Senior AI Software Engineer Jobs in Maryland
Senior AI Software Engineer jobs in Maryland are among the most active in the mid-Atlantic region, concentrated in defense and intelligence contracting, federal health IT, and cybersecurity firms anchored around the Baltimore-Washington corridor, Bethesda, and Annapolis Junction. Major employers with lasting Maryland footholds include Northrop Grumman, Leidos, and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, all of which field dedicated AI engineering teams. The most in-demand specialties are machine learning infrastructure, natural language processing for government applications, and MLOps. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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About the role
CyberStorm Defense is hiring a senior engineer to extend an open-source scientific data curation platform built on Python, Django and MongoDB so it can specify, generate and measure agentic AI workflows. You will connect the platform to large language models through REST APIs, design schemas that describe agentic AI systems, prototype multi-agent applications with ZeroMQ messaging, and capture LLM sessions and traces as analyzable datasets.
What you will do
- Extend the Configurable Data Curation System (CDCS) with LLM connectivity and agentic AI specification templates.
- Prototype an agentic application using ZeroMQ, and integrate it with an ongoing LLM demonstration.
- Write design documents, schemas and tested code, and present demonstrations to research staff.
Minimum qualifications (all required)
- M.S. in computer science or a related field.
- 10+ years in information technology or standards development.
- 5+ years each in: data exchange standards (XML and JSON), Unified Modeling Language, and software testing.
- 4+ years each in: Java and Python; JavaScript; XML, XML Schema and XSLT; JSON and JSON Schema; HTML5 and CSS; the Django framework; MongoDB; and working across Linux, Windows and macOS.
- 7+ years with databases.
- 2+ years each in: Docker; GitLab and GitHub; the CDCS platform (or its MDCS/NMRR components); ZeroMQ; and LLM experimentation and implementation.
- Able to pass a federal NACI background check.
Strong signals: contributions to NIST's CDCS, MDCS or NMRR repositories on GitHub; prior work at NIST or a materials-data program; published agentic AI or LLM evaluation work.
How to apply: Send your résumé, a link to relevant GitHub work, and a yes/no for each minimum qualification. This position is contingent upon contract award.
Job Summary Location: Gaithersburg, MD (federal research campus)
As a Senior Research Software Engineer, CDCS and Agentic AI (Contingent), you’ll build and advance research software that enables complex AI and computational research. You’ll partner with researchers to translate questions into scalable systems, develop and evaluate AI models, and move promising methods toward deployment. This role combines hands-on software development with machine learning research, quantitative applied research, and research and development.
Responsibilities
- Design, implement, test, and maintain research software, algorithms, and distributed systems for large-scale AI models and agentic applications.
- Develop, train, evaluate, and deploy AI models using machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch; apply deep learning, generative AI, natural language processing, computer vision, unsupervised learning, and data mining as appropriate.
- Analyze research data using statistical analysis, SQL, and methods including signal processing; support work spanning robotics and quantum engineering.
- Collaborate with research teams to shape experiments, interpret results, and communicate findings. Your impact: Reliable, scalable research tools help researchers test ideas efficiently and turn findings into useful advances.
- Document and share results through technical reports, conference papers, and papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Requirements
- Degree or equivalent background in computer science or a related field, with experience in a research setting and software development.
- Demonstrated experience in machine learning, research, model training, model deployment, and machine learning/AI-based analysis.
- Strong programming skills in Python and experience with Linux; familiarity with AWS and one or more of Java, R, C#, C, C++, or MATLAB.
- Knowledge of algorithm design, distributed systems, and machine learning frameworks; experience developing large-scale AI models is preferred.
- Research publications and experience in quantitative applied research are preferred.
Pay: Up to $145,000.00 per year
Education:
- Master's (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- Gaithersburg, MD (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
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Where Maryland roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Senior AI Software Engineer Job Market in Maryland
A snapshot from current Maryland openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Consulting & Professional Services
What Maryland Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in senior AI software engineer jobs across Maryland.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, AI, or a closely related field
- Active or obtainable U.S. government security clearance, often at the Secret level
- Seven or more years of hands-on software engineering experience with AI or ML systems
- Proficiency in Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure
- Demonstrated experience deploying large-scale ML models in production environments
- Strong background in MLOps, model monitoring, and CI/CD pipelines for AI systems
Senior AI Software Engineer Jobs in Maryland: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a senior ai software engineer in Maryland?
There is no state-issued license required to work as a senior ai software engineer in Maryland, so the path runs through education and clearance. Most Maryland employers in this space expect a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, machine learning, or a related field. Because so much of the Maryland market is defense and federal IT, pursuing and maintaining a U.S. government security clearance is often the single most consequential step for advancing into senior roles.
How much do senior AI software engineers make in Maryland?
Senior AI software engineers in Maryland earn a median of about $138,680 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $87,690 for the lowest 10% to over $222,610 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire senior ai software engineers in Maryland?
Employers hiring senior ai software engineers in Maryland right now include Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Leidos, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Maryland's dense cluster of defense primes, federal agencies, and health IT firms makes it one of the more consistent hiring markets for this role on the East Coast.
Which Maryland cities have the most senior ai software engineer jobs?
The cities with the most senior ai software engineer openings in Maryland are Laurel, Annapolis Junction, and Fort Meade. The Baltimore-Washington corridor dominates because of the concentration of federal agencies, defense contractors, and research institutions such as Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health, which pull significant AI engineering activity into the suburban communities between the two major metros.
Are there remote senior ai software engineer jobs in Maryland?
Yes, and more than most engineering fields, given how much of this work is software-based and deliverable remotely. About 56% of senior ai software engineer openings tied to Maryland are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though roles tied to classified government programs typically require on-site presence. The most remote-friendly positions tend to be in commercial AI product development and health IT rather than defense contracting.
How can I get hired as a senior ai software engineer in Maryland with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a software engineering or data science role at a Maryland federal contractor or research institution, then building specialized AI skills on the job. Organizations like Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory run early-career and new-graduate programs that place candidates into AI-adjacent work. Starting in a data analyst or junior ML engineer role and earning certifications in cloud AI platforms gives candidates a credible bridge toward senior-level positions.
Where can I find and apply to senior ai software engineer jobs in Maryland?
You can find and apply to senior ai software engineer jobs in Maryland on Migrate Mate, which lists current Maryland openings updated in real time. Search the listings, find the roles that match your background and target employers, and apply directly to the ones that fit.
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