> 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. # Senior AI Developer Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/cb8b69d1738c04e1 Steampunk posts a senior 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 1,865 postings with pay. Builds production-ready AI capabilities across generative, predictive, and autonomous systems, spanning data ingestion, experimentation, orchestration, application integration, and deployment. Read from the employer’s posting on November 9, 2026. - [Steampunk](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/steampunk) First seen Oct 24, 2026 · open on iCIMS as of Nov 9, 2026 **$140,000–$190,000** Mclean, VA Builds production-ready AI capabilities across generative, predictive, and autonomous systems, spanning data ingestion, experimentation, orchestration, application integration, and deployment. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2Fcb8b69d1738c04e1&placement=top) - [View posting at Steampunk](https://careers-steampunk.icims.com/jobs/8325/senior-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, 1,865 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**: Both - **Level**: Senior - **Role**: Individual contributor ### What they ask for Experience - **8+ years** overall professional experience - **5+ years** hands-on software engineering experience - **2+ years** AI/ML, generative AI, or LLM-driven application development Background - **Software engineering** ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting asks for 2+ 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, Inc.](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/steampunk-inc) ### [Senior AI Developer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/722427035bd5d16d) Mclean, VA 2w ago $140,000–$190,000 [Enterprise Knowledge](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/enterprise-knowledge) ### [Semantic Data and AI Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/5ccf5311b8887ce2) Arlington, VA Remote 5w ago $135,000–$175,000 [Booz Allen](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/booz-allen) ### [AI/ML Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/00ce9bae32e49a7a) Washington, DC New · 3d ago $99,000–$225,000 - [Other jobs at Steampunk (2)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/steampunk) ## What you’ll do - Develop LLM applications, predictive models, multi-agent workflows, RAG pipelines, and AI microservices. - Build reusable AI components and integrate models with enterprise systems, vector databases, and cloud services. - Design prompts, retrieval systems, context management, and LLM orchestration logic. - Deploy and optimize inference services with LLMOps, including monitoring and continuous improvement. ## What you’ll bring - Bachelor’s degree and 8+ years of experience. - 5+ years of software engineering experience, including 2+ years focused on AI/ML, generative AI, or LLM applications. - Proficiency in Python and modern AI frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face Transformers, LangChain, or LlamaIndex. - Experience developing production-grade AI applications and implementing RAG architectures, embeddings, and vector stores. ## About Steampunk Federal technology contractor delivering human-centered digital transformation, cloud, cybersecurity, AI, and data services to government clients. [View posting at Steampunk](https://careers-steampunk.icims.com/jobs/8325/senior-ai-developer/job?in_iframe=1) ## Similar jobs [EY](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/ey) ### [EY-Parthenon - Strategy and Execution - Growth Platforms - AI/ML Engineer - Sr Associate/Consultant](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/dcf9fa8686e192dd) New York, NY · Atlanta, GA · +12 more Hybrid 2mo ago $130,000–$185,000 [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 [LMI](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/lmi) ### [Senior Data Scientist (Clearance Required)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/e27f382ea6146070) Washington, DC · Tysons, VA Hybrid 2w ago $113,560–$192,050 [Dark Wolf Solutions](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/dark-wolf-solutions) ### [AI Software Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/b68e811302382d5d) Chantilly, VA · Herndon, VA On-site 2mo ago $120,000–$160,000 - [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 and want this page changed or removed? 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