Senior AI Developer (IT Assistant Director II)

The Maryland State Department of Education is dedicated to supporting a world-class educational system that prepares all students for college and career success in the 21st century. With excellent stewardship from our divisions, we oversee State and federal programs that support the needs of a diverse population - students, teachers, principals, and other educators throughout Maryland., This contractual position is the senior AI developer and subject matter expert within the Information Technology Branch (ITB) of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), reporting to the IT Partner. The incumbent designs, builds, and maintains AI-powered applications supporting MSDE's operational and programmatic needs - ultimately in service of improving outcomes for Maryland's children, families, schools, and the programs that serve them. They bring the enterprise software development and applied AI expertise that anchors ITB's growing AI program, working as a core technical member of a collaborative team that includes the IT Partner, the Director of IT Infrastructure, the MSDE CISO, the Privacy Officer, the Accessibility Section, DoIT, and MSDE program offices. This is a founding role. The incumbent helps establish the development standards, architectural patterns, and governance framework ITB's AI program will operate under - while remaining comfortable working quickly in a low-maturity environment where those structures are still being built. They use AI tools to accelerate their own development work and bring the judgment to validate what those tools produce. Successful performance in this role requires someone who is adaptive, self-directed, and equally effective working independently and as a contributing member of a team. The incumbent operates with significant technical autonomy while staying closely aligned with the IT Partner, program offices, and ITB leadership on direction and priorities. All work must align with Maryland cybersecurity law (COMAR 14.41), DoIT security and AI governance policies, MSDE data governance and privacy policies, Maryland state AI standards, and FERPA., * Design, build, maintain, and enhance ITB's AI-powered applications across the full lifecycle: requirements through deployment and ongoing operation.

• Write production-quality application code; maintain and extend existing Python codebases.
• Use AI-assisted development tools to accelerate work; apply the judgment and experience to validate what those tools produce.
• Ensure every solution is maintainable, documented, and built to be handed off. Design AI tools so that human review of outputs is meaningful and well supported
• • not perfunctory. Work with the IT Partner to help program staff understand what they are checking, why it matters, and how to do it effectively.
• Establish and maintain quality standards appropriate to each tool's purpose and the program's compliance needs.
• Establish and apply ITB's AI application development standards: code quality, testing, documentation, dependency management, and version control discipline.
• Serve as the sole practitioner on the team for Linux environments, container operations, and cloud deployment; must be self-sufficient at this layer as no other ITB staff member operates in these environments.
• Work with program offices and the IT Partner to identify problems worth solving, understand process and data realities, and translate needs into technical approaches. Engage stakeholders iteratively throughout development
• • not just at requirements and UAT, but as working software evolves.
• Ensure all applications comply with Maryland cybersecurity law (COMAR 14.41), DoIT security and AI governance policies, MSDE privacy policies, state AI standards, and FERPA. Coordinate with the MSDE CISO, Privacy Officer, and Accessibility Section as standard practice
• • not a one-time checkpoint.
• Document architecture, design decisions, and operational procedures clearly and at the right level for the intended audience.

• Seven (7) or more years of direct professional experience designing, building, and deploying software applications, including direct experience overseeing a codebase (architecture, code quality, and technical direction), and direct professional experience with AI/ML application development (LLM-based tools, generative AI, or applied machine learning)
• Experience deploying and maintaining applications in a cloud environment, including containerization and basic Infrastructure as Code, with working proficiency in Python or a comparable language
• Experience with secure development practices and handling sensitive or protected data within a regulated environment, including working knowledge of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA)
• Direct professional experience in government or public-sector work, or on technology serving public-facing programs
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to shifting priorities, evolving requirements, and a changing technical and regulatory landscape, Preference will be given to applicants who possess the following preferred qualification(s). Include clear and specific information on your application regarding your qualifications.
• Experience with AWS Bedrock or a comparable managed AI/LLM service
• Experience establishing release management practices and code review discipline as a solo developer or member of a very small team
• Familiarity with the OWASP LLM Top 10 or a comparable AI security framework
• Experience serving as the lead technical SME on a small, cross-functional team, including producing documentation that enables operational handoff, Applicants must consent to State and FBI (CJIS) background check as a routine procedure for all employees.

Pulled from the full job description

• Prescription drug insurance
• AD&D insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance, Contractual employees who work for an agency covered under the State Employee and Retiree Health and Welfare Benefits Program, have a current employment contract and work 30 or more hours a week (or on average 130 hours per month) may be eligible for subsidized health benefits coverage for themselves and their dependents. As a contractual employee, you will be responsible for paying 25% of the premiums for your medical and prescription coverage, including any eligible dependents you have enrolled. The State of Maryland will subsidize the remaining 75% of the cost for these benefits. You can also elect to enroll in dental coverage, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and life insurance, but will be responsible to pay the full premium for these benefits.

Leave may be granted to a contractual employee at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked, not to exceed 40 hours per calendar year.