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Innovation Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Steampunk

AI Innovation Engineer

Mclean, VA · On-site

Overview We are seeking a hands-on, creative, and technically strong AI Innovation Engineer to support our client delivery teams in bringing modern AI solutions to life within public-sector ...

Steampunk

AI Innovation Engineer

Mclean, VA · On-site

Overview We are seeking a hands-on, creative, and technically strong AI Innovation Engineer to support our client delivery teams in bringing modern AI solutions to life within public-sector ...

Steampunk

AI Innovation Engineer

Mclean, VA

We are seeking a hands-on, creative, and technically strong AI Innovation Engineer to support our client delivery teams in bringing modern AI solutions to life within public-sector organizations.

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsInnovation JobsInnovation Jobs in Virginia

Innovation information

See Virginia salary details

$10.9K

$96.7K

$115K

How much do innovation jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for innovation in Virginia is $96,746.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $94,200.00 and $103,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are careers in innovation?

Careers in innovation involve developing new products, services, or processes to improve efficiency and competitiveness. Roles may include innovation manager, R&D specialist, or product designer, often requiring skills in creativity, problem-solving, and familiarity with industry tools or methodologies like design thinking or agile. These positions are common in technology, manufacturing, and business sectors seeking continuous improvement.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an innovation manager, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Innovation Manager, you need a strong background in business strategy, creativity, and project management, often supported by a degree in business, engineering, or a related field. Familiarity with innovation frameworks (such as Design Thinking), data analysis tools, and experience with project management platforms like Jira or Trello are commonly required. Exceptional communication, adaptability, and leadership abilities help drive cross-functional collaboration and foster a culture of innovation. These skills are crucial for identifying opportunities, executing new ideas, and maintaining a competitive edge in rapidly changing markets.

What is an innovation job?

Innovation jobs focus on creating, developing, and implementing new ideas, products, services, or processes within an organization. Professionals in these roles help companies stay competitive by identifying opportunities for improvement and driving change. Common positions include Innovation Manager, Product Innovation Specialist, and Innovation Consultant. These jobs often require creativity, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work across different teams.

What is the difference between Innovation vs Product Manager?

AspectInnovationProduct Manager
Primary FocusDeveloping new ideas, concepts, and solutionsOverseeing product development, lifecycle, and strategy
Required SkillsCreativity, problem-solving, market researchProject management, communication, market analysis
Work EnvironmentR&D teams, startups, innovation labsCross-functional teams, tech companies, consumer goods
Industry UsageInnovation departments, R&D unitsProduct development teams, tech firms

Innovation focuses on generating new ideas and solutions, often working in R&D settings, while Product Managers oversee the development and lifecycle of products, ensuring market fit and success. Both roles require collaboration but differ in their core objectives and skill sets.

How does an innovation professional typically collaborate with other departments within an organization?

Innovation professionals frequently work cross-functionally, partnering with teams such as marketing, product development, engineering, and operations to identify opportunities and develop new solutions. They often facilitate brainstorming sessions, gather input from diverse stakeholders, and ensure alignment on project goals. Effective communication and adaptability are essential, as they must bridge gaps between creative ideas and practical implementation, ensuring successful integration of innovations into existing business processes.
What are the most commonly searched types of Innovation jobs in Virginia? The most popular types of Innovation jobs in Virginia are:
What cities in Virginia are hiring for Innovation jobs? Cities in Virginia with the most Innovation job openings:
Innovation jobs near you
Infographic showing various Innovation job openings in Virginia as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 85% Full Time, 12% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $96,746 per year, or $46.5 per hour.

AI Innovation Engineer

Steampunk

Mclean, VA • On-site

Other

Re-posted 28 days ago

Job description

Overview
We are seeking a hands-on, creative, and technically strong AI Innovation Engineer to support our client delivery teams in bringing modern AI solutions to life within public-sector organizations. This role is focused on client enablement, prototyping, and cross-functional engagement-helping our clients understand the potential of AI, design proofs-of-concept, and build working prototypes that demonstrate value in their specific mission context.
The ideal candidate combines strong technical skills (especially with GenAI, LLMs, data pipelines, and cloud-native services) with the ability to collaborate across disciplines-working with DevSecOps teams, cloud working groups, data stewards, and communities of practice to drive AI adoption and build momentum. You'll play a critical role in bridging the gap between strategy and execution, demonstrating how AI can solve real-world problems and catalyze digital transformation.
Contributions
This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of technical innovation and human-centered impact. You'll help our clients not only understand what AI can do, but also show them how through prototypes, pilots, and practice. You'll be an early advocate for the latest AI service offerings that are available for our clients. You'll join a collaborative, forward-leaning culture that values exploration, rapid iteration, and practical impact. You'll contribute to the growth of our AI & Data Exploitation Practice.
Your key contributions include:
  • Client AI Enablement & Education
    • Serve as a trusted advisor to the client organization on modern AI capabilities, best practices, and responsible use
    • Develop AI education materials, tutorials, demo videos, and onboarding sessions that are tailored to the client organization's needs
    • Lead or support AI enablement events such as workshops, lunch-and-learns, innovation sprints, and capability briefings
  • Prototyping & Proof-of-Concepts
    • Design and implement AI prototypes and proof-of-concept solutions tailored to specific mission use cases (e.g., summarization, entity extraction, classification, semantic search)
    • Work with cloud platform teams to integrate prototypes into modern cloud environments (e.g., AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex AI, Azure OpenAI)
    • Leverage RAG pipelines, orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex), and LLM APIs to rapidly deliver working demos
  • Cross-Functional Integration
    • Participate in communities of practice and cross-team working groups (e.g., cloud, data, architecture, cybersecurity) to ensure AI adoption is aligned with broader modernization goals
    • Share findings, prototype patterns, and reusable components across delivery teams to accelerate reuse and scale impact
    • Serve as a liaison between data scientists, platform engineers, and user-facing teams to ensure end-to-end viability of AI solutions
  • Standards, Security & Compliance
    • Ensure all AI solutions are designed with responsible AI principles, data sensitivity awareness, and security-first practices
    • Collaborate with compliance and governance stakeholders to vet tools, define usage boundaries, and mitigate risks in AI application

Qualifications
Required
  • Ability to hold a position of public trust with the US government.
  • Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field.
  • 3+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, or applied AI/ML roles.
  • Demonstrated hands-on experience with modern GenAI tooling, such as:
    • OpenAI (GPT-4), Claude, Gemini, Llama 3
    • LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar RAG frameworks
    • AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex AI, Azure OpenAI Service
    • Vector databases (e.g., FAISS, Pinecone, Weaviate, Chroma)
  • Strong Python development skills with familiarity in building data pipelines, API wrappers, and lightweight front-ends for demos.
  • Ability to build and present AI-powered demos to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Familiarity with DevSecOps and CI/CD principles.
  • Familiarity with GitHub.
  • Experience engaging with external clients or business stakeholders in a consultative role.
  • Relevant Professional Certification(s)
  • Experience supporting HHS or NIH programs
  • Experience working in scientific environments

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience delivering AI capabilities into federal government agencies or highly regulated industries.
  • Experience customizing AI services for biomedical or health research.
  • Understanding of NIST AI Risk Management Framework and other public-sector digital policy memos.
  • Hands-on knowledge of data governance, PII handling, and compliance-aware prototyping.
  • Exposure to Human-Centered Design practices, user research synthesis, or journey mapping.
  • Prior involvement in standing up or contributing to an AI Community of Practice or Innovation Hub.

About steampunk
Identity Statement
As part of the application process, you are expected to be on camera during interviews and assessments. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud.
Steampunk is a Change Agent in the Federal contracting industry, bringing new thinking to clients in the Homeland, Federal Civilian, Health and DoD sectors. Through our Human-Centered delivery methodology, we are fundamentally changing the expectations our Federal clients have for true shared accountability in solving their toughest mission challenges. As an employee owned company, we focus on investing in our employees to enable them to do the greatest work of their careers - and rewarding them for outstanding contributions to our growth. If you want to learn more about our story, visit http://www.steampunk.com.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Steampunk participates in the E-Verify program.

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