AI Innovation Engineer

First seen Oct 24, 2026 · open on iCIMS as of Nov 8, 2026

$120,000–$180,000Mclean, VA

Build and demonstrate practical generative AI solutions for public-sector client missions, spanning education, prototyping, and integration with cloud platforms and delivery teams.

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At a glance

Posted base pay

$120K–$180KLevel with the median

Midpoint $150K · median $149K

Median $149K

This job$120K–$180KMid-level FDE postings106 postings · middle 50% of posted pay$123K–$162K

The work

Builds what the customer runs

Balance Mixed

Project stages

Pre-sales (not covered)
Proof of concept
Implementation (not covered)
Operations (not covered)

Coding: Prototypes and scripts
Builds for: External customers
Level: Mid
Role: Individual contributor

What they ask for

Experience

3+ yearssoftware engineering, data engineering, or applied AI/ML roles

Background

Software engineering
Implementation and data engineering

Do you meet what the posting states?

The posting asks for 3+ years. How many do you have?

The posting reads as a mid-level role. What level are you at now?

The job is in Mclean, VA. Could you work there?

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Conditions

Location: Mclean, VA
Pay: Pay details
Steampunk relies on several factors to determine salary, including but not limited to geographic location, contractual requirements, education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience. The projected compensation range for this position is $120,000 to $180,000. The estimate displayed represents a typical annual salary range for this position. Annual salary is just one aspect of Steampunk’s total compensation package for employees. Learn more about additional Steampunk benefits here.

What you’ll do

Design and implement AI prototypes and proofs of concept for mission use cases.
Develop client-specific AI education materials and lead enablement sessions.
Integrate prototypes with cloud platforms and use RAG frameworks to deliver demos.
Coordinate with data, platform, architecture, and cybersecurity teams to support adoption.

What you’ll bring

3+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, or applied AI/ML.
Bachelor’s or Master's degree in computer science, AI, ML, or a related field.
Hands-on experience with GenAI models, RAG frameworks, cloud AI services, and vector databases.
Strong Python skills for data pipelines, API wrappers, and lightweight demo front-ends.