C

Chenega

Defense, intelligence, and federal staffing services

AI Engineer

Full-TimePosted on 10/27/2026Deadline 10/27/27
$105k - $120k/yr
Senior
Bachelor's
Atlanta, GA, USA
HybridHybrid; onsite work in Atlanta, GA. Candidates must currently be located in Atlanta, GA or Washington, DC.
Software EngineeringAI Application Engineering

About the job

Requirements
  • Must be currently located in Atlanta, Georgia or Washington, DC and able to work onsite when needed.
  • Must have at least 5 years of hands-on technical experience in software engineering, web application development, data engineering, data science, machine learning, or a related technical discipline.
  • Must have at least 1 year of hands-on experience building generative AI or agentic AI solutions, including LLM APIs, prompt engineering, tool or function calling, structured outputs, retrieval-augmented generation, agents, or similar techniques.
  • Must have experience developing applications with Python and working with APIs, backend services, data pipelines, and web application frameworks.
  • Must have experience with REST APIs, JSON-based interfaces, authentication mechanisms, and external service integrations.
  • Must have experience with at least one major cloud platform, such as Microsoft Azure or AWS, including deploying or integrating applications with cloud-hosted services.
  • Must have experience using modern software-development practices and collaboration tools, such as Git, GitHub, Jira, pull requests, code reviews, issue tracking, and Agile/Scrum delivery practices.
  • Must know LLM application fundamentals, including tokens, context windows, system and user prompts, model parameters, structured outputs, embeddings, retrieval, and techniques for guiding and evaluating model responses.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust or suitability determination, as required by the client or contract.
  • Must have a bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field.
Responsibilities
  • Define and deliver mission-critical AI-enabled web applications that address complex client challenges.
  • Apply generative AI techniques to design and build retrieval-based knowledge assistants, chatbot experiences, and agentic workflows integrating data processing, orchestration, and multi-agent components behind user interfaces.
  • Collaborate with enterprise and solutions architects, product owners, AI engineers, data engineers, and DevSecOps teams to deliver secure, scalable, and maintainable production solutions.
  • Build and enhance production generative AI applications and web-based AI solutions.
  • Develop AI applications using Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, and Foundry Agent Service.
  • Build retrieval-augmented generation systems, knowledge assistants, chatbots, and agentic workflows.
  • Implement agent and LLM workflows that use tools, structured outputs, guardrails, and human review where needed.
  • Integrate AI applications with APIs, enterprise data sources, databases, cloud services, and Model Context Protocol-based tools.
  • Develop secure, cloud-native application services and user interfaces using Python, web frameworks, containers, and Azure services.
  • Test, evaluate, and monitor AI applications to improve quality, reliability, latency, and cost.
  • Work with AI engineers, software engineers, architects, and DevSecOps teams to deliver maintainable production applications.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with containerized or cloud-native application development, including Docker, Azure Container Apps, Azure App Service, or similar services.
  • Experience with Model Context Protocol integrations and agent tool calling, including hands-on development of multi-agent systems.
  • Experience implementing LLM evaluation, tracing, monitoring, and observability capabilities.
  • Experience with CI/CD, automated testing, and cloud-based development and deployment practices for AI applications.
  • Experience working in government, healthcare, or other regulated environments.
  • Exposure to fine-tuning, hosting, or serving open-source LLMs and working with model-serving frameworks.
  • Knowledge of AI governance, responsible AI principles, and related security and risk-management practices.
  • Knowledge of AI agent frameworks such as Microsoft Agent Framework, LangGraph, PydanticAI, or similar tools.
  • Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional engineering environment and collaborate with software, AI/ML, data, cloud, and DevSecOps engineers.
  • Ability to clearly communicate technical problems, implementation decisions, and trade-offs to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

About the company

Chenega is a government services contractor that supplies staffing and support services for defense, intelligence, and federal civilian customers, plus commercial clients. It operates across the United States, its territories, and several countries, tapping wide opportunities in government contracting. Its offerings center on staffing and mission support through various contracts, delivering qualified personnel and services to meet client needs. Unlike many industry players, Chenega is rooted in an Alaska Native village corporation, which shapes its ownership and community-focused approach while competing in a broad national market. The company’s goal is to help government and commercial customers execute their missions by providing reliable, professional personnel and services under contract.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Anchorage, Alaska

Founded

1974

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Chenega Naswik won a $6.4 million FBI Academy security contract starting May 2026.
  • DHS gave Chenega Naswik a $78.6 million PSO task order in March 2026.
  • DARPA extended SecuriGence with a $121.5 million modification in June 2026.

What critics are saying

  • Chenega Global Protection faces Kalantari FLSA class action in Colorado since March 25, 2025.
  • Chenega Security and Support Solutions filed a WARN notice for 64 Alaska employees in 2026.
  • Chenega’s 8(a) edge weakens after July 2030, forcing tougher price competition across contracts.

What makes Chenega unique

  • Chenega wins recurring federal security work at FBI, DHS, IRS, and Army sites in 2026.
  • SecuriGence broadened Chenega MIOS into cybersecurity, software engineering, and cloud operations after 2024.
  • Chenega’s Alaska Native and 8(a) structure supports fast recompetes and sole-source federal access.

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Benefits

  • Wellness Program
  • Flexible Work Hours
  • Professional Development Budget

Company News

ExecutiveBiz
May 21st, 2026
Chenega subsidiary awarded contract for security services at FBI Academy.

Chenega subsidiary awarded contract for security services at FBI Academy. * Chenega Naswik International has received a $6.4 million contract to provide security services for the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia * CNI President David Pine said the award is a source of pride for the company and a key component of its law enforcement agency business line * The contract has a 5-year period of performance which begins this May Chenega Corporation subsidiary Chenega Naswik International will work to provide the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy in Quantico, Virginia, with security services 24/7 under a new, competitively awarded contract. What is the Scope of the FBI Academy Contract? Chenega told ExecutiveBiz on Wednesday that the security services required under the contract include access control, visitor screening and visitor badge processing. The contract has a performance period of 5 years and is worth $6.4 million. Work begins May 2026. Commenting on the award, CNI President David Pine said, "The Chenega team is proud to have been awarded this contract once again and continue its partnership with the FBI's Training Division." "Supporting the FBI Academy is an important component of Chenega's law enforcement agency business line which includes projects with the United States Secret Service James J. Rowley Training Center, DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and the NASA Protective Services Training Academy," Pine added. What other security services contracts has CNI secured in 2026? The contract with the FBI Academy is CNI's latest security services award from U.S. government customers this year. In late March, the Chenega subsidiary announced having secured an $8.5 million contract to continue its role of supporting force protection operations at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Humphreys Engineer Center in Alexandria, Virginia. CNI had delivered similar services since 2023, and with the contract, the company would continue providing support through September 2030. And in early March, CNI secured a five-year, $78.6 million task order from the Department of Homeland Security via its FPS Acquisition Division multiple award contract for protective security officer services. The award called for the provision of access control, patrol support and other armed security guard services at IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the IRS New Carrollton Center in Lanham, Maryland. Work on the contract is expected to start in June and run through May 2031.

GovCon Wire
Mar 13th, 2025
Anna Cometa Joins Chenega as Corporate Counsel

Anna Cometa joins Chenega as corporate counsel.

ExecutiveGov
Sep 26th, 2024
Chenega & CyberSheath Pass JVSA Validation With Perfect Score

Chenega Corporation has collaborated with CyberSheath to pass a Joint Surveillance Voluntary Assessment-or JSVA-validation with a perfect score of 110.

FOCUS Investment Banking
Jun 7th, 2024
Chenega Corp Acquires SecuriGence LLC

FOCUS Investment Banking announced that Chenega Corporation has acquired SecuriGence LLC. Chenega, an Alaska Native village corporation, supports defense, intelligence, and federal civilian customers. FOCUS has been a buyside advisor for Chenega, identifying quality companies for acquisition. SecuriGence, known for its exceptional service to the Defense and Intel communities, will enhance Chenega's MIOS division. Chenega's leadership praised SecuriGence's technical capabilities and cultural alignment.

FOCUS Investment Banking
Jun 7th, 2024
FOCUS Investment Banking Represents Chenega Corporation in its Acquisition of SecuriGence LLC

Washington, DC (June 7, 2024) – FOCUS Investment Banking (“FOCUS”), a […]