improve your career, and you'll contribute to our team culture. We value growth and community above almost all else, so we gather regularly for game nights, happy hours, tech talks, and plenty more. We think you'll like it here!

Remember, Bitwise is not a cult.

What We Look For

Bitwise hires talented engineers who are driven by purpose and who value a culture of technical excellence, growth, and overall wellness. We deliver new and innovative intelligence solutions to our customers at the very forefront of our country's national security missions. And we do it every single day. Our work matters, and so will you.

We ask that every new hire be able to:

• Contribute meaningful thought leadership — if not right away, over time


• Interact with our customers and earn their confidence in your abilities


• Be detailed, even if that means taking a little more time to get it right


• Contribute their ideas and ideals to improve all aspects of our company


• Allow us to invest in their education so we both grow together

This is a senior-level full-stack engineering role at the heart of a growing AI platform organization — and it's not just a coding job. You'll be building and operating the infrastructure that powers next-generation AI capabilities for a mission-critical customer, while also stepping into a technical leadership position that shapes how the team works and grows.

You'll lead development of production AI services — think retrieval augmented generation (RAG), autonomous agents, and scalable model inference — while also owning the reliability, observability, and security posture of the platform. You'll set technical direction, define policies and governance frameworks where none yet exist, and drive adoption of new technologies across engineering teams. When things are ambiguous (and they will be), you'll be the one who brings clarity.

On top of the technical work, you'll serve as a people lead for a small, integrated team — running one-on-ones, providing coaching and feedback, and acting as the point of contact for contract administration functions. You're the kind of engineer who can context-switch between a Kubernetes cluster and a career conversation, and you do both well.

This role is based in Laurel, MD.

Requirements

• 12 years of experience in software engineering, or a B.S. in a technical discipline plus 8 years of experience


• Extensive experience designing, building, and operating large-scale production systems


• Deep expertise in systems integration across diverse technologies and platforms


• Hands-on experience with cloud engineering in AWS


• Advanced proficiency with Kubernetes administration and deployment patterns


• Experience implementing and scaling observability solutions, including APM, OpenTelemetry, Grafana, and Prometheus


• Proven ability to lead technical initiatives and influence organizational change


• Experience developing technical policies and governance frameworks


• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills


• Demonstrated ability to balance hands-on engineering with leadership and coordination responsibilities


• Active TS//SCI clearance with polygraph


• Experience with AI inference serving technologies such as vLLM or LiteLLM


• Previous experience with agentic frameworks such as LangChain


• Knowledge of vector databases and embedding systems


• Experience with high-performance computing or distributed systems


• A track record of successfully driving technical and cultural change across engineering organizations

Benefits at Bitwise

• Top salaries because we're top performers


• Pick your PTO — Everyone values time and money differently, so we give you the flexibility to choose between 3 and 5 weeks of PTO with a corresponding adjustment to your pay. Your choice, your balance.


• All 11 federal holidays, paid!


• Up to 2 snow days, paid!


• We'll quadruple (4x!) the first 6% you contribute to your 401(k), giving you up to a 24% company match. Contributing less than 6%? Unclaimed matches come right back to you as extra income, giving you a guaranteed 24% that goes to your retirement, to your paycheck, or both. C'mon now!


• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurances. That's a lot. Already covered on health insurance? No problem — we'll trade you this benefit for a boost to your salary instead.


• $5,250 annual education assistance for training, certifications, tuition, and even student loan repayments.


• Spot bonuses for obtained certifications, customer recognition, and just about anything else that makes us go \"Hot damn!\". We hope to say that many times about you.

Salary Range

$282,000 – $332,000

This range includes our flex income and depends upon your annual work hours.

Salary is determined on an individual basis following the interview process and considering various factors such as years of experience, skills, education, and certifications.

What to Expect After Applying

You'll get an email from us right away to acknowledge your application. After that, we'll:

• Send over additional company materials for you to review


• Schedule a video call to talk about you, our company, and your place in it


• Craft a delightful offer package for you and record a video walkthrough


• Work closely with you through onboarding. We'll keep it joyful and easy.

Bitwise is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.

Compensation for this position, including all compensation options, will be determined on an individual basis following the interview process.

If you require accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please reach out to us.