Senior Software Engineer – AI Infrastructure

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

Benefits offered by this job

PTO 3–5 weeks

Federal holidays

Snow days

401(k) match

Health insurance

Education assistance

Spot bonuses

Job summary

Bitwise is seeking a Senior Software Engineer – AI Infrastructure in Laurel, MD to design and operate scalable AI infrastructure. The role blends hands-on development with technical leadership on a small, integrated team embedded within a larger AI platform.

Expect architecture work, mentoring, and cross-team coordination to deliver robust AI services. Required: TS/SCI with polygraph; 12+ years experience; strong AWS and Kubernetes; experience with observability tools and LangChain.

Qualifications

• 12 years of experience or 4 additional years in lieu of a degree.
• Experience designing, building, and operating large-scale production systems.
• Deep expertise in systems integration across diverse technologies.
• Hands-on cloud engineering experience in AWS.
• Advanced proficiency with Kubernetes administration and deployment.
• Experience with observability tools and governance frameworks.
• Ability to lead initiatives and influence org change.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph.
• Experience with AI inference serving technologies.
• Familiarity with LangChain and vector embeddings.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and operate AI infrastructure for scalable inference.
• Lead production AI services and applications including RAG and agents.
• Serve as technical lead for AI infrastructure initiatives across teams.
• Mentor teammates and coordinate cross-team work.
• Define solutions for complex, underspecified systems and requirements.
• Establish policies, standards, and governance where gaps exist.

Skills

AWS

Kubernetes

Observability

LangChain

vLLM

Large-scale systems

Leadership

Education

B.S. in technical discipline

Tools

OpenTelemetry

Grafana

Prometheus

Vector databases

Job description

Senior Software Engineer – AI Infrastructure

• Laurel, MD

Senior Software Engineer – AI Infrastructure

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

We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer to help build the next generation of AI infrastructure — the kind of platform-level work that powers real innovation at scale. This is a full-stack, hands-on engineering role with meaningful technical leadership responsibilities on a small, integrated team embedded within a larger AI platform organization.

In this role, you'll lead the design and operation of critical AI platform components, with a particular focus on scalable inference services and the broader AI application ecosystem. That means you'll be writing code, architecting systems, and making consequential technical decisions — while also mentoring teammates, coordinating cross-team initiatives, and helping shape the technical direction of the platform.

Day to day, you can expect to:

• Design, implement, and optimize infrastructure for AI model inference at scale
• Lead the development and maintenance of production AI services and applications, including retrieval augmented generation (RAG), autonomous agents, and other emerging technologies
• Serve as the technical lead for AI infrastructure initiatives, coordinating work across integrated teams
• Conduct regular one-on-ones and provide coaching, feedback, and support for your assigned team members
• Act as the team point of contact for contract administration functions
• Navigate ambiguity and define solutions for complex, underspecified systems and requirements
• Establish technical policies, standards, and governance frameworks where gaps exist
• Drive adoption of new technologies and engineering practices across the organization
• Implement and oversee monitoring, logging, and observability solutions for AI services
• Ensure the high availability, reliability, performance, and security of AI platform components
• Communicate clearly and confidently with stakeholders at multiple organizational levels

This role is located in Laurel, MD.

Requirements

• 12 years of relevant experience; a B.S. in a technical discipline is required, or 4 additional years of experience in lieu of a degree
• Extensive experience designing, building, and operating large-scale production systems
• Deep expertise in systems integration across diverse technologies and platforms
• Hands-on cloud engineering experience in AWS
• Advanced proficiency with Kubernetes administration and deployment patterns
• Experience implementing and scaling observability solutions (APM, OpenTelemetry, Grafana, 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
• 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, particularly 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 within 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.