AI Engineer Jobs in Washington, DC
AI Engineer jobs in Washington, District of Columbia are concentrated across federal agencies, defense contractors, and health tech firms, with demand centered in NoMa, Foggy Bottom, and the Capitol Riverfront. Employers hiring right now include SpaceX, Google, and OpenAI, with strong demand for machine learning, NLP, and AI safety specializations. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
Find AI Engineer JobsOverview
Open roles65
Top employerSpaceX
Work type46% Hybrid
Top credentialBachelor's degree
Companies hiring50
Showing 5 of 65+ AI Engineer jobs
AI Engineer IV
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Added 2d ago
Bates White Economic Consulting
AI Engineer IV
Washington, District of Columbia
Added 2d ago
Enterprise AI Systems Engineer
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Added 2d ago
JUUL Labs
Enterprise AI Systems Engineer
Washington, District of Columbia
Added 2d ago
AI/ML Engineer (Active Secret) — Applied AI & Automation
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Added 2d ago
Rackner
AI/ML Engineer (Active Secret) — Applied AI & Automation
Washington, District of Columbia
Added 2d ago
Artificial Intelligence Engineer
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Added 2d ago
Caladwich Consulting
Artificial Intelligence Engineer
Washington, District of Columbia
Added 2d ago
Site Reliability Engineer, AI Infrastructure (Starshield)
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Added 3d ago
SpaceX
Site Reliability Engineer, AI Infrastructure (Starshield)
Washington, District of Columbia
Added 3d ago
Added 2d ago
AI Engineer IV
Bates White Economic Consulting·Washington, District of Columbia
Job functions:
$160k - $190k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's degree in engineering
51-200 employees
Job Description
Firm overview
Bates White is a boutique consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Recognized as a top workplace, the firm provides advanced economic, financial, and econometric analysis to law firms, companies, and government agencies.
Through our supportive, collaborative, and collegial culture, we invest in our talent and provide opportunities for career advancement. We are proud to have been consistently ranked among the top firms in the Vault Guide to the Top 50 Consulting Firms, listed as a top consulting firm by Management Consulted and named one of the Top Workplaces in the Washington, DC area for the 11th consecutive year by WTOP News.
If you are looking for a place to do high-quality work and have fun along the way, read below to discover how you can be part of our team. Learn more about our firm at: www.bateswhite.com.
What you’ll do
In this role you will design, develop and deploy AI-driven workflows and autonomous agents that leverage large language models (LLMs) and other AI systems across the firm’s enterprise AI platforms. You will:
- Design, build, and deploy AI workflows and agentic solutions that leverage LLMs and other AI systems, using the firm’s existing enterprise AI platforms (such as Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Databricks, AWS (e.g., Bedrock, SageMaker AI) and Google Cloud Vertex AI / Gemini), and evaluate and onboard new platforms as needs evolve.
- Develop, orchestrate, and maintain multi-step agent workflows, including tool use, function calling, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and integration with enterprise data sources, applications, and APIs.
- Apply a thorough understanding of how LLMs and emerging AI systems work, covering model selection, prompt design, context management, embeddings and vector stores, and the tradeoffs among inference, retrieval, and fine-tuning to select the right approach for each use case.
- Partner with business stakeholders and firm leadership to translate business requirements into robust, production-grade AI solutions.
- Build reusable frameworks, components, and pipelines that enable the broader data engineering team to develop, test, and scale AI solutions efficiently across cloud platforms.
- Establish and apply responsible AI practices, including data privacy and security, prompt injection and abuse mitigation, and evaluation and guardrails, in alignment with the firm’s AI governance policies and client contractual obligations.
- Monitor, evaluate, and continuously improve the accuracy, performance, cost, and reliability of deployed AI systems, including through token usage optimization.
- Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines and automated testing for AI workflows and agents, and manage the model lifecycle including version upgrades, deprecations, and migrations as providers release new models.
- Extend AI solutions to multi-modal use cases as needed, incorporating vision, audio, or other modalities alongside text-based LLMs.
- Stay current with the rapidly evolving AI landscape and advise the team on emerging models, tools, and techniques and their potential applications, including alternatives to the firm’s primary Azure-based stack (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud/Gemini).
What you’ll bring to the table
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, engineering, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
- Minimum 7 years’ experience in software engineering, data engineering, or a closely related technical field.
- Minimum 3 years’ hands-on experience building AI solutions, specifically with large language models (LLMs) and agent-based systems.
- Thorough understanding of LLM architecture, capabilities, and limitations, with the ability to reason about and adopt new AI systems as they emerge.
- Proficiency in Python and modern AI/ML frameworks and libraries; familiarity with multi-modal models (e.g., vision, audio) is a plus.
- Demonstrated experience building agentic workflows, RAG pipelines, and LLM integrations using frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, or comparable tooling.
- Experience with enterprise AI platforms such as Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, or Databricks or comparable platforms on AWS (e.g. Bedrock, SageMaker AI) or Google Cloud (e.g. Vertex AI, Gemini).
- Experience working with vector databases and embedding models.
- Proficiency in prompt engineering, model evaluation, and the use of guardrail and safety tooling.
- Proficiency working with REST APIs and integrating AI systems into enterprise applications and data pipelines.
- Familiarity with MLOps/LLMOps tooling (e.g., MLflow, Weights & Biases, LangSmith) for experiment tracking and model monitoring.
- Familiarity with Microsoft Azure and other major cloud providers (AWS, Google Cloud) and cloud-based data services. The firm is Azure-focused but open to experience with other platforms.
- Familiarity with data privacy, security, and responsible-AI considerations for enterprise AI systems is preferred.
- Experience with SQL and working with both structured and unstructured data sources are advantageous.
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Ability to work effectively under dynamic circumstances, tight deadlines, and high-pressure situations.
- Ability to successfully work with individuals of varying backgrounds, levels, and departments.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to effectively communicate complex technical and AI concepts to diverse audiences.
- May require more than 40.0 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position.
What you can expect from us
We are committed to providing an exceptional employee experience. You can expect:
- Competitive compensation—the salary range for this position is $160,000 to $190,000. This position is also eligible for bonus compensation on a discretionary basis. The actual salary offered for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors including qualifications and experience, education, external market data, and internal equity.
Comprehensive benefits package—includes tuition reimbursement up to $75K, low healthcare premiums, wellness benefits, and more! -
- Hybrid work environment with three coordinated in-office days per week.
- Open culture where your voice is heard, your input is sought, and your contributions are rewarded.
- Fun and engaging culture including frequent social events.
- Amenities that include a fitness center, rooftop terrace, standing desks, espresso, fresh fruit, breakfast and afternoon snack, billiards, and ping pong.
- Employee-driven community outreach program featuring fundraising events (e.g., trivia, game shows, cooking competitions, etc.), volunteer opportunities, and matching funds along with our pro bono program.
- Investment in your career through training programs, an assigned mentor and peer coach, and frequent feedback.
- Networking opportunities through employee interest groups, Women’s Network, International Network, Diversity-Inclusion Council, and BWProud Network.
If you are interested in joining our team, please submit a resume.
Bates White is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, protected veteran status, status as a qualified individual with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability and you need an accommodation or other assistance during the application process, please call our Human Resources department at (202) 408-6110 or email your request to careers@bateswhite.com. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Download the Know your Rights Poster for more information.
Bates White Economic Consulting
AI Engineer IV
Washington, District of Columbia
Added 2d ago51-200 employees
Job functions:
$160k - $190k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's degree in engineering
Job Description
Firm overview
Bates White is a boutique consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Recognized as a top workplace, the firm provides advanced economic, financial, and econometric analysis to law firms, companies, and government agencies.
Through our supportive, collaborative, and collegial culture, we invest in our talent and provide opportunities for career advancement. We are proud to have been consistently ranked among the top firms in the Vault Guide to the Top 50 Consulting Firms, listed as a top consulting firm by Management Consulted and named one of the Top Workplaces in the Washington, DC area for the 11th consecutive year by WTOP News.
If you are looking for a place to do high-quality work and have fun along the way, read below to discover how you can be part of our team. Learn more about our firm at: www.bateswhite.com.
What you’ll do
In this role you will design, develop and deploy AI-driven workflows and autonomous agents that leverage large language models (LLMs) and other AI systems across the firm’s enterprise AI platforms. You will:
- Design, build, and deploy AI workflows and agentic solutions that leverage LLMs and other AI systems, using the firm’s existing enterprise AI platforms (such as Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Databricks, AWS (e.g., Bedrock, SageMaker AI) and Google Cloud Vertex AI / Gemini), and evaluate and onboard new platforms as needs evolve.
- Develop, orchestrate, and maintain multi-step agent workflows, including tool use, function calling, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and integration with enterprise data sources, applications, and APIs.
- Apply a thorough understanding of how LLMs and emerging AI systems work, covering model selection, prompt design, context management, embeddings and vector stores, and the tradeoffs among inference, retrieval, and fine-tuning to select the right approach for each use case.
- Partner with business stakeholders and firm leadership to translate business requirements into robust, production-grade AI solutions.
- Build reusable frameworks, components, and pipelines that enable the broader data engineering team to develop, test, and scale AI solutions efficiently across cloud platforms.
- Establish and apply responsible AI practices, including data privacy and security, prompt injection and abuse mitigation, and evaluation and guardrails, in alignment with the firm’s AI governance policies and client contractual obligations.
- Monitor, evaluate, and continuously improve the accuracy, performance, cost, and reliability of deployed AI systems, including through token usage optimization.
- Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines and automated testing for AI workflows and agents, and manage the model lifecycle including version upgrades, deprecations, and migrations as providers release new models.
- Extend AI solutions to multi-modal use cases as needed, incorporating vision, audio, or other modalities alongside text-based LLMs.
- Stay current with the rapidly evolving AI landscape and advise the team on emerging models, tools, and techniques and their potential applications, including alternatives to the firm’s primary Azure-based stack (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud/Gemini).
What you’ll bring to the table
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, engineering, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
- Minimum 7 years’ experience in software engineering, data engineering, or a closely related technical field.
- Minimum 3 years’ hands-on experience building AI solutions, specifically with large language models (LLMs) and agent-based systems.
- Thorough understanding of LLM architecture, capabilities, and limitations, with the ability to reason about and adopt new AI systems as they emerge.
- Proficiency in Python and modern AI/ML frameworks and libraries; familiarity with multi-modal models (e.g., vision, audio) is a plus.
- Demonstrated experience building agentic workflows, RAG pipelines, and LLM integrations using frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, or comparable tooling.
- Experience with enterprise AI platforms such as Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, or Databricks or comparable platforms on AWS (e.g. Bedrock, SageMaker AI) or Google Cloud (e.g. Vertex AI, Gemini).
- Experience working with vector databases and embedding models.
- Proficiency in prompt engineering, model evaluation, and the use of guardrail and safety tooling.
- Proficiency working with REST APIs and integrating AI systems into enterprise applications and data pipelines.
- Familiarity with MLOps/LLMOps tooling (e.g., MLflow, Weights & Biases, LangSmith) for experiment tracking and model monitoring.
- Familiarity with Microsoft Azure and other major cloud providers (AWS, Google Cloud) and cloud-based data services. The firm is Azure-focused but open to experience with other platforms.
- Familiarity with data privacy, security, and responsible-AI considerations for enterprise AI systems is preferred.
- Experience with SQL and working with both structured and unstructured data sources are advantageous.
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Ability to work effectively under dynamic circumstances, tight deadlines, and high-pressure situations.
- Ability to successfully work with individuals of varying backgrounds, levels, and departments.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to effectively communicate complex technical and AI concepts to diverse audiences.
- May require more than 40.0 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position.
What you can expect from us
We are committed to providing an exceptional employee experience. You can expect:
- Competitive compensation—the salary range for this position is $160,000 to $190,000. This position is also eligible for bonus compensation on a discretionary basis. The actual salary offered for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors including qualifications and experience, education, external market data, and internal equity.
Comprehensive benefits package—includes tuition reimbursement up to $75K, low healthcare premiums, wellness benefits, and more! -
- Hybrid work environment with three coordinated in-office days per week.
- Open culture where your voice is heard, your input is sought, and your contributions are rewarded.
- Fun and engaging culture including frequent social events.
- Amenities that include a fitness center, rooftop terrace, standing desks, espresso, fresh fruit, breakfast and afternoon snack, billiards, and ping pong.
- Employee-driven community outreach program featuring fundraising events (e.g., trivia, game shows, cooking competitions, etc.), volunteer opportunities, and matching funds along with our pro bono program.
- Investment in your career through training programs, an assigned mentor and peer coach, and frequent feedback.
- Networking opportunities through employee interest groups, Women’s Network, International Network, Diversity-Inclusion Council, and BWProud Network.
If you are interested in joining our team, please submit a resume.
Bates White is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, protected veteran status, status as a qualified individual with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability and you need an accommodation or other assistance during the application process, please call our Human Resources department at (202) 408-6110 or email your request to careers@bateswhite.com. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Download the Know your Rights Poster for more information.
See All 65 AI Engineer Jobs in Washington
Find roles in Washington that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find AI Engineer JobsAI Engineer Job Market in Washington
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Law & Legal Services
- Investment & Asset Management
- Science & Research
AI Engineer Jobs in Washington: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a ai engineer job in Washington?
Focus your search on the sectors that drive Washington ai engineer hiring: federal agencies and their contractors, defense and intelligence technology firms, health IT organizations, and policy-adjacent AI research groups. Roles concentrate in NoMa, Foggy Bottom, and the Anacostia waterfront corridor. Candidates with clearance eligibility, experience in responsible AI or AI governance, and a portfolio touching government-scale data problems stand out in this market.
Which companies hire ai engineers in Washington?
Washington ai engineer roles are posted by SpaceX, Google, and OpenAI and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. The employer mix here skews toward federal contractors, defense technology firms, and health-focused technology organizations alongside a growing cluster of AI-native startups serving government clients.
Are there remote ai engineer jobs in Washington?
Yes, though availability depends on the role, since positions requiring access to classified systems or sensitive government infrastructure are typically on-site. About 83% of ai engineer openings tied to Washington are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, with the highest remote share in model development, MLOps, and data pipeline engineering rather than in federally contracted or clearance-required positions.
How can I get a ai engineer job in Washington with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in Washington is through federal agency internship pipelines and contractor training programs, both of which actively recruit candidates building foundational machine learning or data engineering skills. Entry-level titles like junior data scientist, machine learning associate, and AI research assistant appear regularly at government contractors and health IT firms in the area. Completing a government-focused AI project, contributing to open-source policy tools, or earning a relevant certification before applying makes a material difference locally.
Which industries hire the most ai engineers in Washington?
Washington ai engineer roles concentrate in Law & Legal Services, Investment & Asset Management, and Science & Research, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Washington's position as the seat of federal government creates sustained demand from defense, intelligence, and public health agencies, which in turn supports a large ecosystem of contractors and technology vendors building AI tools for government use cases.
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See All 65 AI Engineer Jobs in Washington
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