Software Engineer

Visionist•Columbia, MD

About The Position

Visionist is hiring a Software Engineer for a fully funded opportunity on its largest prime contract. The position works with analysts, engineers, mission customers, operators, and government stakeholders to identify mission capability gaps and build specialized software tools. The program covers systems design and engineering, database administration, data science and knowledge management, enterprise risk management, integration and test, and operations and systems support. The role leads forward-deployed engagements and delivers AI-driven solutions from prototype through production. It involves architecting agentic AI systems in Python, integrating large language models and related tools with mission data and operational systems, and designing safeguards for autonomous agents. The engineer also develops evaluation approaches with users, assesses models and AI frameworks for mission use, and communicates technical findings, risks, and tradeoffs. Technical leadership includes mentoring engineers and leading design discussions. The position requires an active Top Secret/SCI clearance with polygraph, U.S. citizenship, and the ability to obtain or maintain a government security clearance. Visionist describes a supportive, collaborative culture with opportunities for internal growth and promotion.

Requirements

Active Top Secret/SCI clearance with polygraph.
U.S. citizenship; green card holders and permanent residents are not eligible.
Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline, or four additional years of experience in place of the degree.
12 or more years of experience in software development.
Advanced Python proficiency, including experience developing production services, APIs, and data pipelines.
Experience developing LLM applications or agentic systems using tool/function calling, structured outputs, context management, and multi-step workflows.
Experience working directly with end users or mission customers to translate operational challenges into delivered software solutions.
Experience designing tests, evaluations, or validation layers for AI or other non-deterministic systems.
Experience using AI coding assistants or agents such as Claude Code, Codex, or Copilot for code generation, refactoring, and debugging, including reviewing and validating generated code.
Technical leadership experience, including leading design decisions, serving as a technical lead, or mentoring engineers.
Experience with Git, CI/CD pipelines, Docker/Kubernetes, and Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

Lead forward-deployed engagements with mission customers, working with operators and analysts to identify opportunities for AI-driven automation and deliver solutions from prototype through production.
Architect and develop agentic AI systems in Python, integrating LLMs, MCP servers, Skills, subagents, mission data sources, and operational tools.
Design safeguards for autonomous agents, including scoped permissions, human approval gates, and audit logging.
Develop evaluation suites with mission users to measure AI accuracy, reliability, and failure modes and assess deployment readiness.
Evaluate frontier and open-weight models, frameworks, and AI design patterns for mission applications, and communicate findings and tradeoffs to technical and government leadership.
Use AI coding agents such as Claude Code and establish team standards for reviewing, testing, and validating AI-generated code.
Mentor engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and pairing, and lead technical design discussions.
Communicate project progress, technical risks, and tradeoffs to project leads and government stakeholders.

Benefits

Annual merit increases and performance-based bonuses.
Four weeks of paid time off that is not use-or-lose.
12 paid holidays.
Comp time and overtime.
Flexible work hours.
80 hours of paid parental leave and an additional $8,000 supplemental payment upon returning from maternity.
Medical, dental, and vision benefits for individuals and families.
Employees who waive medical benefits receive an additional $4,680 per year.
401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions.
Annual $600 lifestyle bonus for gyms/fitness, new technology, or an HSA.
Term life insurance.
Short-term disability insurance.
Long-term disability insurance.