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Prototype Engineer Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

SAIC

AI Engineer - SETA

Columbia, MD · On-site

$240K - $280K/yr

Engineering and Sciences Subcategory: Systems Engineer Schedule: Full-Time Shift: Day Job Travel ... The right candidate is a builder at heart-someone who explores new frameworks, prototypes ideas ...

Cornerstone Defense

DevOps Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$54 - $74/hr

Identifies, prototypes, engineers, and deploys emerging software engineering and DevOps tools into existing baseline. Operates and supports a suite of enterprise DevOps services. Establishes, manages ...

RSC2, Inc

AI Engineer

Hanover, MD · On-site

The right candidate is a builder at heart-someone who explores new frameworks, prototypes ideas ... Advise on AI engineering considerations such as latency, reliability, observability, testability ...

RSC2

AI Engineer

Hanover, MD · On-site

$118K - $263K/yr

Advise on technical approaches for AI application design, prototyping, integration, and evaluation. * Assess solutions involving LLMs, retrieval-augmented generation, tool use, agentic workflows ...

RSC2 INC

AI Engineer

Hanover, MD · On-site

$118K - $263K/yr

The right candidate is a builder at heart-someone who explores new frameworks, prototypes ideas ... Advise on AI engineering considerations such as latency, reliability, observability, testability ...

SAIC

AI Engineer - SETA

Columbia, MD · On-site

$240K - $280K/yr

The AI Engineer - SETA wil provide technical advisory support for the design, evaluation, and ... The right candidate is a builder at heart-someone who explores new frameworks, prototypes ideas ...

ARSIEM

AI Engineer - SME

Columbia, MD · On-site

The right candidate is a builder at heart--someone who explores new frameworks, prototypes ideas ... Advise on AI engineering considerations such as latency, reliability, observability, testability ...

ARSIEM

AI Engineer - SME

Columbia, MD · On-site

The right candidate is a builder at heart-someone who explores new frameworks, prototypes ideas ... Advise on AI engineering considerations such as latency, reliability, observability, testability ...

ARSIEM

AI Engineer - SME

Columbia, MD · On-site

The right candidate is a builder at heart-someone who explores new frameworks, prototypes ideas ... Advise on AI engineering considerations such as latency, reliability, observability, testability ...

Cape

Forward Deployed Engineer, Federal

Arlington, VA · On-site

You will scope deployments, prototype integrations, troubleshoot live issues on production networks, and pull engineering priorities directly from operator pain. Where the product doesn't yet do what ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsPrototype Engineer JobsPrototype Engineer Jobs in Washington

Prototype Engineer information

See Washington salary details

$32

$41

$43

How much do prototype engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 9, 2026, the average hourly pay for prototype engineer in Washington is $41.31, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $38.94 and $43.56 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges prototype engineers face when transitioning designs from concept to functional prototypes?

Prototype Engineers often encounter challenges such as interpreting incomplete or evolving design specifications, sourcing unconventional materials, and working within tight deadlines. Close collaboration with design, engineering, and manufacturing teams is essential to resolve technical issues quickly and ensure the prototype aligns with the intended functionality. Flexibility and creative problem-solving are key, as unexpected obstacles frequently arise during the rapid iteration and testing phases.

What is a prototype engineer?

A Prototype Engineer is a professional who designs, builds, and tests early versions of products or components to evaluate their functionality and performance before mass production. They collaborate with designers, engineers, and product managers to turn concepts into tangible prototypes, using a variety of fabrication techniques and materials. Their work helps identify potential design improvements, troubleshoot issues, and ensure that the final product meets technical and user requirements.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a prototype engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Prototype Engineer, you need strong skills in mechanical or electrical engineering, rapid prototyping techniques, and a relevant engineering degree. Familiarity with CAD software, 3D printing technologies, and hands-on fabrication tools is typically required, along with knowledge of prototyping standards. Creativity, problem-solving, and effective communication are essential soft skills to excel in cross-functional teams and adapt to evolving project requirements. These abilities enable successful design iteration, effective collaboration, and efficient transition from concept to functional prototype.

What does a prototype engineer do?

A prototype engineer is part of a product development team that designs prototypes for new kinds of industrial products. Many companies employ design engineers to perform numerous technical duties, such as drawing up schematics and blueprints, overseeing the production of prototypes, and testing those prototypes to decide whether they should enter mass production. The career requires significant educational qualifications and a variety of skills and experience. You should have an engineering degree in the field you wish to enter, strong analytical problem-solving, and the ability to work as part of a large team.

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Prototype Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Prototype Engineer job openings in Washington as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $85,927 per year, or $41.3 per hour.

AI Engineer - SETA

SAIC

Columbia, MD • On-site

$240K - $280K/yr

Other

Re-posted 3 days ago

SAIC rating

7.9

Company rating: 7.9 out of 10

Based on 79 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

78th of 223 rated it services

Job description

Job ID: 2614275
Location: Columbia, MD, US
Date Posted: 2026-07-06
Category: Engineering and Sciences
Subcategory: Systems Engineer
Schedule: Full-Time
Shift: Day Job
Travel: No
Minimum Clearance Required: TS.SCI_wPoly
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: None
Potential for Remote Work: ORA_ON_SITE
Description
Varen, an SAIC Company is seeking an AI Engineer - SETA to join our team. This position is located in Columbia, MD and requires a TS/SCI with polygraph.
The AI Engineer - SETA wil provide technical advisory support for the design, evaluation, and advancement of AI-enabled applications, tools, and workflows. This role is intended for a hands-on technical professional who understands how modern AI systems are built and can help guide teams developing practical solutions using large language models, agentic workflows, orchestration frameworks, and supporting software infrastructure.
The right candidate is a builder at heart-someone who explores new frameworks, prototypes ideas, and continuously teaches themselves emerging techniques. Curiosity and passion matter greatly in this role. We want someone who follows the fast-moving AI ecosystem because they genuinely enjoy it, not just because the job requires it.
Key Responsibilities:
  • Provide SETA support to government teams developing or assessing AI-enabled applications and tools.
  • Advise on technical approaches for AI application design, prototyping, integration, and evaluation.
  • Assess solutions involving LLMs, retrieval-augmented generation, tool use, agentic workflows, orchestration layers, prompt pipelines, and evaluation harnesses.
  • Support the review of architectures, development approaches, model usage patterns, and technical risk areas.
  • Advise on AI engineering considerations such as latency, reliability, observability, testability, guardrails, data flow, and system integration.
  • Evaluate and compare modern AI frameworks, agentic libraries, and experimentation harnesses for suitability in mission use cases.
  • Assist with the development of technical guidance, prototypes, engineering recommendations, and briefings for government stakeholders.
  • Support test and evaluation activities for AI tools, including performance assessment, qualitative review, and workflow validation.
  • Collaborate with platform engineers, product leads, mission users, and government leadership to ensure AI efforts remain technically grounded and operationally relevant.
  • Stay current on rapid changes in the AI ecosystem and provide informed recommendations on emerging tools and practices.

Qualifications
  • Bachelors and eighteen (18) years or more experience; Masters and sixteen (16) years or more experience; PhD or JD and fifteen years or more experience.
  • Experience designing, building, integrating, or evaluating AI/ML-enabled applications or software tools.
  • Familiarity with modern AI application patterns, including LLM-based applications, RAG, prompt engineering, agentic systems, and AI-assisted workflows.
  • Working knowledge of one or more agentic or orchestration frameworks such as LangChain, LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, AutoGen, CrewAI, Haystack, LlamaIndex, or similar ecosystems.
  • Experience with software development fundamentals, APIs, data handling, and system integration.
    Ability to assess technical tradeoffs and communicate them clearly to both engineers and government stakeholders.
  • TS/SCI with Poly required.

Desired, but not required:
  • Experience with Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, or similar languages commonly used in AI application development.
  • Familiarity with vector databases, embeddings, model APIs, evaluation frameworks, and agent testing harnesses.
  • Exposure to model hosting, inference pipelines, or cloud-based AI development environments.
    Understanding of secure AI development practices, data protection, and operational constraints in government settings.
  • Experience supporting defense, cyber, intelligence, or mission application development.
  • Familiarity with human-in-the-loop workflows, AI assurance, and evaluation methodologies.

Target salary range: $240,001 - $280,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.
SAIC is a premier technology integrator providing full life cycle services and solutions in the technical, engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC is Redefining Ingenuity through its deep customer and domain knowledge to enable the delivery of systems engineering and integration offerings for large, complex projects. SAIC's approximately 15,000 employees are driven by integrity and mission focus to serve customers in the U.S. federal government. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $4.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see .

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