Software Engineer (AI Focus)

This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.

Who we are :

Raft ( https : / / TeamRaft.com ) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional small business with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development, with headquarters in McLean, VA. Our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.

About the role :

We are looking for a Software Engineer (AI Focus) with strong front-end skills and a passion for building transformative user experiences powered by AI. You will play a critical role in developing intuitive and powerful interfaces that enable warfighters and analysts to harness the power of large language models (LLMs) in operational environments.

In this role, you will help shape user-facing applications that blend cutting-edge AI modelswith secure, performant full-stack systems. You'll be working at the edge of software and mission-building the next generation of intelligent tools for distributed command-and-control.

This position is based in Hawaii, supporting a real-world defense use case where design, speed, and impact matter.

What You'll Do

• Lead full-stack feature development from ideation to production in close coordination with product managers, AI researchers, and mission stakeholders
• Conduct user research and workflow analysis to identify inefficiencies and translate business requirements into AI-enabled technical solutions
• Build modern front-end applications using ReactJS, Tailwind, and component libraries integrated with LLM-based services (Claude, OpenAI, open-source models)
• Design and build backend APIs and microservices for scalable deployment and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
• Work with ML engineers to shape model prompts, feedback loops, and in-app integration based on user workflow requirements
• Support disconnected / air-gapped deployment patterns and ensure secure, testable, and maintainable code
• Collaborate with end users, developers, designers, and DevSecOps engineers to continuously improve AI-enabled workflow solutions

What You Bring

What we are looking for :

Highly preferred :

Clearance Requirements :

Work Type :

Salary Range :

What we will offer you :

Our Vision Statement :

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession withthemission.

Our Customer Obsession :

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there?

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking,and collaboration is a norm.

Raft's core philosophy is Ubuntu : IAm, BecauseWe are . We support our "nadi" by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.

We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.