AI/ML Software Engineer III with Security Clearance

THOR Solutions is actively seeking a Software Engineer III with a focus on AI and Machine Learning (ML) to support a contract developing an AI tool to automate the comparison process for U.S. Navy engineering drawings or "Damage Control Plates" in Virginia Beach, VA. The software engineer will be part of a team building a computer vision-based image processing pipeline that ingests two versions of the DC plates and identifies differences, and a locally deployed language model that takes output from the first component and generates draft comparison reports. This position is a short-term position, anticipated to last approximately though the end of December, 2026, with possibility of further work.

Typical Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate a computer vision pipeline capable of ingesting, aligning, and automatically detecting differences between two versions of an engineering drawing.
• Develop and deploy a locally hosted language model to interpret comparison output and generate structured, human-readable draft reports for engineer review.
• Build and maintain a secure, engineer-facing web interface that allows users to review AI-generated findings, annotate results, and approve or correct comparison reports.
• Implement drawing ingestion and normalization routines supporting multiple file formats including PDF, TIFF, CGM, DXF, and JPEG.
• Ensure all software components are deployable on existing on-premise hardware with no cloud infrastructure dependency.
• Produce and maintain technical documentation including design documents, API references, and user guides.

Location: Hybrid work schedule. Three days/week onsite at THOR's Virginia Beach, VA office location, and the remainder may be performed remotely/work from home.

Travel: Up to 10% travel anticipated to sites in San Diego, CA and Philadelphia, PA.

Typical Physical Activity: Desk/computer work in an office environment. May involve: repetitive motion.

Typical Pay Range: The anticipated pay range for this position in the identified location(s) is $38.46 - 45.67/hour. Actual compensation offered will be based upon individual factors including education, qualifications, and experience.

Existing SECRET Security Clearance Required: This position requires an existing active or interim Secret security clearance prior to hire. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance ; therefore, only current U.S. citizens will be considered for this position. Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a quantitative field of study such as engineering or mathematics (e.g., software engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, information technology, or information systems) from an accredited institution.
• In lieu of a relevant degree, other qualifications such as additional years of highly-relevant experience and/or professional certifications may be considered.
• Cybersecurity certification such as CompTIA Security+ or similar.
• At least five (5) years of professional experience in software engineering, including recent experience with AI/ML concepts and development.
• Experience with applying programming concepts in a professional or academic setting.
• Experience with applying modern software development methodologies (e.g. agile, DevOps/DevSecOps) in a professional or academic setting.
• Proficiency with common productivity software including the Microsoft Office suite.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Experience deploying and optimizing large language models for CPU-based inference in resource-constrained environments.

Additional Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Familiarity with DoD or Navy IT environments, network security requirements, or working with government-managed infrastructure.
• Agile Developer certification or Certified Scrum Developer certification.