AI Systems Architect Security Clearance

Position: AI Systems Architect with Security Clearance
Hey! Bitwise is a leading provider of mission-focused intelligence solutions that advance national security for the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. We're a small and growing company, so you can expect to hop in on the ground floor with us and be a consequential member of the team. You'll be more than a contract performer for us - you'll also be asked for ideas to improve our company and improve your career, and you'll contribute to our team culture.

We value growth and community above almost all else, so we gather regularly for game nights, happy hours, tech talks, and plenty more. We think you'll like it here! Remember, Bitwise is not a cult. What We Look For Bitwise hires talented engineers who are driven by purpose and who value a culture of technical excellence, growth, and overall wellness.

We deliver new and innovative intelligence solutions to our customers at the very forefront of our country's national security missions. And we do it every single day. Our work matters, and so will you. We ask that every new hire be able to:
* Contribute meaningful thought leadership - if not right away, over time
* Interact with our customers and earn their confidence in your abilities
* Be detailed, even if that means taking a little more time to get it right
* Contribute their ideas and ideals to improve all aspects of our company
* Allow us to invest in their education so we both grow together
* Know and live our core values every single day About this Role As an AI Systems Architect, you will design and operationalize production-grade AI systems that support mission-critical workflows. You will help shape how AI capabilities are integrated into secure environments, ensuring solutions are scalable, reliable, and aligned with real-world operational needs. This role goes beyond prototyping. You will architect full AI-enabled systems - from data ingestion and retrieval pipelines to model orchestration, API layers, observability, and failure handling.

You will collaborate closely with AI engineers, Dev Ops teams, software developers, and mission stakeholders to design systems that balance innovation with operational reliability. Depending on experience level, you may contribute as a technical lead, mentor other engineers, and help define AI engineering standards and best practices across programs. Responsibilities will include:
* Maintain an active TS/SCI with Polygraph. Candidates without a current clearance will not be considered.
* Architect and implement production-grade AI systems and services
* Design retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and agent-based architectures
* Develop scalable API layers for AI model access and orchestration
* Implement fault-tolerant patterns to handle model variability and service failures
* Design infrastructure patterns for secure AI deployment in mission environments
* Evaluate emerging AI technologies and assess operational viability
* Establish observability, logging, and monitoring standards for AI systems
* Guide technical decision-making across AI-enabled projects
* Collaborate with stakeholders to translate mission needs into scalable AI architectures
* Document architectural patterns, trade-offs, and reusable design components Requirements
* Active TS/SCI with Polygraph.
* Strong software engineering background with expertise in Python or similar languages
* Experience building and deploying AI-enabled systems in production environments
* Deep understanding of modern AI system architectures (RAG, agents, tool calling, orchestration patterns)
* Experience integrating multiple services, APIs, and data sources into cohesive systems
* Familiarity with distributed systems and reliability engineering principles
* Experience working in Linux-based environments
* Proficiency with Git-based workflows
* Ability to operate in technically ambiguous and rapidly evolving domains
* Don't quite meet these requirements? Peep our other prime positions Preferred Skills
* Experience designing AI systems for cybersecurity, intelligence, or high-security environments
* Experience integrating multiple AI providers or managing model routing strategies
* Familiarity with model serving infrastructure and scalable inference systems
* Experience building evaluation frameworks and observability for AI applications
* Knowledge of vector databases, embeddings, and semantic search
* Experience mentoring engineers or leading technical initiatives
* Familiarity with containerized and cloud-based deployments (Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, etc.)
* Experience supporting production CNO capabilities and operations
* Knowledge of end-to-end SIGINT collection and analysis systems
* Familiarity with Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence) Benefits at Bitwise
* Top salaries because we're top performers
* Pick your PTO - Everyone values time and money differently, so we give you the flexibility to choose between 3 and 5 weeks of PTO with a corresponding adjustment to your pay. Your choice, your balance.
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