Junior Applied AI Engineer

About the Organization Now is a great time to join Redhorse Corporation. We are a solution-driven company delivering data insights and technology solutions to customers with missions critical to U.S. national interests. We’re looking for thoughtful, skilled professionals who thrive as trusted partners building technology-agnostic solutions and want to apply their talents supporting customers with difficult and important mission sets. About the Role Join Redhorse in redefining how government uses data and AI. We’re looking for someone who takes initiative, explores ideas independently, and wants to create things that didn’t exist yesterday. On our CTO team, you’ll work directly with senior technical leaders and learn how to ship AI solutions that actually solve problems for government missions.   You’ll move fast, own open-ended problems, and prototype ideas across multiple domains. If you’re excited by the idea of exploring new tools, stitching together full-stack apps, and turning rough concepts into working demos, you’ll fit right in.  Key Responsibilities

Build and ship prototypes using modern AI models and tools.  

Develop full-stack demo applications — sometimes from scratch, sometimes by extending existing work.

Explore new technologies (papers, repos, tools) and turn research into actionable recommendations.

Support customer-facing demos by helping refine, polish, and present prototype capabilities.

Create internal tools and resources that raise the AI fluency of teams across the company.

Collaborate with internal groups to help them understand and apply AI effectively.

Required Experience

We’re open to new grads, but the bar is high. You should bring:

Security clearance: Must be eligible for and interested in getting a US Security Clearance

Programming languages: Python and modern JavaScript/TypeScript (React or Next.js experience is a plus)

AI-assisted coding experience: Experience with at least one tool like Cursor, Claude Code, OpenHands, Antigravity, Windsurf, Devin, or Factory AI.

LLM Familiarity: Opinions on major model providers and hands-on experience with at least one LLM API.

Applied Research: Ability to read ML/AI papers or repos and implement ideas from them.

Engineering skills: Git proficiency and experience deploying apps (cloud, Vercel, etc.)

Full-stack capability or aptitude: You can build and deploy an app end-to-end (or learn fast enough to get there quickly). 

Desired Experience

You don’t need to have any of the following experience, but if you do, it may help you stand out from the crowd. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t have any of the following experience.

Writing or speaking publicly about technology.

Any exposure to the federal government (internships, DoD, military service).

Experience running or fine-tuning local LLMs.

Living in the DC–Virginia–Maryland area.

History of strong teamwork and collaboration.

Demonstrated critical thinking and comfort stepping into messy, ambiguous problems.

Who Thrives in this Role

Self-directed: you don’t wait for instructions to explore or build, but you ask for help when needed.

Thoughtful and clear: you push back when needed, propose alternatives, and explain your reasoning.

Eager to learn: you want to learn more about the latest developments in AI and related technologies.

Excited to experiment: you love getting hands-on to see what the newest models are capable of.  

What you’ll get

Real experience building AI prototypes for government missions.

A deep, hands-on foundation in applied AI engineering.

Mentorship from experienced senior technical leaders.

Opportunities to contribute across research, engineering, demos, and training.