Lead AI Engineer/Architect

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Position Summary

Precise Software Solutions Inc. is seeking a Lead AI Engineer / Architect to serve as a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer and enterprise-wide technical authority for the Government's Enterprise AI Solution Delivery and Support Services program. You will set the architecture, engineering standards, and Responsible AI and security practices used across the AI systems the team delivers, and stay hands-on in design, development, and troubleshooting.

You will lead a cross-functional, hands-on delivery team of AI engineers, developers, data engineers, UI/UX, and security specialists embedded directly with agency stakeholders; author the program's core architecture, governance, and compliance deliverables; and lead each AI system through the federal Authority to Operate (ATO) process.

Location: Washington, DC metro area (hybrid) 3 days a week on site in DC 

Citizenship: U.S. citizen or green card holder/EAD 

Background Investigation: Eligible for public trust clearance- Government background investigation required  

Key Responsibilities 

Architecture and Technical Leadership

• Lead AI solution architecture, design, integration, deployment, and technical oversight for Generative AI, LLM, RAG, agentic, and AI-enabled automation capabilities, architecting agentic and multi-agent AI workflows and full-stack Model Context Protocol (MCP)-based components engineered to the Government’s AI agent security framework (OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications, NIST AI RMF), with appropriate autonomy limits and human oversight.
• Define engineering standards, reusable architecture patterns, and delivery approaches applied across all supported agencies; document major architecture decisions for Government approval (cloud AI platform design, data flows, integrations, encryption, access controls, fallback procedures, technical debt); and support multimodal AI with structured evaluation, security, and privacy controls consistent with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, providing hands-on leadership in development, integration, testing, deployment, troubleshooting, technical reviews, and release readiness.

Technology Governance

• Ensure every design uses only Government-furnished tools and environments or open, standards-based technologies, and prepare Model/Service Approval Requests before any model or AI service is integrated, including version, hosting approach, FedRAMP status, benchmarks, limitations, and data handling.

Security and Authority to Operate

• Lead the ATO effort under the NIST Risk Management Framework (SP 800-37), including security boundaries, FISMA Moderate categorization, ATO documentation, submitting ATO packages before production deployment and maintaining a current ATO or Interim ATO; and oversee AI-specific security within the AI agent security framework (prompt-injection, jailbreak, and data-poisoning defenses, red teaming, Zero Trust architecture) and the AI Incident Response Plan.

AI Operations, Data, and Responsible AI

• Oversee AI data architecture, model evaluation, MLOps, and operational readiness, including continuous monitoring for drift, retrieval quality, and security/compliance telemetry; lead Responsible AI activities (RAIAs, model cards, bias and fairness reviews, explainability documentation, human-in-the-loop controls) and quarterly AI governance reviews with customer stakeholders; and serve as a Tier 3 escalation resource for production issues, including after-hours escalation of critical incidents.

Deliverables You Will Own

• Task Order Management Plan; AI System Architecture Design Documents; AI Governance & Responsible AI Reports; RAIA packages; AI Incident Response Plan; and weekly AI efficiency and cost-savings metrics.

Leadership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Mentor engineers, oversee code and prompt reviews, and personally review AI-generated code before deployment, while advising Government leaders on AI use-case feasibility, roadmaps, emerging technologies, and value measurement, and briefing technical decisions to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Systems, or a related discipline and 7+ years of relevant experience, including 7+ years of hands-on AI/ML engineering, enterprise architecture, cloud engineering, data engineering, or software engineering with direct technical delivery of AI-enabled systems.
• 2+ years of hands-on experience with Generative AI, LLM integration, RAG, model evaluation, agentic AI, or production AI systems.
• Demonstrated experience architecting and delivering secure enterprise or federal AI solutions, including AI system architecture, cloud AI platforms, APIs, data pipelines, MCP, vector databases, AI orchestration, model evaluation, and MLOps practices.
• Experience designing AI solutions in FedRAMP-authorized environments under a Zero Trust security architecture, with AI-specific security and adversarial testing experience (prompt injection, jailbreak, data-poisoning testing, red teaming).
• Knowledge of Responsible AI, AI governance, privacy, and federal compliance requirements, and experience delivering technology that conforms to Section 508 / WCAG 2.1 A and AA.
• Experience leading technical teams and advising Government or enterprise stakeholders.
• At least one current Generative AI or Machine Learning certification, Microsoft Azure AI, AWS Generative AI/ML, Google Cloud, Databricks Generative AI Engineer, Snowflake SnowPro, NVIDIA Generative AI, or Certified Artificial Intelligence Practitioner (CAIP), or an equivalent, consistent with Government’s certification requirement.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder), reside in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and be able to work on-site at Government offices, and be able to obtain and maintain a Government background investigation.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Multiple cloud architecture certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Google Cloud Professional Architect) and Kubernetes (CKA), with experience across multiple cloud AI platforms — Amazon Bedrock and SageMaker, Azure AI Foundry, Google Vertex AI — plus broader AWS Cloud AI development services and open-weight model serving (vLLM, TGI); Government’s current environment spans all three major clouds.
• Familiarity with the NIST AI RMF, OMB M-25-21 and M-25-22, OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications, and MITRE ATLAS, plus experience with CMMI or ISO-based quality processes and Agile program delivery.
• An active federal background investigation.

ABOUT US

Precise Software Solutions, Inc. is a mission-focused technology services company delivering secure digital platforms, infrastructure, and operational IT services to government organizations. A CMMI Level 3–appraised company, Precise partners with agency technology leaders and solution providers to design, build, operate, and modernize enterprise IT solutions that support critical public missions combining agility, innovation, and performance to deliver measurable results. 

Precise specializes in cloud and hybrid infrastructure, platform engineering, security operations and compliance, application modernization, and data platforms and analytics. The company is known for its agile, delivery-driven approach and innovative engineering practices, applying operational rigor and performance-focused execution to improve system resilience, security, and scalability across complex government environments.

BENEFITS AND PERKS

• Comprehensive Health Benefits (Medical, Dental and Vision) 
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) & Health Savings Account (HSA) 
• Retirement Plan with 4% match and discretionary match at year end
• Paid Time Off (PTO): 15 days of PTO accrued per year; 7 holidays+ 3 Floating holidays; 2 Innovation days (paid training days)
• Short Term and Long-Term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave 
• Paid Jury Duty leave 
• Life and AD&D Insurance 
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Training and Development 
• Wellness Incentives & Discount programs
• Employee Referral Program 
• Annual Charity Donation Match 
• Awards and Recognition

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Precise Software Solutions is committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or other legally protected status.

We are an inclusive organization and actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential. We expect every member of the Precise community to do their part to cultivate and maintain an environment where everyone has the opportunity to feel included and is afforded the respect and dignity they deserve.