AI Engineer (LLM Systems & Applied AI) - Open to W2/1099/C2C

*Location:* Remote (U.S.-based) with limited onsite requirementsApply promptly! A high volume of applicants is expected for the role as detailed below, do not wait to send your CV.*About the Role*We are seeking a *Senior AI/ML Software Engineer* to design and build production-grade AI systems that power automation, knowledge retrieval, and user-facing tools for large-scale public sector applications.This is a hands-on engineering role focused on building *real-world AI systems used in production*, not just prototypes. You will work across LLM systems, backend infrastructure, and applied machine learning to deliver impactful solutions.*What You’ll Build** AI-powered chatbots (internal and external)* Knowledge retrieval systems (RAG, hybrid search, graph-based approaches)* Document intelligence systems (analysis, redaction, generation)* AI-driven automation pipelines (RPA and workflow orchestration)* Translation and transcription systems* Multi-agent AI systems for research and task execution*Key Responsibilities** Design and implement *production-grade AI/ML systems** Build and deploy *LLM-powered applications* (RAG, agents, workflows)* Develop *evaluation and testing pipelines* for AI systems* Optimize systems for *accuracy, latency, and cost efficiency** Collaborate on *system architecture and technical decisions** Integrate AI solutions into *real-world workflows and applications** Continuously improve systems based on *user feedback and performance**Required Qualifications** Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, or related field* 3+ years of experience in *AI/ML, data science, or applied AI development** 3+ years of experience in *software engineering or backend development** Strong proficiency in *Python** Experience building *production systems (beyond experimentation)**Preferred Experience** LLM systems (RAG, embeddings, vector search)* Multi-agent or workflow-based AI systems* SQL / PostgreSQL* Docker and containerized environments* Graph databases xibtplm (e.g., Neo4j)* AI evaluation pipelines and benchmarking* API-based and local LLM deployment* Working with complex, real-world datasets*Work Environment & Location** Remote (U.S.-based)* *2-day onsite onboarding in Annapolis, MD required** Occasional onsite may be requested with advance noticePay: $60.00 - $70.00 per hourApplication Question(s):* What is your current location? (Required)Education:* Bachelor's (Required)Experience:* AI/ML, data science, or applied AI development: 3 years (Required)* software engineering or backend development: 3 years (Required)Work Location: Remote