Full-Time

Senior Applied AI Engineer

Software Engineering

Updated on 9/4/2026

Visionist

Visionist

51-200 employees

Engineering, software development and analytics services

Compensation Overview

$170k - $240k/yr

+ Retirement contribution + Supplemental payment + Lifestyle bonus + Performance-based bonuses

No H1B Sponsorship

Columbia, MD, USA

In Person

US Citizenship, US Top Secret Clearance Required

Bachelor's

Category
Software Engineering (1)
Required Skills
LLM
Malware Analysis
Python
Distributed Systems
Software Testing
Data Science
SQL
Data Engineering
RAG
Elasticsearch
REST APIs
Penetration Testing

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Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in a technical discipline; an additional four years of experience may substitute for the degree.
  • Twelve years of experience in software development.
  • Production software development experience using Python.
  • Experience designing and developing distributed or backend software systems.
  • Experience building AI-enabled applications using large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, AI agents, or similar technologies.
  • Experience developing Representational State Transfer application programming interfaces and integrating multiple data sources.
  • Experience working with Structured Query Language, Elasticsearch, or other data storage technologies.
  • Strong understanding of software architecture, object-oriented design, and software engineering best practices.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • Experience collaborating directly with mission customers to understand requirements and deliver operational solutions.
  • Ability to communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Active Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance with polygraph.
  • U.S. citizenship is required; green card holders and permanent residents are not eligible.
Responsibilities
  • Design, develop, and maintain production AI-enabled software applications using Python and modern software engineering practices.
  • Architect and implement large-language-model-powered workflows, retrieval-augmented generation pipelines, and AI agent capabilities that solve mission problems.
  • Develop backend services, application programming interfaces, and data pipelines supporting AI-enabled applications.
  • Translate natural language user requests into deterministic analytical workflows through integration with mission data sources, databases, and search platforms.
  • Collaborate directly with mission stakeholders to understand operational workflows and rapidly prototype customer-focused AI solutions.
  • Integrate structured and unstructured data from multiple sources into scalable AI applications.
  • Evaluate emerging AI frameworks, models, and software engineering techniques for mission applicability.
  • Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical architecture, engineering standards, and software design across the team.

Visionist provides engineering, software development and analytical services for mission-critical intelligence projects, forming cross-disciplinary teams to own project success. Its work includes integrating AI/ML into mission systems, embedding data scientists in analysis, UX and data-analysis apps, signal/cyber/exploitation analysis, and security testing and vulnerability assessment. It works on large prime contracts that offer growth and leadership opportunities while keeping a small-team feel. Visionist aims to foster long-term employee ownership through an ESOP and deliver meaningful, mission-focused outcomes for clients.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Columbia, South Carolina

Founded

2010

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Visionist opened a second Columbia office on June 16, 2026, showing headcount demand.
  • A September 1, 2026 DevOps role says the mission is fully funded.
  • Visionist won two contract extensions in November 2025, preserving work into 2028.

What critics are saying

  • Two prime contracts depend on extensions through 2027 and 2028.
  • Hiring requires U.S. citizenship and TS/SCI polygraph, shrinking the talent pool.
  • Loss of the single-award DoD contract would cripple revenue and threaten survival.

What makes Visionist unique

  • Visionist is 100% employee-owned and embeds small analyst-engineer teams in missions.
  • Its June 2026 expansion into a second Columbia building signals scale with retention.
  • A five-year, single-award $210M DoD contract anchors its cyber-mission operations niche.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Flexible Work Hours

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Leave

Paid Holidays

Hybrid Work Options

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Performance Bonus

Annual Lifestyle Bonus

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Ownership Plan

Company News

Visionist, Inc.
Apr 3rd, 2025
A Decade of Excellence: Visionist Named a Baltimore Sun Top Workplace for the 10th Consecutive Year

Visionist, Inc. is thrilled to announce that Visionist has been recognized as a Baltimore Sun Top Workplace for the 10th consecutive year!

Visionist, Inc.
Jan 10th, 2024
Visionist Celebrates 9 Consecutive Years as a Baltimore Sun Top Workplace

Visionist, Inc. is excited to announce that Visionist has once again been recognized as a Baltimore Sun Top Workplace for the 9th consecutive year!

Visionist, Inc.
Dec 19th, 2022
Visionist Named a 2022 Top Workplace by Baltimore Sun

Visionist, Inc. is thrilled to share that Visionist has been named a Baltimore Sun Top Workplace for the 8th consecutive year!