Applied AI Engineer

An active TS//SCI clearance with polygraph is required for this role

👋🏼 Hey!

Bitwise is a leading provider of mission-focused intelligence solutions that advance national security for the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. We're a small and growing company, so you can expect to hop in on the ground floor with us and be a consequential member of the team. You'll be more than a contract performer for us — you'll also be asked for ideas to improve our company and improve your career, and you'll contribute to our team culture. We value growth and community above almost all else, so we gather regularly for game nights, happy hours, tech talks, and plenty more. We think you'll like it here!

Remember, Bitwise is not a cult. 🖖🏼

🎯 What We Look For

Bitwise hires talented engineers who are driven by purpose and who value a culture of technical excellence, growth, and overall wellness. We deliver new and innovative intelligence solutions to our customers at the very forefront of our country's national security missions. And we do it every single day. Our work matters, and so will you.

We ask that every new hire be able to:

• Contribute meaningful thought leadership — if not right away, over time
• Interact with our customers and earn their confidence in your abilities
• Be detailed, even if that means taking a little more time to get it right
• Contribute their ideas and ideals to improve all aspects of our company
• Allow us to invest in their education so we both grow together
• Know and live our core values every single day

💡 About this Role

You'll join a forward-deployed team working directly with mission operators and analysts, building and improving the AI agents, Skills, and tools they use every day. As an Applied AI Engineer, you'll develop agentic AI solutions that embed intelligence into operations, helping teams move faster without sacrificing accuracy or control. You'll learn how operators and analysts work, identify the tasks that consume their time, and build AI agents that automate repetitive tradecraft, triage incoming data, and research across disparate sources on their behalf.

Working under the guidance of senior engineers, you'll see the direct impact of your work firsthand. You'll participate in requirements discussions with mission experts, learn their workflows and tradecraft, and help them adopt new AI capabilities. This role is ideal for an engineer with a solid software foundation who wants to grow quickly in applied AI and make a tangible difference in national security operations.

What You'll Do:

• Develop and test components of agentic AI solutions in Python, including MCP servers, Skills, and integrations with mission data sources and tools
• Participate in requirements discussions with operators and analysts, and learn their workflows and tradecraft
• Build scripts and tools that convert, normalize, and extract information from customer data
• Write test cases and evaluation examples that check whether AI capabilities return correct and reliable results
• Use AI coding agents in daily development, and understand and review generated code before committing it
• Collaborate with other engineers to test workflows, identify issues, and recommend fixes
• Create documentation and user guides that help mission users adopt new AI tools

📋 Requirements

• 3+ years of relevant experience with a B.S. in a technical discipline, or 7+ years of relevant experience without a degree
• Proficiency in Python, including working with JSON, REST APIs, and data manipulation
• Understanding of software engineering fundamentals, including version control (Git), testing, and debugging
• Familiarity with LLM concepts such as prompt engineering, structured outputs, and tool/function calling
• Experience using AI coding assistants (e.g., Claude Code, Copilot) to write, debug, or test code
• Familiarity with Linux environments and the command line
• Strong communication skills and willingness to learn from senior engineers and mission subject matter experts
• Active TS//SCI clearance with polygraph

🌟 Preferred Skills

• Experience building agentic workflows, MCP servers, or Skills
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, or GitLab CI/CD
• Experience with retrieval systems (RAG, vector databases, Elasticsearch)
• Experience building web interfaces with React or TypeScript
• Background in cybersecurity, or knowledge of CNO operations and SIGINT collection and analysis systems

🏝️ Benefits at Bitwise

• Top salaries because we're top performers
• Pick your PTO — Everyone values time and money differently, so we give you the flexibility to choose between 3 and 5 weeks of PTO with a corresponding adjustment to your pay. Your choice, your balance.
• All 11 federal holidays, paid!
• Up to 2 snow days, paid!
• We'll quadruple (4x!) the first 6% you contribute to your 401(k), giving you up to a 24% company match. Contributing less than 6%? Unclaimed matches come right back to you as extra income, giving you a guaranteed 24% that goes to your retirement, to your paycheck, or both. C'mon now! 🚀
• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurances. That's a lot. Already covered on health insurance? No problem — we'll trade you this benefit for a boost to your salary instead.
• $5,250 annual education assistance for training, certifications, tuition, and even student loan repayments.
• Spot bonuses for obtained certifications, customer recognition, and just about anything else that makes us go "Hot damn!". We hope to say that many times about you. 🔥

💰 Salary Range

$197,500 – $232,500

This range includes our flex income and depends upon your annual work hours.

Salary is determined on an individual basis following the interview process and considering various factors such as years of experience, skills, education, and certifications.

🛎️ What to Expect After Applying

You'll get an email from us right away to acknowledge your application. After that, we'll:

• Send over additional company materials for you to review
• Schedule a video call to talk about you, our company, and your place in it
• Craft a delightful offer package for you and record a video walkthrough
• Work closely with you through onboarding. We'll keep it joyful and easy.

ℹ️ Disclaimers

Bitwise is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.

Compensation for this position, including all compensation options, will be determined on an individual basis following the interview process.

If you require accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please reach out to us.