Code for America believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the new digital age, and that government at all levels can and should work well for all people. For more than a decade, we’ve worked to show that with the mindful use of technology, we can break down barriers, meet community needs, and find real solutions.
Our employees build and transform government and community tools and services, making them so good they inspire change. We merge the best parts of technology, nonprofit, and government to help support the people who need it most.
With a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and deep empathy for partners in government and community organizations and the people that our partners serve, we’re building a movement of motivated change agents driven by meaningful results and lasting impact.
At Code for America, you contribute to exciting work while learning and developing in a supportive and flexible environment. Our compensation and benefits are holistic and thoughtfully curated to represent our employees and our mission. Help us drive real generational change that lasts.
Code for America is looking for a talented Principal AI Solutions Architect. In this role, you’ll be part of the AI Studio we are building to help state and local governments define, evaluate, prototype and test AI use cases: creating frameworks and platforms that enable responsible and effective AI adoption in the public sector. You’ll drive innovation in how governments serve their communities and will contribute to the broader conversation around responsible AI in government.
About the Role:
As an AI Solutions Architect, you'll work with a team of data scientists, product managers, researchers and policy experts across our AI Studio initiative. You'll collaborate directly with government partners to understand their AI/ML needs, build rapid prototypes, and develop frameworks for responsible AI implementation. This role is critical in helping agencies move from AI concepts to practical, responsible solutions that serve their communities.
This role will report to the Senior Director of Solutions Engineering and is expected to travel no more than 10% of the time.
In this Position You Will:
- Technical Leadership & Solution Design:
- Design and implement cloud-based AI/ML solutions using modern MLOps practices;
- Build proof-of-concept applications leveraging LLMs, embedding models, and other AI technologies;
- Develop reusable components and frameworks for common AI use cases in government;
- Create and maintain technical documentation, including architecture diagrams and implementation guides;
- Evaluate and integrate various AI/ML tools and platforms (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Databricks, Amazon AWS, Azure, etc.);
- Familiarity with modern MLOps practices.
- Platform Development:
- Contribute to our AI evaluation and prototyping platform;
- Design and implement microservices architectures for AI applications;
- Develop APIs and integration patterns for connecting government systems with AI services;
- Create reusable templates and starter kits for common AI patterns.
- Partnership & Strategy:
- Work with government partners to assess AI readiness and develop implementation roadmaps;
- Provide technical guidance on AI procurement, including RFP development and vendor evaluation;
- Lead technical discovery sessions to identify high-impact AI use cases;
- Develop frameworks for responsible AI deployment in government contexts;
- Create and deliver AI capability training for government technical teams.
- Other duties as assigned
About You:
- 7+ years of software engineering experience, with recent focus on AI/ML implementations;
- Strong Python development skills and experience with ML frameworks;
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and MLOps practices;
- Knowledge of LLMs, embedding models, and modern AI application patterns;
- Experience with data engineering and working with large datasets;
- Familiarity with microservices architecture and API design;
- Strong communication skills and ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences;
- Experience leading technical projects and working directly with stakeholders.
It’s a Bonus if You Have:
- Experience with Snowflake, Databricks, or similar modern data platforms;
- Experience with cross-functional collaboration with data scientists on model implementation and evaluation;
- Background in government technology or civic tech;
- Experience with AI governance and responsible AI practices;
- Knowledge of government procurement processes;
- Contributions to open source projects;
- Experience with rapid prototyping and agile development;
- Understanding of Data Governance and AI Security and Privacy considerations.
What You’ll Get
Salary:
Code for America’s salary bands are transparent as a part of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are happy to extend this transparency in the recruitment process. As part of our equitable hiring practices, we aim to target the midpoint of the 2nd quartile of the range for all new hires.
Offer targets vary based on market / geographic location. The offer targets for this role range from $143,884 to $176,138, annually.
Benefits and Perks:
- Values:
- Leadership and teammates who value Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (DE&I)
- A collaborative, cross-functional, hardworking, and joyful environment
- Employee Enablement Support:
- Laptop provided
- $700 remote environment setup; $200 stipend and up to $500 reimbursement, in accordance with our equipment policy
- Cell phone and/or internet reimbursement of $50 per month
- Professional Development:
- $1000 annual (per calendar year) stipend towards professional development; prorated at time of hire
- Up to $1000 of professional development funds can be rolled over each year, up to a maximum of $2000
- Retirement & 401k Plans:
- Employees under 3 years are eligible for a 100% employer match of up to 3% of employee contribution
- Employees with 3+ years are eligible for an additional 50% employer contribution over 3%, to a maximum of 5%
- Medical:
- Full benefits package with options up to 100% coverage toward select medical, dental, and vision plans
- Employer contributes up to 80% of the cost towards dependent and family coverage
- Remote Work:
- Code for America employees may work remotely across the US
- Code for America employees main residence must be within the US
- Full-time employees work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday
- Collaborative working hours: we aim to hold all internal meetings between 10 AM - 3 PM PT. We expect all Code for America staff to be available during these set working hours
- Time Off:
- Open personal time off, a minimum of 16 paid holidays, and an org-wide closure from Christmas Day through New Year's Day
- Paid sick time; up to 96 hours annually
- Competitive paid parental and family leave
- 4 weeks of paid sabbatical after 4 years of service, with an option of up to 4 additional weeks of unpaid time away
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Code for America values a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. Code for America is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.
Code for America Workers United:
As of October 27, 2023, Code for America has reached a CBA (collective bargaining agreement) with Code for America Workers United, affiliated with OPEIU (Office Professional Employees International Union, Local 1010). This position is not designated as part of Code for America Workers United.
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