Software Engineer (SWE), Level 3

Bitwise; Maryland; On-site; USD 282,000 - 332,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top salaries

PTO 3–5 weeks

11 federal holidays

2 snow days

401(k) match 24%

Employer-paid health benefits

Education assistance $5,250

Job summary

Bitwise seeks a Software Engineer to own the platform layer delivering AI/ML capabilities for national security missions. You’ll focus on DevOps, platform engineering, and automation to build reliable on-prem infrastructure and deployment pipelines.

Responsibilities include deploying containerized services, implementing observability, and enabling high availability and performance in collaboration with data scientists and sysadmins.

Qualifications

• 12 years of software engineering experience or a B.S. plus 8 years in technical roles
• Experience deploying and managing services in on-premises infrastructure
• Production experience with Docker and Kubernetes
• Hands-on with Prometheus, Grafana, or equivalent
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and GitOps
• Proficiency with Git, Jira, Confluence
• Experience with model serving technologies (vLLM, TorchServe, TF Serving, Triton)
• Knowledge of AI infra tools (LiteLLM, Bifrost, Ray, Ollama)
• Experience with Istio or Linkerd or advanced Kubernetes patterns
• Awareness of AI/ML landscape and SIGINT topics
• Experience with production CNO capabilities

Responsibilities

• Own the platform layer providing AI/ML capabilities for mission systems
• Focus on DevOps, platform engineering, and automation
• Build reliable, scalable infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines
• Deploy and manage containerized services in on-prem environments
• Design infrastructure to ensure high availability and performance
• Translate operational requirements into platform engineering solutions

Skills

Years of experience

On-prem deployment

Docker & Kubernetes

Observability tools

CI/CD pipelines

Git version control

Jira & Confluence

Model serving tech

AI infrastructure tools

Service mesh (Istio/Linkerd)

Kubernetes patterns

SIGINT knowledge

CNO operations

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Prometheus

Grafana

Git

Jira

Confluence

vLLM

TorchServe

TensorFlow Serving

Triton

LiteLLM

Bifrost

Ray

Ollama

Istio

Linkerd

Job description

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 Software Engineer to join our team and take ownership of the platform layer that delivers AI/ML capabilities to our mission. Your focus will be on DevOps, platform engineering, and infrastructure automation — building the reliable, scalable infrastructure and deployment pipelines that keep our most critical services running without interruption.

You will deploy and manage containerized AI/ML services in on-premises environments, implement comprehensive observability and monitoring solutions that track system health and usage patterns, and build CI/CD pipelines that enable rapid, resilient delivery of AI technologies. Working collaboratively with data scientists and system administrators, you'll design infrastructure patterns that ensure high availability and performance while translating operational requirements into platform engineering solutions. Your work will be infrastructure-as-code, containerization, and orchestration — not application development — and it will matter deeply to the mission.

Requirements

• 12 years of experience in software engineering, OR a B.S. in a technical discipline plus 8 years of experience
• Experience deploying and managing services in on-premises infrastructure environments
• Production experience with service containerization and orchestration using Docker and Kubernetes
• Hands-on experience with observability and monitoring tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or equivalent platforms
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and GitOps workflows
• Proficiency with version control systems (git)
• Working knowledge of Atlassian Tools (Jira, Confluence)
• Experience with model serving technologies (vLLM, TorchServe, TensorFlow Serving, Triton Inference Server)
• Knowledge of AI infrastructure tools and frameworks (LiteLLM, Bifrost, Ray, Ollama)
• Experience with service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd) or advanced Kubernetes patterns
• Awareness of the current AI/ML landscape, including emerging models, capabilities, and their applicability to different use cases
• Knowledge of end-to‑end SIGINT collection and analysis systems
• Experience with production CNO capabilities and operations

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.