Software Data Engineer (AI/ML, LLMs, RAG), Intelligence Community Mission Program, Fort Meade, MD

BizFirst; Indiana (PA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance & family coverage

Paid leave

Eleven federal holidays

401k with employer contribution

Training reimbursement

Professional fees reimbursement

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Referral bonus

Job summary

BizFirst LLC is recruiting a Software Data Engineer (AI/ML, LLMs, RAG) for an enterprise SIGINT mission program. The role is onsite at Fort Meade, MD, with an active TS/SCI clearance and Full Scope Polygraph required. You will build AI-driven software and scalable AI/ML models for mission users.

You will design, develop, and deploy RAG solutions and LLMs, automate Linux workflows, and contribute to data structures and tooling for mission-critical systems.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with Full Scope Polygraph (FSP) required.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or Prompt Engineering and five (5) years of software engineering experience. Nine (9) years of software engineering experience may substitute for the degree.
• Experience developing software for AI-driven automation and efficiency gains.
• Experience designing, developing, and deploying scalable AI/ML models and tools.
• Experience with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
• Experience designing, fine-tuning, and deploying large language models (LLMs).
• Experience with open-source AI/ML frameworks and platforms, such as PyTorch or Hugging Face.
• Ability to analyze data structures and data objects.
• Proficiency with the Linux/Unix command line and scripting (Bash, shell, and/or Python).
• Ability to work onsite at Fort Meade, MD.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and enhance complex software systems based on AI-related requirements.
• Build software solutions that use AI to automate work and improve efficiency for mission users.
• Design, develop, and deploy scalable AI/ML models and tools tailored to the customer's operational needs.
• Build retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) solutions.
• Design, fine-tune, and deploy large language models (LLMs).
• Apply prompt engineering techniques to improve the quality and consistency of model output.
• Analyze data structures and data objects to support model and application design.
• Script and automate workflows on Linux using Bash, shell, or Python.

Skills

TS/SCI clearance

AI/ML software development

RAG integration

LLMs design & deployment

PyTorch & Hugging Face

Data structures analysis

Linux scripting (Bash/Python)

Onsite at Fort Meade

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering/CS/Prompt Engineering

5 years software engineering experience (9 years may substitute for degree)

Tools

PyTorch

Hugging Face

Job description

Software Data Engineer (AI/ML, LLMs, RAG), Intelligence Community Mission Program, Fort Meade, MD

Howard, United States | Posted on 09/16/2026

SoftwareData Engineer (AI/ML, LLMs, RAG), Intelligence Community Mission Program, FortMeade, MD

Summary:

• Job Title: Software Data Engineer, Level 3 (AI/ML,LLMs, RAG)
  
• Openings: 1
  
• Security Clearance: Active TS/SCI with Full ScopePolygraph (FSP) required.
  
• Work Type: Onsite at Fort George G. Meade, MD, in asecure government facility
  
• Job Type: Full-time
  
• Benefits: Our client provides full benefits.
• Program Name: Enterprise engineering program for SIGINTmission systems, covering cloud infrastructure, AI/ML software, and datadissemination process modernization
  
• Agency name: Intelligence Community (IC) customer, FortGeorge G. Meade, MD
  
• Start Date: Immediate, upon offer acceptance andclearance transfer
  

BizFirst is assisting our client with recruiting a skilled and experienced Software Data Engineer. This positionsupports the following program: an enterprise engineering program that supportssignals intelligence (SIGINT) mission systems through cloud infrastructure,AI/ML-driven software, and modernization of data dissemination processes for anIntelligence Community customer. The position is onsite at Fort Meade, MD, andthe role is open now for an immediate start.

Our client is a Service-DisabledVeteran-Owned Small Business that has supported U.S. defense and intelligencemissions since 2012. Its systems, software, and data science engineers workside by side with government teams to model, design, integrate, and deploycomplex mission systems, and the company also builds rugged RF hardware forspecialized SIGINT applications. Led by a U.S. Navy veteran with more than 30years of DoD mission experience, the company supports programs alongside manyof the largest national security integrators and has a long-establishedpresence in Maryland near Fort Meade.

What will you do

Build AI-driven software thatmakes mission teams faster and more effective. You will design, develop, anddeploy scalable AI/ML models and tools tailored to the customer's operationalneeds, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) solutions and largelanguage models (LLMs) that you design, fine-tune, and deploy. You will developand enhance software systems based on AI-related requirements, analyze datastructures and data objects, and apply prompt engineering to get reliableresults. This role suits a software engineer who has delivered real LLM and RAGwork and wants to apply it to mission problems.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, maintain, and enhance complex software systemsbased on AI-related requirements.
  
• Build software solutions that use AI to automate workand improve efficiency for mission users.
  
• Design, develop, and deploy scalable AI/ML models andtools tailored to the customer's operational needs.
  
• Build retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) solutions.
  
• Design, fine-tune, and deploy large language models(LLMs).
  
• Apply prompt engineering techniques to improve thequality and consistency of model output.
  
• Analyze data structures and data objects to supportmodel and application design.
  
• Script and automate workflows on Linux using Bash,shell, or Python.
  

Requirements:

• Active TS/SCI clearance with Full Scope Polygraph.
  
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, ComputerScience, or Prompt Engineering and five (5) years of software engineeringexperience. Nine (9) years of software engineering experience may substitutefor the degree.
  
• Experience developing software for AI-driven automationand efficiency gains.
  
• Experience designing, developing, and deployingscalable AI/ML models and tools.
  
• Experience with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
  
• Experience designing, fine-tuning, and deploying largelanguage models (LLMs).
  
• Experience with open-source AI/ML frameworks andplatforms, such as PyTorch or Hugging Face.
  
• Ability to analyze data structures and data objects.
  
• Proficiency with the Linux/Unix command line andscripting (Bash, shell, and/or Python).
  
• Ability to work onsite at Fort Meade, MD.
  

Desired Skills

• Experience with vector databases and embeddingpipelines.
  
• Experience deploying models in on-premises orair-gapped environments.
  
• Experience working with Intelligence Community or DoDmission data.
  

Benefits (provided by our client):

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for the employeeand family, 100% employer-paid (HMO HSA Silver plan), plus a Health SavingsAccount
  
• Five weeks (200 hours) of paid leave per year
  
• Eleven (11) paid federal holidays per year
  
• 401k with an employer contribution equal to 10% ofsalary
  
• Reimbursement for approved training, up to three days(24 hours) per year, including books and related conference or class travel
  
• Reimbursement of professional fees, such as IEEEmembership and licenses
  
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
  
• Term life insurance equal to annual salary, up to $100K
  
• Referral matching bonus program
  

BizFirst LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran disability or genetic information or any other reason prohibited by law in employment.