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Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer Jobs in Norfolk, VA

Fire Protection Engineer (Remote or Hybrid)

Hampton, VA · On-site +1

$80K - $108K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... owner and contractor, subcontractors, and vendors. * Participates in client meetings, value ... Experience with CFD modeling software (i.e. FDS, ASCOS) is preferred but not required. * Requisite ...

Network Engineer III

Virginia Beach, VA · Remote

$117K - $195K/yr

  • Medical

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Description & Requirements Shape the future of defense with MANTECH! Join a team dedicated to ... Designs architecture to include software, hardware, and communications to support the total ...

Network Engineer

Norfolk, VA · On-site +1

$52K - $108K/yr

  • Medical

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Remote Work: Hybrid Job Number: R0246197 Location: Norfolk,VA,US Share job via: Share Network ... Crafting the right network, with the right equipment and software, requires a combination of ...

SENIOR INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM ENGINEER/STRATEGIST

Newport News, VA · On-site +1

$142K - $178K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

... remote access. The role also helps to drive improvement across the entire Industry 4.0/5.0 tech ... Applications/ Software Architecture & Enablement • Promote modular, service oriented, and micro ...

Showing results 21-40

Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer information

See Norfolk, VA salary details

$61.4K

$142.7K

$198.8K

How much do remote defense contractor software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for remote defense contractor software engineer in Norfolk, VA is $142,735.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $116,100.00 and $167,400.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a remote defense contractor software engineer?

A Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer is a software developer who works for a company contracted by government defense agencies to build, maintain, or secure software systems, but does their work from a remote location instead of a traditional office or on-site facility. These engineers often develop applications for military or national security use, which can include communication systems, cybersecurity tools, or mission-critical platforms. Due to the sensitive nature of their work, they may require special security clearances and must adhere to strict security protocols even while working remotely.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a remote defense contractor software engineer?

To excel as a Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer, you typically need a strong background in computer science or engineering, proficiency in programming languages like C++ or Java, and active security clearance. Familiarity with secure coding practices, embedded systems, and tools such as Git, Jira, and specialized defense software development environments is crucial. Excellent problem-solving, communication, and self-motivation are standout soft skills for remote collaboration and meeting strict project requirements. These competencies ensure secure, reliable software delivery and effective teamwork in sensitive, mission-critical defense projects.

How does a remote defense contractor software engineer typically collaborate with team members and stakeholders given security and communication constraints?

Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineers often work with multidisciplinary teams, including developers, project managers, and cybersecurity specialists. Collaboration is facilitated through secure, government-approved communication platforms and version control systems that comply with strict security protocols. Regular virtual meetings and documentation are essential to ensure alignment on project requirements and updates. While remote work offers flexibility, engineers must be diligent in following procedures for handling sensitive information and may sometimes need to access secure facilities for classified work. Effective communication and adaptability are key to overcoming the challenges of working in a highly regulated, remote environment.

What is the difference between Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer vs Remote Cybersecurity Software Engineer?

AspectRemote Defense Contractor Software EngineerRemote Cybersecurity Software Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in CS or related, security clearances often preferredBachelor's in CS, Cybersecurity, or related; certifications like CISSP beneficial
Work EnvironmentDefense contractors, government projects, secure facilitiesTech companies, security firms, government agencies
Employer & Industry UsagePrimarily defense and military sectorsPrimarily cybersecurity and IT sectors
Common Search & ComparisonOften compared for security clearance and defense projectsCompared for network security and threat mitigation roles

The Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer typically works on defense and military projects requiring security clearances, while the Remote Cybersecurity Software Engineer focuses on protecting networks and systems from cyber threats. Both roles require strong technical skills, but their industries and project types differ significantly.

What are popular job titles related to Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer jobs in Norfolk, VA?

For Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer jobs in Norfolk, VA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer jobs in Norfolk, VA look for?

The top searched job categories for Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer jobs in Norfolk, VA are:

What cities near Norfolk, VA are hiring for Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer jobs?

Cities near Norfolk, VA with the most Remote Defense Contractor Software Engineer job openings:

Senior MLOps & Generative AI Engineer - Remote

Sentara Health

Virginia Beach, VA • On-site, Remote

$90K - $123K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.


Sentara Health rating

6.7

Company rating: 6.7 out of 10

Based on 412 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

531st of 887 rated healthcare providers


Job description

City/State
Virginia Beach, VA
Work Shift
Multiple shifts available
Overview:
Sentara is hiring a Senior MLOps & Generative AI Engineer!
This position is fully remote!
Selected candidates would be required to be onsite for final round of team interview
Candidates must reside in one of the following states:
Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, or Wyoming.
Overview
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior MLOps & Generative AI Engineer to join our growing AI organization and help advance current and future initiatives applying machine learning, deep learning, NLP, and Generative AI technologies to improve healthcare outcomes and operational excellence.
This role combines two critical focus areas:
  • MLOps Engineering - building and scaling enterprise-grade ML infrastructure, deployment pipelines, observability, governance, and automation capabilities.
  • Generative AI Engineering - designing, architecting, deploying, and optimizing secure, production-ready GenAI applications and platforms leveraging LLMs, RAG architectures, vector databases, prompt orchestration, and AI evaluation frameworks.

As a Senior Engineer, you will partner closely with AI Scientists, Data Engineers, Software Engineers, Architects, and Product teams to operationalize AI/ML and Generative AI solutions at enterprise scale. You will play a key role in shaping the organization's AI platform strategy, driving best practices, and delivering scalable, secure, and reliable AI systems in production healthcare environments.
Key Responsibilities
MLOps Engineering Responsibilities
  • Design, build, and maintain scalable ML infrastructure and pipelines supporting model training, deployment, monitoring, governance, and lifecycle management.
  • Develop and optimize CI/CD pipelines for machine learning and AI workloads across development, staging, and production environments.
  • Build reusable ML platform capabilities including feature stores, model registries, experimentation frameworks, artifact management, and deployment automation.
  • Implement scalable orchestration and workflow solutions for batch and real-time ML inference workloads.
  • Create robust monitoring systems to measure model performance, detect model drift, monitor data quality, and ensure production reliability.
  • Develop automation tools and self-service capabilities to improve the efficiency, scalability, and reliability of MLOps processes.
  • Collaborate with Data Scientists and Software Engineers to streamline the ML lifecycle from experimentation through enterprise production deployment.
  • Apply software engineering best practices to AI/ML systems including testing, observability, resiliency, security, versioning, and infrastructure-as-code.
  • Identify gaps and improvement opportunities within the organization's ML platform ecosystem and architect scalable solutions to address them.
  • Support enterprise AI governance, compliance, auditability, and model risk management requirements.
  • Ensure platform scalability, reliability, security, and operational excellence across AI/ML systems.

Generative AI Engineering Responsibilities
  • Lead the architecture, design, and deployment of enterprise Generative AI solutions leveraging LLMs, foundation models, and agentic AI systems.
  • Design and implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines using vector databases, embeddings, semantic search, reranking, and retrieval optimization strategies.
  • Build scalable LLM orchestration frameworks using technologies such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, or equivalent frameworks.
  • Develop advanced prompt engineering strategies, prompt chaining, context management, and agent workflows to improve LLM accuracy and reliability.
  • Evaluate and implement fine-tuning, parameter-efficient tuning, and prompt-based optimization approaches for domain-specific use cases.
  • Build AI evaluation and benchmarking frameworks to measure hallucination rates, response quality, grounding accuracy, toxicity, bias, latency, and business performance metrics.
  • Implement AI safety guardrails, governance controls, content filtering, and responsible AI practices for enterprise healthcare environments.
  • Design scalable GenAI APIs and microservices supporting high-throughput enterprise AI applications.
  • Optimize GenAI systems for cost, latency, throughput, and inference performance across cloud and hybrid environments.
  • Integrate enterprise data sources, healthcare systems, and knowledge repositories into secure GenAI workflows.
  • Research and evaluate emerging GenAI technologies, open-source frameworks, and foundation models to drive innovation and continuous improvement.
  • Develop architecture diagrams, technical roadmaps, implementation strategies, and executive-level documentation for enterprise AI initiatives.
  • Collaborate with cybersecurity, compliance, and infrastructure teams to ensure secure and compliant deployment of GenAI solutions involving PHI and sensitive healthcare data.
  • Contribute to the development of AI platform standards, reusable GenAI accelerators, templates, and engineering best practices.

Required Qualifications
  • 5+ years of experience building and deploying production software, ML systems, or AI platforms.
  • 1+ years of hands-on experience building production Generative AI or LLM-based applications.
  • Strong programming skills in Python and experience with software engineering best practices.
  • Experience with major deep learning and LLM frameworks such as PyTorch, Hugging Face Transformers, TensorFlow, or equivalent.
  • Hands-on experience implementing RAG architectures, vector search, embeddings, prompt engineering, and LLM orchestration frameworks.
  • Experience with vector databases such as Pinecone, Weaviate, Chroma, FAISS, Milvus, or equivalent technologies.
  • Experience deploying AI/ML systems in cloud environments including AWS, Azure, or GCP.
  • Strong understanding of APIs, distributed systems, microservices, and scalable backend architectures.
  • Experience with Kubernetes, containerization, orchestration, and cloud-native infrastructure.
  • Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation, and MLOps best practices.
  • Experience building monitoring, observability, and alerting solutions for ML and AI systems.
  • Strong understanding of AI/ML lifecycle management, governance, model versioning, and production operations.
  • Experience designing secure, scalable, production-ready AI platforms and services.
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work across technical and business teams.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Previous experience implementing Generative AI and MLOps solutions within healthcare environments.
  • Experience working with EPIC or healthcare interoperability platforms.
  • Understanding of HIPAA, PHI handling, healthcare compliance, and responsible AI practices.
  • Experience with AI governance frameworks, LLM evaluation methodologies, and AI safety tooling.
  • Experience with GPU infrastructure optimization and scalable inference architectures.
  • Familiarity with multi-agent AI systems and autonomous workflows.
  • Experience with event-driven architectures, streaming pipelines, and real-time inference systems.
  • Exposure to model fine-tuning techniques including LoRA, PEFT, RLHF, or domain adaptation strategies.
  • Experience with enterprise AI platform architecture and internal developer platforms.
  • Prior experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.

Education
  • 5+ years of relevant experience with a degree (Required)

or
  • 7+ years of relevant experience without a degree (Required)
  • Experience in lieu of Bachelor's Degree.

Certification/Licensure
  • No specific certification or licensure requirements

Experience
  • 5 to 7 years of relevant experience

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives, and benefits. The base pay rate for Full Time employment is: $91,416.00 - $152,380.80. Additional compensation may be available for this role such as shift differentials, standby/on-call, overtime, premiums, extra shift incentives, or bonus opportunities.
Keywords: Talroo-IT, MLOps, Gen AI, LLM, AWS, Azure, GCP, AI/ML, Python, PyTorch, Hugging Face Transformers, TensorFlow, RAG, EPIC, HIPAA, AI Governance
Benefits: Caring For Your Family and Your Career
Medical, Dental, Vision plans
• Adoption, Fertility and Surrogacy Reimbursement up to $10,000
• Paid Time Off and Sick Leave
• Paid Parental & Family Caregiver Leave
• Emergency Backup Care
• Long-Term, Short-Term Disability, and Critical Illness plans
• Life Insurance
• 401k/403B with Employer Match
• Tuition Assistance - $5,250/year and discounted educational opportunities through Guild Education
• Student Debt Pay Down - $10,000
•Pet Insurance
•Legal Resources Plan
•Colleagues have the opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus ifestablished system and employee eligibility criteria is met.
Sentara Health is an equal opportunity employer and prides itself on the diversity and inclusiveness of its close to an almost 30,000-member workforce. Diversity, inclusion, and belonging is a guiding principle of the organization to ensure its workforce reflects the communities it serves.
In support of our mission “to improve health every day,” this is a tobacco-free environment.
For positions that are available as remote work, Sentara Health employs associates in the following states:
Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

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