Federal AI Solutions Engineer (Entry Level)

A-TEK Inc. • McLean, VA

1d • $85,000 - $105,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

A-TEK is seeking an early-career Federal AI Solutions Engineer to support the design, development, and deployment of mission-focused AI and cloud solutions across AWS and Azure environments. This role is ideal for recent graduates with a strong academic foundation in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, software engineering, and cloud technologies who are eager to apply their skills to real-world federal mission challenges. The engineer will work alongside senior architects and engineers to develop AI-enabled applications, cloud-native solutions, automation workflows, and rapid prototypes that support A-TEK's DigitalShift innovation initiatives. This is a hybrid role based in McLean, VA. No visa sponsorship is available for this role. This role requires the ability to obtain and retain a public trust level security clearance.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science with a concentration, specialization, minor, or significant coursework in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a closely related field.
• 0–2 years of professional software engineering, AI/ML, or cloud development experience. Relevant internships, research projects, capstone projects, graduate assistantships, or co-op experience may be substituted for professional experience.
• Demonstrated programming experience in Python through coursework, projects, internships, or employment.
• Foundational understanding of machine learning, generative AI, and large language models.
• Experience using cloud platforms (AWS or Azure) through coursework, internships, certifications, or projects.
• Familiarity with REST APIs.
• Familiarity with Git version control.
• Familiarity with containerization concepts.
• Familiarity with data pipelines and databases.
• Understanding of prompt engineering, RAG concepts, or AI agents through academic or personal projects.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to obtain and retain a public trust level security clearance.

Nice To Haves

• AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner or AWS Solutions Architect Associate (preferred within the first year of employment).
• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) or Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900) (preferred within the first year of employment).
• Academic or project experience with LangChain.
• Academic or project experience with LlamaIndex.
• Academic or project experience with Semantic Kernel.
• Academic or project experience with CrewAI.
• Exposure to vector databases such as Pinecone, Weaviate, FAISS, or Milvus.
• Experience building AI, machine learning, or cloud-based capstone projects.
• Familiarity with DevOps, MLOps, or CI/CD concepts.
• Interest in federal government missions and emerging AI technologies.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the design, development, and deployment of AI-powered applications and prototypes using AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, and frameworks like LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, CrewAI.
• Develop and test prompt engineering strategies, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) workflows, and AI agent capabilities.
• Support integration of AI solutions with APIs, enterprise systems, and cloud services.
• Build and maintain cloud-based environments in AWS and Azure.
• Assist with infrastructure deployment using Infrastructure-as-Code tools such as Terraform, AWS CDK, or Bicep.
• Support containerized deployments using ECS, EKS, or AKS.
• Participate in CI/CD implementation and cloud automation efforts.
• Support senior engineers in troubleshooting cloud, AI, and data integration challenges.
• Assist in developing reusable templates, accelerators, and reference architectures.
• Participate in rapid prototyping efforts that demonstrate mission value for federal customers.
• Collaborate with Cloud, Cybersecurity, Data Intelligence, and Agile Engineering teams.
• Contribute to technical documentation, architecture diagrams, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Stay current with emerging AI, machine learning, and cloud technologies.
• Support implementation of solutions that align with NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF), FedRAMP requirements, Zero Trust principles, and secure coding and responsible AI practices.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) with Employer Match
• Paid Time Off and Federal Holidays
• Professional Development and Certification Reimbursement
• Career Growth and Mentorship Opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level