{"schemaVersion":"jobsearcher.job.v1","id":"ff7f3458dc054c6413ec6ffe","url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/ff7f3458dc054c6413ec6ffe","canonicalUrl":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/ff7f3458dc054c6413ec6ffe","title":"AI Engineer (Python/LLM) - 50% telework with Security Clearance","description":"If you've built something real with LLMs, not just a demo, and want to do it on hardware you can actually touch, keep reading. Linchpin Software is a small, growing company, and we're hiring AI Engineers in Chantilly, VA (50% telework). You'll build AI-powered analytic workflows that run entirely on-prem: locally hosted models on GPU servers, in air-gapped and cross-domain environments, with no calls out to a public API. The work is hands-on engineering: parsing messy documents, extracting entities, building retrieval pipelines, and turning model output into structured, traceable results that analysts can trust. We'll be honest: this is a new and growing scope of work, which means you'll help shape how it gets built, not just pick up tickets. Here's what we care about, and we hire for it: Be helpful. Answer the question, share what you know, and leave things better than you found them. Take care of the customer. Our customers have hard missions. We listen, follow through, and make their day easier. Be a good teammate. Review the code, jump in on the tough bug, cover for each other, and celebrate the wins together. We also build software differently. Our engineers use AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code, Codex, GitLab Duo) every day to design, code, test, and debug faster. What You'll Do: Build and integrate on-prem LLM and multi-model workflows (reasoning, retrieval, tool use, structured output) Engineer document and data parsing pipelines for complex structured and unstructured data Implement named entity recognition, entity extraction, and entity resolution Build retrieval systems with vector and graph databases, with source citation and traceable outputs Write production Python services and APIs (FastAPI) and integrate them with UIs and data platforms Deploy and run models and services on Kubernetes and locally hosted GPU servers Required: Active Top Secret, TS/SCI, or Intel Agency clearance Bachelor's degree 10+ years of software engineering experience, including hands-on AI / ML or LLM work Strong Python Experience building LLM applications: RAG, prompt and output engineering, structured output, or agents Experience with data parsing, ETL, or NLP (NER, entity extraction) Experience with containers and Kubernetes, Git, and CI/CD Clear communication and a genuine willingness to help customers and teammates Preferred: Self-hosting open models on GPUs (vLLM, Ollama, Hugging Face, or similar) Vector and graph databases (LanceDB, pgvector, Neo4j, or similar) Computer vision, geospatial, or temporal AI Workflow orchestration (Temporal.io or similar) Air-gapped, multi-enclave, or cross-domain environments Experience mentoring engineers or leading AI design efforts The Honest Details: Location: Chantilly, VA, 50% telework. You'll be on site about half the time, and we mean it. Pay: $150,000 - $230,000, based on experience and what you bring. Clearance: active Top Secret, TS/SCI, or Intel Agency clearance required. We can't sponsor one for this role. What You'll Gain: Real, production AI engineering on a mission that matters A chance to shape a new program area from the ground up A small team where your work is seen and your opinion counts Competitive compensation and benefits If you like building AI systems that actually work in the real world, apply. A real person on our team reads every application.","company":"Linchpin Software","rawCompany":"linchpin software","city":"Gaithersburg","state":"MD","isRemote":true,"isActive":false,"createdAt":"2026-11-01T07:14:54.639Z","occupations":[{"code":"15-1252.00","title":"Software Developers","slug":"software-developers"},{"code":"15-1299.08","title":"Computer Systems Engineers/Architects","slug":"computer-systems-engineers-architects"},{"code":"15-1221.00","title":"Computer and Information Research Scientists","slug":"computer-and-information-research-scientists"}],"industries":[{"code":"541512","title":"Computer Systems Design Services","slug":"computer-systems-design-services"},{"code":"541511","title":"Custom Computer Programming Services","slug":"custom-computer-programming-services"},{"code":"541990","title":"All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services","slug":"all-other-professional-scientific-and-technical-services"}],"jobPosting":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"AI Engineer (Python/LLM) - 50% telework with Security Clearance","description":"If you've built something real with LLMs, not just a demo, and want to do it on hardware you can actually touch, keep reading. Linchpin Software is a small, growing company, and we're hiring AI Engineers in Chantilly, VA (50% telework). You'll build AI-powered analytic workflows that run entirely on-prem: locally hosted models on GPU servers, in air-gapped and cross-domain environments, with no calls out to a public API. The work is hands-on engineering: parsing messy documents, extracting entities, building retrieval pipelines, and turning model output into structured, traceable results that analysts can trust. We'll be honest: this is a new and growing scope of work, which means you'll help shape how it gets built, not just pick up tickets. Here's what we care about, and we hire for it: Be helpful. Answer the question, share what you know, and leave things better than you found them. Take care of the customer. Our customers have hard missions. We listen, follow through, and make their day easier. Be a good teammate. Review the code, jump in on the tough bug, cover for each other, and celebrate the wins together. We also build software differently. Our engineers use AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code, Codex, GitLab Duo) every day to design, code, test, and debug faster. What You'll Do: Build and integrate on-prem LLM and multi-model workflows (reasoning, retrieval, tool use, structured output) Engineer document and data parsing pipelines for complex structured and unstructured data Implement named entity recognition, entity extraction, and entity resolution Build retrieval systems with vector and graph databases, with source citation and traceable outputs Write production Python services and APIs (FastAPI) and integrate them with UIs and data platforms Deploy and run models and services on Kubernetes and locally hosted GPU servers Required: Active Top Secret, TS/SCI, or Intel Agency clearance Bachelor's degree 10+ years of software engineering experience, including hands-on AI / ML or LLM work Strong Python Experience building LLM applications: RAG, prompt and output engineering, structured output, or agents Experience with data parsing, ETL, or NLP (NER, entity extraction) Experience with containers and Kubernetes, Git, and CI/CD Clear communication and a genuine willingness to help customers and teammates Preferred: Self-hosting open models on GPUs (vLLM, Ollama, Hugging Face, or similar) Vector and graph databases (LanceDB, pgvector, Neo4j, or similar) Computer vision, geospatial, or temporal AI Workflow orchestration (Temporal.io or similar) Air-gapped, multi-enclave, or cross-domain environments Experience mentoring engineers or leading AI design efforts The Honest Details: Location: Chantilly, VA, 50% telework. You'll be on site about half the time, and we mean it. Pay: $150,000 - $230,000, based on experience and what you bring. Clearance: active Top Secret, TS/SCI, or Intel Agency clearance required. We can't sponsor one for this role. What You'll Gain: Real, production AI engineering on a mission that matters A chance to shape a new program area from the ground up A small team where your work is seen and your opinion counts Competitive compensation and benefits If you like building AI systems that actually work in the real world, apply. A real person on our team reads every application.","datePosted":"2026-11-01T07:14:54.639Z","dateModified":"2026-11-01T07:14:54.639Z","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Linchpin Software","sameAs":"https://jobsearcher.com"},"jobLocationType":"TELECOMMUTE","applicantLocationRequirements":{"@type":"Country","name":"US"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Gaithersburg","addressRegion":"MD","addressCountry":"US"}},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"JobSearcher","value":"ff7f3458dc054c6413ec6ffe"},"url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/ff7f3458dc054c6413ec6ffe"}}