Senior Software Engineer - AI Infrastructure

** An active TS//SCI clearance with polygraph is required for this role **

About this Role

This is a senior-level full-stack engineering role at the heart of a growing AI platform organization - and it's not just a coding job. You'll be building and operating the infrastructure that powers next-generation AI capabilities for a mission-critical customer, while also stepping into a technical leadership position that shapes how the team works and grows.

You'll lead development of production AI services - think retrieval augmented generation (RAG), autonomous agents, and scalable model inference - while also owning the reliability, observability, and security posture of the platform. You'll set technical direction, define policies and governance frameworks where none yet exist, and drive adoption of new technologies across engineering teams. When things are ambiguous (and they will be), you'll be the one who brings clarity.

On top of the technical work, you'll serve as a people lead for a small, integrated team - running one-on-ones, providing coaching and feedback, and acting as the point of contact for contract administration functions. You're the kind of engineer who can context-switch between a Kubernetes cluster and a career conversation, and you do both well.

This role is based in Laurel, MD.

Requirements

• 12 years of experience in software engineering, or a B.S. in a technical discipline plus 8 years of experience
• Extensive experience designing, building, and operating large-scale production systems
• Deep expertise in systems integration across diverse technologies and platforms
• Hands-on experience with cloud engineering in AWS
• Advanced proficiency with Kubernetes administration and deployment patterns
• Strong Python programming skills
• Experience implementing and scaling observability solutions, including APM, OpenTelemetry, Grafana, and Prometheus
• Proven ability to lead technical initiatives and influence organizational change
• Experience developing technical policies and governance frameworks
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills
• Demonstrated ability to balance hands-on engineering with leadership and coordination responsibilities
• Active TS//SCI clearance with polygraph

Preferred Skills

• Experience with AI inference serving technologies such as vLLM or LiteLLM
• Previous experience with agentic frameworks such as LangChain
• Knowledge of vector databases and embedding systems
• Experience with high-performance computing or distributed systems
• A track record of successfully driving technical and cultural change across engineering organizations

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.