Software Engineer - AI Enabled Vulnerability Research

Visionist•Columbia, MD

About The Position

Visionist is hiring a Software Engineer for a fully funded opportunity on its largest prime contract. The role supports computer network exploitation (CNE) and vulnerability research (VR) through AI-enabled software and research tools. The program includes software services across systems design and engineering, database administration, data science and knowledge management, enterprise risk management, integration and test, and operations and systems support. The work involves close collaboration with analysts, users, policy makers, and mission leadership in a service-oriented environment. The engineer will lead complex software features and subsystems from requirements and design through deployment and sustainment. The position combines agentic AI and LLM application development with vulnerability research methods, including sandbox-based dynamic analysis, debugging, instrumentation, fuzzing, and crash analysis. It also involves building backend services, APIs, data pipelines, interfaces, and repeatable evaluations of research results. An active Top Secret (TS/SCI) clearance with polygraph is required. U.S. citizenship is required; green card holders and permanent residents are not eligible. Selected applicants must obtain and maintain a government security clearance.

Requirements

Active Top Secret (TS/SCI) clearance with polygraph.
U.S. citizenship; green card holders and permanent residents are not eligible.
Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline, or an additional four years of experience as a substitute.
12 years of experience in Software Engineering.
Experience independently designing, developing, testing, and delivering complex software systems.
Proficiency in Python, including modular design, object-oriented programming, and automated testing.
Experience with AI-enabled CNE or vulnerability research and evaluating AI-generated findings.
Knowledge of reverse engineering, debugging, dynamic analysis, fuzzing, and crash triage techniques.
Experience with isolated execution environments, runtime instrumentation, execution tracing, and evidence collection.
Experience developing LLM applications or agentic systems with tool integration, structured outputs, state management, and evaluation.
Experience developing backend services and REST APIs using FastAPI, Flask, or Django, and relational databases such as PostgreSQL.
Experience with Linux systems, including processes, memory, and networking.
Experience with Git, automated testing, CI/CD, and code reviews.
Ability to translate complex requirements into technical solutions, communicate tradeoffs, and mentor engineers.
Ability to obtain and maintain a government security clearance.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain AI-enabled software and research tools supporting computer network exploitation and vulnerability research.
Lead development and delivery of complex software features and subsystems from requirements and design through deployment and sustainment.
Develop agentic AI harnesses to orchestrate research tools, manage execution state, collect evidence, and evaluate results.
Build sandbox-based dynamic analysis capabilities to observe software behavior and reproduce suspected vulnerabilities.
Integrate debugging, instrumentation, fuzzing, and crash analysis tools into automated research workflows.
Develop repeatable evaluations to assess finding validity, reproducibility, false-positive rates, and AI-assisted analysis effectiveness.
Develop backend services, REST APIs, data pipelines, and user interfaces to support research workflows and traceable results.
Troubleshoot complex issues across software, AI integrations, and execution environments to improve performance, reliability, and observability.
Lead design and code reviews, document technical decisions, mentor engineers, and communicate technical progress and risks to stakeholders.

Benefits

Annual merit increases and performance-based bonuses.
Four weeks of paid time off that is never use-or-lose.
12 paid holidays.
Comp time and overtime.
Flexible work hours.
80 hours of paid parental leave, with 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 $4,160 per year.
401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions.
Annual $600 lifestyle bonus for gyms or fitness, new technology, or an HSA.
Term life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability.
Regular social activities, including happy hours, baseball games, and activity clubs.