Entry Level Backend Developer Jobs in Washington

The Nuclear Company is the fastest growing AI tech-enabled startup in the nuclear and energy space, pioneering a fleet-scale approach to building the next generation of nuclear reactors. Through our design-once, build-many model, we're accelerating the deployment of safe, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy.

We operate with an AI-first mindset. Every employee is expected to leverage AI, technology, and the Nuclear Operating System (NOS) as integral components of their role to improve the quality, speed, and impact of their work. We expect every team member to continuously identify opportunities to automate workflows, enhance decision-making, improve processes, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of NOS as a strategic operating capability that enables The Nuclear Company to scale with excellence.

We hire people who are driven by purpose, thrive in ambiguity, and are energized by building what has never been built before. Our team combines intellectual curiosity with high agency, embraces candid feedback and continuous learning, and holds themselves and others to exceptional standards. Our values-Transparency, Responsibility, Unity, Scrappiness, and Tenacity-guide how we hire, collaborate, and make decisions every day. They are not words on a wall; they are the standard by which we operate. TRUST is the foundation of our safety culture, fostering intellectual honesty, accountability, and open communication, while our values challenge every team member to execute with urgency, humility, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to our mission.

About the role

The Nuclear Company is hiring an AI Engineer 1 to help build and run the backend, data, and integration layers that NOS depends on. You will report to the Director of Platform Integrations and work in the Platform Integration & AI/Data squad. NOS is the software platform behind one of the largest nuclear buildouts in the United States, and the platform layer is what keeps it fast, reliable, and connected to the systems around it. This is a hands-on, entry-level role. You will work alongside the Platform Engineer and other senior engineers on CI/CD, backend services, and the data and application integrations that tie NOS to internal systems and external sources, taking well-scoped features end to end under senior code review. You will ramp on Palantir Foundry and the team's AI and data tooling, write production code, open pull requests, and grow into a specialization over time. 

Responsibilities

First 90 Days: 

• Help build and maintain the application and data integrations that connect NOS to internal systems, partner APIs, and external data sources, working from well-scoped tickets under senior review. 

• Take ownership of scoped CI/CD and release tasks that keep NOS builds repeatable, tested, and traceable. 

• Do basic backend and DevOps work: build and fix backend services, write tests, and handle routine platform monitoring and maintenance. 

• Ramp on Palantir Foundry, the data ontology, and the MCP interfaces that let AI agents work against NOS data and start contributing to them. 

• Partner with the Platform Engineer, data scientists, AI/ML engineers, and product engineers, and grow from paired work toward independent delivery. 

Required Experience

• Computer science degree or equivalent, with 0-2 years of professional experience (internships, co-ops, and project work count). 

• Strong fundamentals in at least one backend language (Python and/or TypeScript preferred; Go or Java also welcome). 

• Some hands-on exposure to basic DevOps and backend work: CI/CD, version control, REST APIs, or wiring systems together, from an internship, a job, or a personal project. 

• Has built something with AI beyond using a chat assistant: multi-step prompts, custom tools, AI in the codebase, or a small agentic project. 

• Good written and verbal communication, and willingness to learn the nuclear and regulated-industry context. 

Preferred Experience

• Exposure to a major cloud (AWS preferred), including coursework or personal projects. 

• Coursework or project work in CI/CD, infrastructure as code, or configuration management. 

• Coursework or project work in LLMs, agentic systems, or data modeling. 

• Familiarity with Palantir Foundry, Databricks, or Snowflake. 

• Internship or project work in a regulated or mega-project industry (nuclear, aerospace, defense, energy, medical). 

Benefits

• Competitive compensation packages
• 401k with company match
• Medical, dental, vision plans
• Generous vacation policy, plus holidays

Estimated Starting Salary Range
The estimated starting salary range for this role is $80,000 - $150,000 annually less applicable withholdings and deductions, paid on a bi-weekly basis. The actual salary offered may vary based on relevant factors as determined in the Company's discretion, which may include experience, qualifications, tenure, skill set, availability of qualified candidates, geographic location, certifications held, and other criteria deemed pertinent to the particular role. 

EEO Statement
The Nuclear Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an environment of inclusion in the workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We prohibit discrimination in all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, demotion, transfer, compensation, and termination.