AI​/ML Software Engineer

Join to apply for the AI/ML Software Engineer role at FTI Defense - Frontier Technology Inc.

Frontier Technology Inc. (FTI) delivers mission-focused solutions to the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community through advanced engineering, digital transformation, and program execution expertise. We help our customers solve complex challenges by integrating people, process, and technology.

FTI is seeking a Software Engineer to design, build, and deploy secure, scalable software and data systems that support mission operations, analytics, and simulation environments. This role is for a hands-on engineer who loves writing code, building systems end-to-end, and solving real-world technical challenges in secure, distributed environments.

• Design and implement APIs, data pipelines, and simulation runtime logic that connect and enable mission applications.
• Develop software using modern programming languages such as Java, Python, C++, or Type Script/Angular.
• Write clean, testable, and maintainable code following secure coding and software engineering best practices.
• Build and integrate modular microservices to improve scalability, maintainability, and interoperability.
• Build and deploy containerized, cloud-native services using Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines (Git Lab, Jenkins, or equivalent).
• Implement Infrastructure-as-Code and automation scripts to accelerate deployment and configuration management.
• Contribute to secure deployments across hybrid or disconnected environments (IL4–IL6, AWS Gov Cloud, or on-prem).
• Develop distributed systems and data integration frameworks using message buses such as Kafka or Redis.
• Engineer data flow between analytic, AI, and simulation components to support real-time mission use cases.
• Collaborate with system engineers and architects to ensure interoperability across software ecosystems.
• Build and manage databases (Postgre
  
  SQL, Mongo
  
  DB, graph DBs) and model complex data relationships.
• Develop data services that feed analytics pipelines or integrate AI/ML outputs into runtime systems.
• Work with serialization and exchange formats such as JSON, Protobuf, GeoJSON, or KML.
• Write, test, and deploy software within secure or classified environments.
• Automate testing and monitoring to ensure performance, reliability, and repeatable deployments.
• Support the transition of prototypes to operational systems, focusing on maintainability and observability.

• Must be a U.S. citizen and be willing to obtain and maintain a security clearance, as needed.
• 4–6 years of professional software engineering experience.
• Strong full-stack or systems engineering background.
• Proficiency in one or more of the following:
  Java, Python, C++, or Type Script/Angular.
• Experience building containerized, cloud-native solutions using Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Understanding of distributed systems and message buses (Kafka, Redis, etc.).
• Exposure to Dev Sec Ops , Zero-Trust, or ATO/RMF processes in DoD environments.

• Experience developing or integrating analytics and AI models into production systems.
• Familiarity with databases such as Postgre
  
  SQL, Mongo
  
  DB, or graph databases.
• Experience deploying code in IL4–IL6 or edge/disconnected environments.
• Knowledge of Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, Cloud Formation, or CDK).
• Active Secret clearance (TS/SCI preferred).
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.

Chesapeake, VA

$87,100.00–$