Geospatial Engineer Jobs in Washington, DC (NOW HIRING)

Vantor is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what's happening now and shape what's coming next. Vantor is a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters-where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can: Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world. To be eligible for this position, you must be a U.S. Citizen. This position requires an active U.S. Government security clearance, applicants who do not currently hold the required clearance will not be eligible for consideration. Employment for cleared roles is contingent upon verification of clearance status. Export Control/ITAR: Certain roles may be subject to U.S. export control laws, requiring U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). Please review the job details below. This position requires an active U.S. Government Security Clearance at the TS/SCI level with required polygraph. We are seeking a Geospatial Platform Engineer to support geospatial, imagery, AI/ML, and data-driven application development, deployment, and operations. This role will focus on moving mission capabilities from prototype to production through hands-on software development, data and service integration, Kubernetes-based platforms, containerized architectures, CI/CD automation, observability, and secure DevSecOps practices. The ideal candidate is a self-directed engineer with demonstrated experience developing and supporting geospatial, imagery, AI/ML, or analytic applications in secure hybrid environments, including cloud, on-premises, virtualized, and classified infrastructure. This person should be comfortable researching unfamiliar technologies, implementing solutions with minimal guidance, and collaborating across software, AI/ML, cloud, security, and mission teams. Responsibilities * Develop and integrate backend services, APIs, data connectors, plugins, and platform components that support geospatial, imagery, AI/ML, and analytic workflows.
* Build data ingest, enrichment, transformation, indexing, alerting, API, and analytic service components for mission-focused applications.
* Design, deploy, and maintain containerized application architectures using Docker, Kubernetes, Rancher, RKE2, or similar technologies.
* Create and improve CI/CD pipelines, reusable deployment patterns, infrastructure automation, and DevSecOps workflows using tools such as Ansible, Terraform, Packer, or similar technologies.
* Support geospatial visualization, 3D terrain/model visualization, imagery access, and map-based analytic workflows using tools and frameworks such as Cesium, OMAR, or similar technologies.
* Operationalize AI/ML models at scale through model integration, inference services, deployment automation, monitoring, and production support.
* Troubleshoot complex issues across application code, Linux, containers, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, APIs, networking, data services, and AI/ML-enabled environments.
Minimum Qualifications * Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, data science, geospatial science, or related area of study.
* Minimum 8 years of experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 7 years of experience with a Master's degree; or 6 years of experience with a Doctorate.
* Active/current TS/SCI with required polygraph; US citizenship required; willingness to work onsite full time.
* Strong experience developing production software using languages such as Python, Java, C++, JavaScript, TypeScript, SQL, Bash, or similar languages.
* Demonstrated experience supporting geospatial, imagery, AI/ML, data-driven, or analytic applications.
* Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation, and containerized architectures in hybrid, on-premises, virtualized, or classified environments.
* Ability to work independently, research and evaluate technical approaches, implement solutions with minimal guidance, document decisions, and collaborate across technical teams.
Preferred Qualifications * Demonstrated experience supporting geospatial analytics, imagery systems, mapping platforms, earth observation, full-motion video, EO/SAR, remote sensing, or related mission applications.
* Experience developing geospatial services, data connectors, backend APIs, plugin architectures, image processing utilities, or analytic platform components.
* Familiarity with 3D geospatial visualization, Cesium, OMAR image library, terrain/tileset services, imagery catalogs, or map-based analytic applications.
* Experience with computer vision, image/video processing, object detection, tracking, classification, segmentation, feature extraction, or model inference workflows.
* Hands-on experience with Apache Airflow, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, Elasticsearch, Trino/Presto, and other geospatial technologies.
* Experience supporting model integration, ML pipelines, scalable inference services, NVIDIA Triton, data fusion, tipping and alerting, or production AI/ML runtime environments.
* Experience with Rancher, RKE2, OpenShift, AWS, Azure, VMware vSphere, HashiCorp Vault, Artifactory, GitOps, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/OpenSearch, CIS benchmarks, STIGs, ATO processes, or related tooling and practices. Pay Transparency: To support pay transparency, Vantor includes salary ranges in all U.S. job postings. Starting pay for this role will fall within the listed range and will be based on factors such as experience, qualifications, skills, location, and market conditions. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements for the role should not expect to receive compensation at the top of the range. The listed range reflects the expected pay for this position, and final offers will be determined based on each candidate's experience, expertise, and alignment with the role. • The base pay for this position within the Washington, DC metropolitan area is: $161,000.00 - $215,000.00 - $236,500.00 annually. For all other states, we use geographic cost of labor as an input to develop market-driven ranges for our roles, and as such, each location where we hire may have a different range. Benefits: Vantor offers a competitive total rewards package that goes beyond the standard, including a robust 401(k) with company match, mental health resources, and unique perks like student loan repayment assistance, adoption reimbursement and pet insurance to support all aspects of your life. You can find more information on our benefits at: https://www.Vantor.com/careers The application window is three days from the date the job is posted and will remain posted until a qualified candidate has been identified for hire. If the job is reposted regardless of reason, it will remain posted three days from the date the job is reposted and will remain reposted until a qualified candidate has been identified for hire. The date of posting can be found on Vantor's Career page at the top of each job posting. To apply, submit your application via Vantor's Career page. EEO Policy: Vantor is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace. We believe in fostering an environment where all team members feel respected, valued, and encouraged to share their ideas. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.