Senior AI Software Developer

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Senior AI Software Developer to support a federal air traffic modernization program. This is a hybrid position in Gaithersburg, MD, with three days on-site and two days remote each week. Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Public Trust.

The Senior AI Software Developer will design and modernize real-time applications that support safety-critical operations. This role combines microservices development, technical leadership, and AI-assisted software practices to improve the reliability and delivery of complex systems.

Responsibilities for the Senior AI Software Developer include:

• Design, develop, and maintain microservices-based applications supporting real-time operations
• Lead sprint planning, guide technical priorities, mentor team members, and remove development roadblocks
• Partner with systems engineers, architects, and product teams to translate requirements into software solutions
• Develop maintainable, testable code and contribute to system design and technical decisions
• Integrate applications with databases, messaging platforms, and external APIs
• Use AI-assisted tools to support coding, debugging, refactoring, and test creation
• Build automated unit, integration, contract, and end-to-end tests to improve release quality
• Collaborate with QA, DevSecOps, and platform teams to troubleshoot issues, improve performance, and support reliable deployments

Required Qualifications for the Senior AI Software Developer include:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field and 8+ years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree and 6+ years; equivalent experience may be considered
• Hands-on experience developing and supporting microservices-based systems
• Proficiency in Java, Python, C++, or a comparable programming language in a Linux environment
• Experience or exposure to AI/ML-enabled systems, automation, or intelligent platforms
• Experience working in an Agile software development environment
• Understanding of APIs and distributed system concepts
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Public Trust and successfully complete required background investigations

Preferred Qualifications for the Senior AI Software Developer include:

• Experience with safety-critical or high-availability software and reverse-engineering existing designs
• Familiarity with Git, CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps practices, and the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
• Experience with relational or NoSQL databases and Kafka or other event-streaming technologies
• Cloud experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP; AWS preferred
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, or other container and orchestration technologies
• Experience integrating automated testing frameworks into CI/CD pipelines

Compensation for the Senior AI Software Developer includes:

Salary Range: $155,000–$170,000 annually, depending on experience

Full Benefits Package: PTO, Paid Holidays, Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, Tuition Reimbursement, Sick Leave as Required by Law

This job opens for applications on 10/28/2026. Applications for this job will be accepted for at least 30 days from the posting date.

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