Principal Software Engineer, AI Infrastructure and Platform Lead - Fully Cleared

Intelliforce-IT Solutions Group•Columbia, MD

21h•$199,000 - $262,000•Onsite

About The Position

At Intelliforce, we build mission-driven technology that directly supports national security outcomes. This role sits at the core of our AI, cloud, and software engineering competencies, helping shape the next generation of AI infrastructure used across critical customer missions. You will lead both technology and people, working within a trusted, high-performing organization known for technical depth, long-term program stability, and meaningful impact. Schedule and Work Details Location: Emerson Schedule: Full-time, standard mission hours Clearance: Active Top Secret Clearance with Full Scope Polygraph required Here’s What Your Day-to-Day Might Include You design, implement, and optimize large-scale infrastructure supporting AI model inference. You lead development and sustainment of production AI services, including retrieval augmented generation, autonomous agents, and emerging AI capabilities. You act as technical lead for AI infrastructure initiatives, coordinating work across integrated teams. You provide people care through one-on-ones, coaching, and performance feedback for a small team. You serve as the team point of contact for contract administration and coordination. You define solutions in ambiguous environments and establish technical standards, policies, and governance where gaps exist. You drive adoption of new technologies and engineering practices. You oversee monitoring, logging, and observability for AI services while ensuring availability, performance, reliability, and security. You communicate clearly with stakeholders across technical and leadership audiences. Technology Stack This role works across a modern AI platform stack including Python-based services, Kubernetes orchestration, AWS cloud infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure-as-code tooling, AI inference platforms, retrieval augmented generation systems, agent frameworks, observability tooling such as Grafana and Prometheus, and scalable distributed architectures. Why Intelliforce? Because you matter—your work, your growth, and your well-being. At Intelliforce, we don’t just push the boundaries of technology—we partner with some of the most mission-driven teams in defense and beyond to solve challenges that truly matter. As a Systems Engineer here, you won’t just contribute to projects—you’ll help shape outcomes that make a real-world impact. We also know that great work starts with a great environment. That’s why we invest in you: At Intelliforce, your career will flourish in a place where innovation thrives and people come first. Join us—and let’s build something meaningful together. You can reach us at [email protected] or schedule a call with our Director of Recruitment, just visit this link to view their calendar: https://calendly.com/amwolfe-intelliforce-itsg/30min . Equal Opportunity Matters Intelliforce-IT Solutions Group, LLC is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions. Need accommodations during the application process? We’re happy to help. Reach out to us at [email protected] with your specific request.

Requirements

Active Top Secret Clearance with Full Scope Polygraph required.
Must be a U.S. Citizen.
Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline is required. Four additional years of relevant experience may be substituted for the degree.
Twelve or more years of software engineering experience supporting large, complex systems of similar scope and mission impact.
Extensive experience designing, building, and operating large-scale production systems.
Deep expertise integrating systems across diverse platforms and technologies.
Hands-on AWS cloud engineering experience.
Advanced Kubernetes administration and deployment experience.
Strong Python development skills.
Proven experience implementing and scaling observability solutions using APM platforms, OpenTelemetry, Grafana, and Prometheus.
Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives, influence organizational change, and define technical governance.
Strong communication, stakeholder engagement, and leadership skills.
Ability to balance hands-on engineering with coordination and people leadership.

Nice To Haves

Experience with AI inference serving technologies such as vLLM or LiteLLM.
Prior experience with agentic frameworks such as LangChain.
Knowledge of vector databases and embedding systems.
Experience with high-performance computing or distributed systems.
Proven track record driving both technical and cultural change.

Responsibilities

You design, implement, and optimize large-scale infrastructure supporting AI model inference.
You lead development and sustainment of production AI services, including retrieval augmented generation, autonomous agents, and emerging AI capabilities.
You act as technical lead for AI infrastructure initiatives, coordinating work across integrated teams.
You provide people care through one-on-ones, coaching, and performance feedback for a small team.
You serve as the team point of contact for contract administration and coordination.
You define solutions in ambiguous environments and establish technical standards, policies, and governance where gaps exist.
You drive adoption of new technologies and engineering practices.
You oversee monitoring, logging, and observability for AI services while ensuring availability, performance, reliability, and security.
You communicate clearly with stakeholders across technical and leadership audiences.

Benefits

Ample PTO to rest and recharge—plus all federal holidays and your birthday off, just because.
Multiple medical plan options, including ones with zero deductible or premium for employees.
Generous 401(k) with immediate vesting—because your future matters now.
Exciting bonus opportunities, from profit sharing to quarterly awards and President’s Club recognition.
A culture of collaboration, connection, and fun, with regular team activities that go beyond the work.

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