Senior Applied AI Engineer - Software Engineering** An active TS//SCI clearance with polygraph is required for this role **
About this RoleWe're looking for a Senior Applied AI Engineer to join a fast-moving Tactical AI team building production-quality AI applications that accelerate mission workflows. This is not a research role - you'll be designing and shipping real software that puts large language models (LLMs), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and intelligent automation directly in the hands of analysts and operators working with complex mission data.
You'll work directly with mission customers to understand their operational challenges, rapidly prototype solutions, and shepherd successful capabilities all the way into production. The team values practical AI, rapid iteration, and tight customer collaboration over lengthy development cycles. If you're an experienced software engineer who wants to build scalable AI systems while having a real say in technical direction, this is the role for you.
As a Senior Applied AI Engineer, you will:
- Design, develop, and maintain production AI-enabled software applications using Python and modern software engineering practices
- Architect and implement LLM-powered workflows, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, and AI agent capabilities that solve real mission problems
- Develop backend services, APIs, and data pipelines that power AI-enabled applications
- Translate natural language user requests into deterministic analytical workflows through integration with mission data sources, databases, and search platforms
- Collaborate directly with mission stakeholders to understand operational workflows and rapidly prototype customer-focused solutions
- Integrate structured and unstructured data from multiple sources into scalable AI applications
- Evaluate emerging AI frameworks, models, and software engineering techniques for mission applicability
- Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical architecture, engineering standards, and software design across the team
Requirements- 12 years of relevant experience, with a B.S. in a technical discipline - or 16 years of experience in lieu of a degree
- Production software development experience using Python
- Experience designing and developing distributed or backend software systems
- Experience building AI-enabled applications using LLMs, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), AI agents, or similar technologies
- Experience developing REST APIs and integrating multiple data sources
- Experience working with SQL, Elasticsearch, or other data storage technologies
- Strong understanding of software architecture, object-oriented design, and software engineering best practices
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Experience collaborating directly with mission customers to understand requirements and deliver operational solutions
Preferred Skills- Experience with Model Context Protocol (MCP), PydanticAI, LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar AI frameworks
- Experience deploying applications using Docker, Kubernetes, or containerized environments
- Experience with React, TypeScript, Gradio, or modern web application development
- Experience designing agentic AI workflows or multi-step reasoning systems
- Experience supporting classified mission environments
- Experience leading software engineering teams or technical projects
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 ApplyingYou'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.
