AI/ML Engineer

Description

Markon is looking for an AI/ML Engineer to support a program in the Annapolis Junction, MD area.

Responsibilities

• Design and integrate LLM/agent orchestration workflows using agentic frameworks such as LangGraph, Agno, and the NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit.
• Tune model gateway routing logic to select, evaluate, and optimize across multiple frontier and open-weight models for cost, performance, and mission fit.
• Develop and integrate RAG pipelines, vector databases, and memory services to give agents access to mission knowledge and context.
• Implement MCP (Model Context Protocol)-based tool-broker integrations so agents can safely and securely access enterprise tools and data.
• Evaluate, benchmark, and tune models and agent behaviors; build automated evaluation pipelines to track quality, safety, and performance over time.
• Partner with data scientists and mission analysts to translate research and prototypes into production-grade AI capabilities for the command.
• Implement AI governance guardrails — content/safety filters, policy enforcement, and approval gates — for agentic workflows, and document model/agent architectures and evaluation results for reuse.
• Research and evaluate emerging LLM, agent, and AI tooling to keep the command's AI capability current and adaptable.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related discipline, 4 additional years of experience may be substituted for a degree.

• 10+ years of experience in engineering related discipline

• Advanced proficiency in Python for AI/ML application development

• Demonstrated experience building or integrating LLM/agent-based systems in production

• Experience with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vector databases, and prompt/context engineering

• Ability to manage competing priorities in fast-paced mission environments and identify/escalate operational risks early

Desired Qualifications

• Master's degree and 8+ years of relevant experience is desired

• Experience supporting DoD cyber operations, or related mission environments

• Experience with frameworks such as LangGraph, Agno, or the NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit

• Experience with model inference/serving platforms (NVIDIA NIM, vLLM, Ollama, LiteLLM)

• Experience with MCP (Model Context Protocol) or similar tool-broker/integration standards

• Experience with AI evaluation frameworks, model benchmarking, and observability (logs/metrics/traces) for AI workload

• Experience supporting DoD AI/cyber mission environments

Salary Range

USD $120,000.00 - USD $200,000.00 /Yr.

The Markon pay range for this position is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
Overview

Eager to join a team where your skills are valued, your growth is nurtured, and your impact is profound? Look no further than Markon, a premier consulting firm deeply dedicated to advancing our nation's most critical missions.

At Markon, we don't just offer jobs – we offer opportunities for personal and professional transformation. Empowering our employees to lead, innovate, and excel, we foster an environment where new ideas are not just welcomed but celebrated. As a perennial Washington Post Top Workplace, we prioritize the well-being and success of our team members, ensuring they can bring their best selves to work.

Headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, Markon has garnered national recognition for our unwavering dedication to excellence in serving the intelligence community, as well as federal civilian and defense agencies. Our growing reach extends across 17 states, 116 countries, and 5 continents, where our team of dynamic professionals collaborates to deliver unparalleled program and project management services.

Markon values people and the tremendous impact each individual can make – which is why we’re consistently recognized as one of the best places to work in federal government consulting. Here, you can help solve the nation’s most important challenges, surrounded by colleagues who help you grow, advance, and succeed. We are deeply dedicated to what matters – bringing out the best in each other to advance our clients’ missions.

Join us and make a meaningful impact.

Markon is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status. This job posting will remain open until the position is filled.

Benefits Offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Training and Tuition Assistance, Paid Time Off, and Holidays.