RAG Application Engineer

Booz Allen Hamilton • Annapolis Junction, MD

1h • $69,400 - $158,000

About The Position

As a RAG Application Engineer, you will build the application layer for Retrieval-Augmented Generation systems, implementing end-to-end query workflows that integrate search, models, and metadata. This includes embedding generation, hybrid retrieval, reranking, citation assembly, and request-level guardrails so analysts can access grounded, high-quality responses at scale.

You will design and maintain RAG runtime logic in a secure, cloud-based environment. Your work includes developing API endpoints, managing model integrations, enforcing authentication and authorization controls, and implementing robust retry, timeout, and error-handling strategies. You will containerize services and work with Cloud, Security, Data, and Site Reliability Engineering teammates to make the runtime stable, secure, observable, and ready for mission use.

Requirements

• Experience building back-end or platform services using programming languages such as Python or Java.
• Experience designing or integrating RAG workflows, including embeddings, hybrid retrieval, vector search, and reranking.
• Experience implementing API request pipelines, orchestration logic, and service routing for AI model and search calls.
• Experience enforcing authentication and authorization within service logic.
• Experience developing resilient services with retry, backoff, timeout, and error-handling strategies.
• Experience collaborating with data, search, cloud, and security engineers to optimize retrieval behavior.
• Experience containerizing applications using Docker and deploying to ECS, EKS, or Kubernetes.
• Experience building telemetry, including structured logs, metrics, and traces.
• Ability to translate RAG requirements into clean, maintainable application logic.
• TS/SCI clearance is required.
• High school diploma or GED.

Nice To Haves

• Experience integrating Amazon Bedrock model inference into application workflows.
• Experience implementing hybrid retrieval with OpenSearch, including BM25 and vector search.
• Experience developing citation assembly logic, grounding validation, or model guardrails.
• Experience designing API gateways, rate limiting, caching, or other high-availability patterns.
• Experience working with message queues or asynchronous workflows, including Kafka or Amazon SQS.
• Experience contributing to evaluation data pipelines or partnering with evaluation scientists.
• Experience using infrastructure-as-code frameworks such as Terraform, CloudFormation, or AWS CDK.
• Ability to collaborate across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Build application-layer runtime logic for RAG systems.
• Implement end-to-end query workflows, including embedding generation, hybrid retrieval, reranking, citation assembly, and request-level guardrails.
• Develop API endpoints and manage model integrations.
• Enforce authentication and authorization controls within service logic.
• Implement retry, backoff, timeout, and error-handling strategies.
• Containerize services and help ensure the RAG runtime is stable, secure, and observable.
• Collaborate with Cloud, Security, Data, Site Reliability Engineering, and other engineering teammates to optimize retrieval behavior.

Benefits

• Health, life, disability, financial, and retirement benefits.
• Paid leave.
• Professional development.
• Tuition assistance.
• Work-life programs.
• Dependent care.
• Recognition awards program for exceptional performance and demonstration of company values.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: High school or GED