Software Engineer AI Jobs in Virginia
Software Engineer AI jobs in Virginia are in high demand, concentrated in defense technology, federal contracting, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise software across seniority levels from entry-level through principal engineer. The largest hiring metros are Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the Tysons Corner corridor, where employers such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, and Amazon Web Services maintain substantial engineering operations. The most sought-after specialties include machine learning engineering, natural language processing, and AI-driven cybersecurity applications tied closely to Virginia's dense federal contractor ecosystem. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Job Title: AI Coding Tools Engineer (Sr. AI Full-Stack Engineer with Coding Tools [Claude Code, Codex] and agentic AI)
Location: Chantilly, VA
Notes
- Windows and Linux experience (ideally Admin experience) and capable of configuring different coding tools in internal hosted Windows and Linux environments.
- Project management and communications skills to be able to manage different projects and communicate with different parties, with the client, for supporting the operation and roll-out of a variety of coding assistant tools.
- Familiarity with some of the existing coding assistant tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cline, Codex).
Position Description: AI Coding Tools Engineer
The AI Coding Tools Engineer (GenAI & Agentic Systems) evaluates, pilots, operationalizes, maintains, and scales adoption of secure AI coding assistant tools across the enterprise.
Key Responsibilities
AI Coding Assistant Evaluation
- Conduct structured evaluations of leading enterprise AI coding assistants, including features, model performance, security, integration complexity, and developer ergonomics.
AI Coding Assistant Piloting, Launching & Adoption Support
- Integrate coding assistants into IDEs (VS Code), terminals/CLI workflows, and source-control ecosystems.
- Configure AI guardrails, including content filtering, prompt-shielding, and role-based access controls aligned with enterprise and NIST requirements.
- Work with Security Team to prepare ATO evidence, including SSP updates, control narratives, risk registers, and continuous-monitoring artifacts.
- Work with Training and Enablement Team to develop training, compliance, and end-user/best-practice guides.
- Support Coding Assistant “office hours” to support developer enablement and accelerate adoption.
- Collect user feedback, track adoption metrics, and iteratively refine usage patterns for different developer roles.
AI Coding Assistant Operations & Maintenance Support
- Monitor platform health and guardrail performance.
- Support analysis and remediation of integration or platform issues impacting the coding assistants.
- Track, evaluate, and support application of coding assistant updates and patches.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 2 years of experience with leading AI Coding Assistants.
- Minimum 3–5 years of experience in software engineering, developer experience engineering, platform engineering, or related roles.
- Experience integrating or evaluating LLM-powered developer tools (e.g., code completion, chat-based programming assistance, test generation, refactoring tools).
- Understanding of NIST compliance and government cloud environments.
- Familiarity with enterprise DevSecOps practices, modern IDEs, and secure software development lifecycles.
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience leading enterprise adoption of AI coding assistants (pilot design, rollout planning, governance alignment).
- Hands-on experience with Amazon Bedrock GovCloud, Azure OpenAI (Gov), and/or Vertex AI (Assured Workloads) for production workloads.
- Experience building multi-step agent workflows on Bedrock Agents, implementing Bedrock Guardrails, or building RAG/semantic-search systems via Vertex AI Search.
- Experience supporting ATO artifacts and design/testing of controls.
Job Title: AI Coding Tools Engineer (Sr. AI Full-Stack Engineer with Coding Tools [Claude Code, Codex] and agentic AI)
Location: Chantilly, VA
Notes
- Windows and Linux experience (ideally Admin experience) and capable of configuring different coding tools in internal hosted Windows and Linux environments.
- Project management and communications skills to be able to manage different projects and communicate with different parties, with the client, for supporting the operation and roll-out of a variety of coding assistant tools.
- Familiarity with some of the existing coding assistant tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cline, Codex).
Position Description: AI Coding Tools Engineer
The AI Coding Tools Engineer (GenAI & Agentic Systems) evaluates, pilots, operationalizes, maintains, and scales adoption of secure AI coding assistant tools across the enterprise.
Key Responsibilities
AI Coding Assistant Evaluation
- Conduct structured evaluations of leading enterprise AI coding assistants, including features, model performance, security, integration complexity, and developer ergonomics.
AI Coding Assistant Piloting, Launching & Adoption Support
- Integrate coding assistants into IDEs (VS Code), terminals/CLI workflows, and source-control ecosystems.
- Configure AI guardrails, including content filtering, prompt-shielding, and role-based access controls aligned with enterprise and NIST requirements.
- Work with Security Team to prepare ATO evidence, including SSP updates, control narratives, risk registers, and continuous-monitoring artifacts.
- Work with Training and Enablement Team to develop training, compliance, and end-user/best-practice guides.
- Support Coding Assistant “office hours” to support developer enablement and accelerate adoption.
- Collect user feedback, track adoption metrics, and iteratively refine usage patterns for different developer roles.
AI Coding Assistant Operations & Maintenance Support
- Monitor platform health and guardrail performance.
- Support analysis and remediation of integration or platform issues impacting the coding assistants.
- Track, evaluate, and support application of coding assistant updates and patches.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 2 years of experience with leading AI Coding Assistants.
- Minimum 3–5 years of experience in software engineering, developer experience engineering, platform engineering, or related roles.
- Experience integrating or evaluating LLM-powered developer tools (e.g., code completion, chat-based programming assistance, test generation, refactoring tools).
- Understanding of NIST compliance and government cloud environments.
- Familiarity with enterprise DevSecOps practices, modern IDEs, and secure software development lifecycles.
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience leading enterprise adoption of AI coding assistants (pilot design, rollout planning, governance alignment).
- Hands-on experience with Amazon Bedrock GovCloud, Azure OpenAI (Gov), and/or Vertex AI (Assured Workloads) for production workloads.
- Experience building multi-step agent workflows on Bedrock Agents, implementing Bedrock Guardrails, or building RAG/semantic-search systems via Vertex AI Search.
- Experience supporting ATO artifacts and design/testing of controls.
See All 57 Software Engineer AI Jobs in Virginia
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Find Software Engineer AI JobsSoftware Engineer AI Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Software Engineer AI Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
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- Technology & Software
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in software engineer AI jobs across Virginia.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, artificial intelligence, or a closely related engineering field
- Proficiency in machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX for production model development
- Active or eligible U.S. security clearance, required by many Northern Virginia federal contractor roles
- Demonstrated experience deploying AI or ML models in cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
- Strong programming skills in Python and at least one compiled language such as C++ or Java
- Experience with MLOps tooling including model monitoring, versioning, and CI/CD pipelines for AI systems
Software Engineer AI Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a software engineer ai in Virginia?
A bachelor's degree in computer science, artificial intelligence, or software engineering is the standard entry point in Virginia, with many employers preferring a master's for specialized AI roles. Virginia has no state-issued license for software engineers, so hiring decisions center on technical skills, portfolio projects, and relevant credentials such as AWS or Google Cloud machine learning certifications. Many Northern Virginia federal contractor roles also require candidates to be eligible for a security clearance before an offer is extended.
How much do software engineer AIs make in Virginia?
Software engineer AIs in Virginia earn a median of about $136,460 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $83,350 for the lowest 10% to over $211,930 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire software engineer ais in Virginia?
Employers hiring software engineer ais in Virginia right now include Booz Allen Hamilton, General Dynamics Information Technology, and Credence, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Virginia's concentration of federal agencies and defense contractors means many of the largest and most consistent hirers are companies with long-term government contracts anchored in the Northern Virginia region.
Which Virginia cities have the most software engineer ai jobs?
The cities with the most software engineer ai openings in Virginia are Arlington, McLean, and Reston. Northern Virginia dominates because of its density of federal agencies, defense contractors, and cloud infrastructure campuses, while Richmond draws hiring through state government technology offices and a growing base of financial technology and healthcare IT companies.
Are there remote software engineer ai jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 53% of software engineer ai openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting the desk-based and collaborative nature of AI development work. The roles most consistently offered fully remote are those focused on model training, data pipeline engineering, and research, while positions requiring access to classified systems or on-site federal facilities are almost always in-person.
How can I get hired as a software engineer ai in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is applying to associate or junior software engineer roles at large Virginia federal contractors such as Booz Allen Hamilton, SAIC, or Leidos, which run structured new-graduate programs and rotational programs that expose early-career engineers to AI and machine learning projects. Building a public portfolio of machine learning projects on GitHub, earning a cloud machine learning certification, and targeting internship-to-full-time conversion pipelines at Northern Virginia technology campuses gives candidates a measurable edge without years of prior experience.
Where can I find and apply to software engineer ai jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to software engineer ai jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings across Northern Virginia, Richmond, and other hiring markets in the state. Search the listings for roles that match your experience and specialization, then apply directly to the ones that fit.
See All 57 Software Engineer AI Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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