Senior Software Engineer - AI Infrastructure

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

About this Role

We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer to help build the next generation of AI infrastructure powering innovation across a cutting-edge customer organization. This is a senior full-stack role on an AI infrastructure team, and it's as much about technical leadership as it is about hands-on engineering. You'll lead the development and operation of critical AI platform components - including scalable inference services, retrieval augmented generation (RAG) systems, and autonomous agent frameworks - while also taking on project leadership and people care responsibilities for a small, integrated team.

This role sits at the intersection of deep engineering and organizational influence. You'll define technical direction, establish policies and governance frameworks where gaps exist, drive adoption of new technologies, and keep stakeholders across multiple organizational levels aligned and informed. If you thrive in environments where ambiguity is the norm and you enjoy building structure where none exists, this one's for you.

In this role, you will:

• Design, implement, and optimize infrastructure for AI model inference at scale
• Lead the development and maintenance of production AI services and applications, including RAG pipelines, autonomous agents, and emerging technologies
• Serve as technical lead for AI infrastructure initiatives, coordinating work across integrated teams
• Conduct regular one-on-ones and provide coaching, feedback, and support for assigned team members
• Act as the team point of contact for contract administration functions
• Navigate ambiguity and define solutions for complex, underspecified systems and requirements
• Establish new technical policies, standards, and governance frameworks where gaps exist
• Drive adoption of new technologies and engineering practices across teams
• Implement and oversee monitoring, logging, and observability solutions for AI services
• Ensure high availability, reliability, performance, and security of AI platform components
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders at multiple organizational levels

Requirements

• 12 years of experience in software engineering, or 16 years in lieu of a B.S. in a technical discipline
• B.S. in a technical discipline (or 4 additional years of experience in place of a degree)
• 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 (APM, OpenTelemetry, Grafana, 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
• Ability to balance hands-on engineering with leadership and coordination responsibilities
• Active TS//SCI clearance with polygraph
• Position is located in Laurel, MD

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
• Track record of successfully driving technical and cultural change within 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.