Software Engineer 1 - (Python, AI, Kafka)

Akina, Inc.; Columbia (MD); On-site; USD 164,000 - 198,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO 24 days

11 federal holidays

401k 10% employer contribution

Healthcare covered

Education assistance

Job summary

Akina, Inc. in Columbia, Maryland is seeking a Software Engineer 1 to build an agentic platform that integrates data sources and external APIs. You will collaborate with cyber analysts to translate operational challenges into scalable Python solutions and contribute to real-time analytics using Kafka and Elasticsearch.

YOE: 3 years, B.S. in a technical field, and a TS/SCI clearance are preferred. The role involves production-grade development, deploying in AWS with Kubernetes, and advancing

Qualifications

• Strong Python development experience.
• Experience building production applications serving thousands of users.
• Familiarity with AI concepts, prompts, and tool calls.
• Experience with streaming platforms and data pipelines.
• Ability to work with cyber analysts to translate needs into solutions.

Responsibilities

• Develop Python integrations using multiple AI models, APIs, and data sources in production.
• Build agentic workflows with frameworks such as PydanticAI, Langgraph, and DeepAgents.
• Collaborate with cyber analysts to translate operational needs into automation opportunities.
• Design real-time analytics pipelines in Python using Kafka and Elasticsearch.
• Maintain and troubleshoot a production-grade agentic platform.

Skills

Python proficiency

Production-grade apps

AI concepts

Stream processing

Code assistants

Education

BS in technical field

Tools

PydanticAI

Langgraph

DeepAgents

Kafka

Elasticsearch

Job description

Software Engineer 1 - (Python, Kafka, Elasticsearch)

• Columbia, Maryland

Software Engineer 1 - (Python, Kafka, Elasticsearch)

Clearance: TS/SCI - Polygraph required
Position ID: 20-16-019-SWE1
Location: Columbia, Maryland

Description:

We are seeking a Software Engineer to build and advance a cutting-edge agentic platform designed to power intelligent, autonomous workflows. In this role, you will integrate diverse data sources and external APIs with MCP tools to enable seamless, scalable system interoperability. You will collaborate closely with cyber analysts to translate operational challenges into effective technical solutions. The position involves hands on development with agentic primitives such as skills, prompts, and subagents to create adaptive and context-aware capabilities. This is an opportunity to work at the forefront of AI-driven systems, shaping how agents operate, learn, and deliver impact in complex environments.

• Develop agentic integrations with Python that leverage multiple AI models, APIs, and data sources in production.
• Build tools and agentic workflows within modern frameworks like PydanticAI, Langgraph, and DeepAgents.
• Work directly with key stakeholders and cyber analysts to understand operational workflows and identify high-impact automation opportunities.
• Design and implement real-time analytics pipelines in Python leveraging Apache Kafka for stream processing and Elasticsearch for indexing and querying.
• Maintain and troubleshoot a production grade agentic platform.

Position Required Skills:

• Software development experience with strong Python proficiency.
• Hands on experience building and maintaining production applications servicing hundreds to thousands of users.
• Understanding of AI development concepts, including prompt engineering, context management, structured outputs, and tool/function calling.
• Experience developing resilient, scalable stream processing applications using modern messaging and event-streaming platforms.
• Experience leveraging AI coding assistants for code generation, refactoring, debugging, and automation.

Nice to Haves

• Experience with agentic workflows and multi‑agent orchestration.
• Background in cybersecurity or understanding of security operations workflows.
• Managing deployments in AWS Cloud with Kubernetes.
• Experience with retrieval systems (RAG, vector databases, semantic search).
• Analyzing cyber security‑related data sets (network traffic, OS events).
• Knowledge of end‑to‑end SIGINT collection and analysis systems.
• Experience with production CNO capabilities and operations.

SWE1 Qualifications:

YOE Requirement: 3 yrs., B.S. in a technical discipline or 4 additional yrs. in place of B.S.

Salary Range: $163k-$199k (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.