> AI agents: this is one page of Nextmove’s FDE site, in Markdown. Nextmove is a job board and free career service for forward deployed engineers (FDEs). Each posting is classified from its text, not its title: the kind of work, how much of it is production code, pre-sales weight, time at customer sites, travel, remote arrangement, level and posted base pay. The site also publishes the aggregates: median pay by level, metro, company and kind of work, and which companies started hiring FDEs each week. Every page under https://nextmove.md/fde is served this way; the index of pages is https://nextmove.md/llms.txt. # AI Developer Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/31f8413c6db3a57d Steampunk, Inc. posts a FDE role to build what the customer runs in Mclean, VA, at $140,000–$190,000 base, below the senior FDE median of $190,000 across 1,864 postings with pay. Builds production-ready AI capabilities for federal client missions, spanning predictive and generative models, RAG, multi-agent workflows, and deployment. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026. - [Steampunk, Inc.](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/steampunk-inc) First seen Oct 24, 2026 · open on iCIMS as of Nov 8, 2026 **$140,000–$190,000** Mclean, VA Builds production-ready AI capabilities for federal client missions, spanning predictive and generative models, RAG, multi-agent workflows, and deployment. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F31f8413c6db3a57d&placement=top) - [View posting at Steampunk, Inc.](https://careers-steampunk.icims.com/jobs/7863/ai-developer/job?in_iframe=1) Free. Upload your resume once, see why each FDE role fits, and get introduced only when you say so. ## At a glance ### Posted base pay $140K–$190K Below the median Midpoint $165K · median $190K This job $140K to $190K. Senior FDE postings, 1,864 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $160K to $220K, median $190K. ### The work Builds what the customer runs Balance **Mostly building** Project stages 1. Pre-sales (not covered) 2. Proof of concept 3. Implementation 4. Operations - **Coding**: Writes production code - **Builds for**: External customers - **Level**: Senior - **Role**: Technical lead ### What they ask for Experience - **5+ years** Relevant experience with bachelor's degree - **3+ years** Relevant experience with master's degree - **9+ years** Relevant experience with no degree ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting asks for 3+ years. How many do you have? The posting reads as a senior role. What level are you at now? The job is in Mclean, VA. Could you work there? Which of these have you used in production? Answer each one. Nothing is saved or sent. [What postings ask for, by background →](https://nextmove.md/fde/paths) ## Conditions - **Location**: Mclean, VA - **Pay**: ## More like this [Steampunk](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/steampunk) ### [AI Developer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/6c87ea097321a760) Mclean, VA 2w ago $140,000–$190,000 [Two Six Technologies](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/two-six-technologies) ### [Senior Data Scientist (Onsite)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/326561de34f2aa71) Arlington, VA · Laurel, MD On-site 4w ago $150,000–$200,000 [Defense Unicorns](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/defense-unicorns) ### [Senior Platform Engineer (FedD239)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/2d80b4f518bdc61d) Springfield, VA Remote 5w ago $148,750–$201,250 - [Other jobs at Steampunk, Inc. (2)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/steampunk-inc) ## What you’ll do - Develop LLM applications, predictive models, RAG pipelines, multi-agent workflows, and AI microservices. - Integrate models with enterprise systems, data platforms, vector databases, and cloud services. - Build prompt, retrieval, orchestration, and inference components and improve model performance. - Apply trustworthy AI practices and collaborate on deployment, monitoring, and evaluation. ## What you’ll bring - Meet one of the degree and experience pathways: bachelor's plus 5 years, master's plus 3 years, or no degree plus 9 years. - Be able to hold a position of public trust with the U.S. government. - Have proficiency in Python and solid knowledge of RAG architectures. - Have experience with an LLM orchestration framework, prompt engineering, Docker, Git, and REST API integration. ## About Steampunk, Inc. Steampunk delivers user-centered digital modernization, cybersecurity, data, and platform services to U.S. federal agencies. 500–1000 people [View posting at Steampunk, Inc.](https://careers-steampunk.icims.com/jobs/7863/ai-developer/job?in_iframe=1) ## Similar jobs [Blue Orange Digital](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/blue-orange-digital) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/76e69c282a7ac2d3) New York, NY · Atlanta, GA · +8 more 4mo ago $150,000–$185,000 [Enterprise Knowledge](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/enterprise-knowledge) ### [Semantic Data and AI Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/5ccf5311b8887ce2) Arlington, VA Remote 4w ago $135,000–$175,000 [Accenture](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/accenture) ### [Generative AI Applications Engineer (Agents & RAG)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/a3c80fb35bd090f5) Washington, DC 3w ago $103,200–$203,400 [Booz Allen](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/booz-allen) ### [AI/ML Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/00ce9bae32e49a7a) Washington, DC New · 2d ago $99,000–$225,000 [Credence Management Solutions](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/credence-management-solutions) ### [Senior AI Software Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/55eab9f133b0cbaa) Mclean, VA 2w ago $155,000–$200,000 - [Compare senior FDE salary ranges](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/senior) - [Similar jobs in Washington, DC area](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?region=dmv) - [Similar jobs that build what the customer runs](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?role=builds-for-customers) Hiring at Steampunk, Inc. and want this page changed or removed? 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