AI Engineer/Senior AI Engineer

Center for a New American Security•Washington, DC

1d•$125,000 - $215,000•Onsite

About The Position

The AI Engineer / Senior AI Engineer will join the Center for a New American Security’s AI Policy Lab as an early team member and help shape the lab’s work. This hands-on technical role embeds with CNAS researchers and business teams to design, build, deploy, and maintain custom software, applications, AI agent workflows, and data pipelines that support research and analysis on AI policy, national security, and AI-related economic competition. The engineer will prototype tools, refine them based on staff use, and scale effective solutions across the Center. The role also includes automating business functions, training colleagues, tracking emerging AI capabilities, and ensuring tools meet CNAS standards for quality, security, and responsible AI use. It is not a research position and offers significant autonomy. The position is full-time and in person in Washington, D.C., with occasional travel to the San Francisco Bay Area and other locations potentially required. It is a two-year, term-limited appointment. The role reports to the Vice President of Strategy and Communications. Title and compensation are commensurate with experience; candidates may start as soon as available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Experience using AI coding tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, or Cursor, with the ability to explain, test, debug, and take responsibility for the resulting code.
Strong programming skills, such as Python or JavaScript/TypeScript, including work with APIs and software integration.
Full-stack engineering experience building and deploying custom software, agent workflows, or data pipelines with AI coding tools.
Ability to explain technical concepts clearly and train non-technical colleagues.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects and shifting priorities.
Legal right to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Five or more years of professional software engineering experience.
Interest in AI policy, national security, or AI safety and security.
Experience with think tank, government, or academic research analysis and workflows.
Experience with data visualization and web development.

Responsibilities

Embed with CNAS researchers to build custom code, applications, and AI agent workflows that support research and analysis.
Rapidly prototype tools and refine them based on how colleagues use them.
Build agents and pipelines to gather, process, analyze, and visualize documents, transcripts, and datasets for CNAS research.
Build custom tools and software to automate business functions and accelerate productivity.
Train staff to use, adapt, and build on tools, and document best practices for advanced AI use.
Help researchers who are already proficient AI users extend their work with code, agents, and advanced AI capabilities.
Track new AI models, harnesses, systems, and capabilities and assess which are worth adopting.
Standardize AI-enabled workflows for recurring tasks such as baseline research, copy editing, citations, contact management, and data tracking.
Test, refine, document, and maintain AI tools for durable use.
Test AI-assisted outputs for accuracy, objectivity, and sourcing to meet CNAS quality standards for independent, fact-based research.
Ensure tools meet CNAS standards for data security and responsible AI use.