Intermediate Cloud / AI Developer

Intermediate Cloud / AI Developer (Remote):
JOB SUMMARY:
Intermediate Cloud / Artificial Intelligence (AI) Developer designs, develops, tests, and supports Java-based, cloud-native applications on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) that enable and improve business workflows. This role builds secure, scalable services with increasing independence, contributes to technical design and implementation decisions, and collaborates closely with DevOps, Quality Assurance (QA), Product Management, and security partners to deliver reliable solutions that meet performance, security, and compliance expectations.

Key Responsibilities
Design, develop, and maintain Java backend services using modern engineering practices, established patterns, and reusable components.
Build and enhance cloud-based solutions on GCP that support data ingestion, processing, storage, retrieval, and distribution; contribute to solution design for reliability and performance.
Develop and maintain Representational State Transfer (REST) application programming interfaces (APIs), including versioning, documentation, backward compatibility, and integration with internal and external systems.
Implement AI-enabled features by integrating approved AI services or models into applications; contribute to basic evaluation and monitoring approaches to ensure quality and responsible use.
Independently troubleshoot and resolve application issues across environments, perform root-cause analysis, and implement preventative fixes to reduce repeat incidents.
Apply secure coding practices and ensure solutions meet security and compliance requirements (for example: authentication/authorization, encryption in transit and at rest, audit logging, and policy-aligned data handling).
Contribute to continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines and deployment automation in partnership with DevOps to improve release quality and repeatability.
Implement and maintain observability practices including structured logging, metrics, dashboards, alerts, and operational documentation/runbooks.
Collaborate with cross-functional partners to plan and deliver releases, support testing, and resolve production issues as needed.
Participate in and contribute to architecture/design discussions and code reviews; help promote team standards and mentor junior developers through guidance and example.

Required Skills
Experience developing backend applications or services in Java.
Hands-on experience working with cloud services and deploying applications on GCP (or equivalent cloud experience with the ability to ramp quickly).
Experience designing and implementing REST APIs, including common authentication/authorization approaches and integration patterns.
Experience integrating AI capabilities into applications (for example: calling AI APIs/services for summarization, extraction, classification, or decision support) and familiarity with basic evaluation/monitoring concepts.
Practical knowledge of secure engineering fundamentals (least privilege access, secrets management, encryption, and audit logging).
Proficiency with Git-based workflows and working knowledge of CI/CD concepts and release practices.
Strong troubleshooting skills, including defect triage, performance tuning, and supporting applications with observability tools.
Strong communication and collaboration skills across engineering, QA, DevOps, product, and security stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications
Experience working in Agile teams and applying Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) practices.
Familiarity with change/configuration management tools (for example: VersionOne, ServiceNow) and/or Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) practices.
Experience with container and/or serverless concepts (for example: Docker, Kubernetes fundamentals, or managed/serverless deployments).
Experience participating in production support rotations and contributing to post-incident analysis and corrective actions.

Additional Required Skills/Experience:
o A minimum of Eight (8) years' relevant experience.
o A degree from an accredited College/University in the applicable field of services is required. If the individual's degree is not in the applicable field then four additional years of related experience is required.
o Typically performs all functional duties independently.
o Note: Special credentials (licenses and/or certifications) may be required at the Task Order level on a case-specific basis."

Additional Provisions:
• Pass both a client mandated clearance process to include drug screening, criminal history check and credit check.
• Once candidate's resume is approved and interview passed, the agency is responsible for providing drug screening. Failure to submit the drug screening results will delay the security clearance process.
• If a candidate is given an interim clearance, continuation of employment is then based on the candidate receiving a sensitive clearance.
• All candidates must be a US Citizen, or have permanent residence status (Green Card).
• Candidate must have lived in the US for the past 5 years.
• Cannot have more than 6 months travel outside the United States within the last five years. Military Service excluded. (Exception does not include military family members.)
• All overtime must be pre-approved in writing by the client manager or his/her designated representative.
• Agency will not be reimbursed for overtime charges without previous written authorization. Authorized overtime will be reimbursed at straight time.
• The enforced dress code is business casual, i.e. collared shirt with slacks for men, no skirts above the knee for women. Place and Period of Performance
• Hours of support:
o The standard work week for contract staff will be 5 days a week and 8 hours per day preferable Monday through Friday.
o Contract staff may be required to travel to support business efforts.