Software Engineer 1 - (Python, Kubernetes, AWS)

Akina, Inc.; Maryland; On-site; USD 169,000 - 207,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO 24 days

11 federal holidays

401k 10% company match

Healthcare coverage for employees

Educational assistance

Job summary

Akina, Inc. is seeking a Software Engineer 1 in Annapolis Junction, MD to join our AI infrastructure team. You’ll build and maintain the baseline for customer AI capabilities, ensuring access to high-quality LLMs across the inference stack.

You’ll work with Python, Kubernetes, and AWS, collaborating with model vendors and internal teams to deliver reliable, scalable services while adapting to evolving mission needs and new technologies.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science or related field.
• Three years SWE experience in similar scope (SWE1 level) is expected.
• Experience with Python and modern programming languages; familiarity with CI/CD workflows.

Responsibilities

• Procure, configure, and test inference models for release.
• Develop in-house services to ensure high-quality inference.
• Create reliable pipelines with model vendors for closed-source usage.
• Collaborate to support surge needs and integrate LLM-powered tools.

Skills

Python

CI/CD

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Tools

Kubernetes

AWS

Argo CD

Docker

Helm

Job description

Software Engineer 1 - (Python, Kubernetes, AWS)

• Annapolis Junction, Maryland

Software Engineer 1 - (Python, Kubernetes, AWS)

Clearance: TS/SCI - Polygraph required
Position ID: 20-24-033-SWE1
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 ensuring access to the highest available quality LLMs to users throughout the inference software stack. Requirements shift quickly as mission needs evolve and new technologies emerge, so you'll keep sharpening your skills and learning to turn loosely defined problems into working solutions.

• Procure, configure, and test new inference models, preparing them for release to our user base.
• Develop in-house services and techniques to guarantee continual high-quality inference service for our customer.
• Work with model vendor teams and representatives to create reliable pipelines for closed-source model usage.
• Collaborate with teammates on surge efforts to support short-term, high-priority inference needs from our customer.
• Engage with other teams in our organization to establish solid infrastructure for our services and integrate LLM-powered tools for user needs.

Position Required Skills:

• Experience with Python and/or other modern programming languages.
• Familiarity with Argo CD and/or other CI/CD frameworks.
• Experience with Kubernetes/Helm.
• Familiarity with AWS or other cloud service providers.
• Ability to learn new technologies quickly.
• Strong communication skills and willingness to ask questions.

Nice to Haves

• Experience with vLLM, LiteLLM, or similar inference-serving frameworks.
• Experience with other LLM hosting frameworks and practices.
• Experience supporting production software using Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) best practices.
• Experience with Elastic, Grafana/Prometheus, or other observability frameworks and practices.
• Experience with Docker and containerization.
• Experience in traffic shaping and quality-of-service engineering.
• Knowledge of and interest in hosting AI capabilities.

SWE1 Qualifications:

A minimum of three (3) 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: $169k-$207k (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.