Applied Engineer – Mission Critical AI
Position Summary: Applied Engineers operate at the intersection of research and deployment, working directly with government and enterprise partners to deliver mission-critical AI solutions. You’ll guide programs from requirements validation through solution design, prototyping, and deployment. Everyone is expected to be hands-on and contribute directly to the mission. This role mirrors the scope and responsibility of a hands-on startup CTO: you’ll operate in small, agile teams delivering high-stakes projects, often in secure or regulated environments.
Employment Type: Full Time Salary
Key Responsibilities:
- Drive the development and enhancement of core products and AI models
- Scope requirements, identify mission pain points, and build LLM-powered software tailored to customer needs
- Benchmark and evaluate models for robustness, reliability, and compliance
- Optimize model performance through tuning and fine-tuning for deployment in secure environments
- Build internal tooling to automate workflows and accelerate delivery
- Refine SDKs and developer documentation for usability and adoption
- Partner closely with customers, engineers, and researchers to deliver end-to-end solutions
- Passion for solving complex government or enterprise problems with AI
- Ability to ship secure, high-quality code in ambiguous environments
- Adaptability to rapidly shifting priorities in a mission-driven startup setting
- Strong communication and collaboration skills with technical and operational partners
- Commitment to building robust, scalable, and compliant AI-driven systems
Qualifications:
- 2+ years of software engineering experience in high-reliability or secure environments
- Active U.S. Top Secret security clearance required
- Proven experience implementing AI/ML products and APIs
- Academic background in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or Data Science
- Proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript for AI/ML implementation
- Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools (Pulumi, Terraform)
Preferred Experience:
- Familiarity with defense tech and working in secure environments
- Experience with deploying AI products
- Product ownership and deployment to customer.
Location & Compensation:
- Palo Alto, CA
- Pay: $200,000 - $450,000 DOE
- Benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life insurance, and a 401(k) match.
- Join the team to work on groundbreaking projects known for its innovation.
About Lean Synergy: Lean Synergy Solutions is a Veteran-owned & operated recruiting firm dedicated to aligning top-tier talent with high-impact roles across diverse industries. Our team, comprised of experienced military professionals and industry specialists, brings a mission-driven approach to workforce solutions. With a specialized focus on placing skilled change management professionals, we help organizations navigate transformation with precision. We are committed to supporting transitioning service members, veterans, military spouses and civilian professionals by providing access to meaningful, long-term career opportunities that drive success for government, public and private sector clients.