Senior Applications Engineer

Join a team where innovation meets mission. Our AI, cloud, cyber, and modernization solutions save agencies thousands of hours, safeguard national security, and strengthen health and humanitarian missions worldwide. With more than 1,700+ team members, 1,500+ AI & data experts, and 100+ prime contracts, we deliver at scale and with purpose. We've been recognized as a Top Workplace by The Washington Post for six consecutive years and named to the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest-Growing Private Companies in 13 of the past 14 years. Credence is a welcoming environment for those looking to grow and make a meaningful impact. We encourage employees to push boundaries and help solve critical, world-changing federal challenges. Credence has an immediate opening for a Senior Applications Engineer who will be primarily responsible for supporting the Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Automated Addressing Systems (DAAS), AI/ML program. The Senior Applications Engineer analyzes and studies complex system requirements and leads the design and implementation of software tools and subsystems that support software reuse and domain analyses. This is a hands-on role that pairs deep applications engineering with front-end UI/UX development: you will be handed real enterprise applications with real user friction, and part of your mandate is to diagnose why users aren't engaging and rebuild experiences — interfaces, dashboards, and data visualizations surfacing AI/ML outputs — that they actually want to use. You will manage software development and support efforts using formal specifications, data flow diagrams, and other accepted design techniques and Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools, while providing reliable cost and schedule estimates to program leadership. To succeed in this role, you should combine deep hands-on engineering expertise with modern front-end skills, the ability to guide development teams, improve existing systems, and enforce disciplined configuration management practices in support of DAAS AI/ML modernization efforts. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the duties listed below Front-End Engineering & UI/UX Architecting and building performant, responsive, accessible (WCAG 2.1 AA) user interfaces using React/Next.js with TypeScript, HTML5, and CSS3Auditing existing applications to identify user adoption barriers through heuristic analysis, user research, and behavioral data, and translating insights into measurable improvements in engagement and task completionDesigning and building interactive dashboards and data visualization layers (D3.js, Chart.js, or similar) that surface AI/ML outputs, analytics, and operational metrics to end usersDeveloping reusable component libraries and design systems that scale across multiple productsLeveraging AI coding assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor) as a productivity multiplier within disciplined, secure development workflowsTechnical Leadership & Delivery Mentoring junior developers on the project team, raising the front-end skill level across the programAnalyzing and studying complex system requirements to inform software design and implementation decisionsDesigning software tools and subsystems to support software reuse and domain analyses, and managing their implementationManaging software development and support using formal specifications, data flow diagrams, other accepted design techniques, and Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) toolsEstimating software development costs and schedule, and communicating estimates and risks to program and project leadershipReviewing existing programs and assisting in making refinements, reducing operating time, and improving current techniquesSupervising software configuration management, including version control, change control, and release integrity across the development lifecycleContributing to code reviews, CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, Git), artifact and dependency governance (Sonatype Nexus), and agile ceremonies (JIRA)Collaborating with cross-functional teams, developers, analysts, and stakeholders to deliver software solutions that meet or exceed client expectationsDocumenting and communicating the results of your effortsAI/ML Collaboration Collaborating with data engineers and ML teams to ensure AI/ML outputs are represented accurately and meaningfully in front-end dashboards and visualizationsDeveloping working familiarity with the team's AI/ML tech stack sufficient to design effective interfaces around it (deep hands-on ML model development is not required — see Preferred Qualifications)Related duties or special projects as assigned Requirements US citizen with the ability to obtain a security clearance is requiredBA/BS in a technical discipline from an accredited universityAt least ten (10) years of applicable experience in applications engineering, software development, or a related disciplineDemonstrated experience analyzing complex system requirements and designing software tools and subsystemsExperience managing software development efforts using formal specifications, data flow diagrams, and other accepted design techniques and CASE toolsDemonstrated ability to estimate software development costs and schedulesExperience with software configuration management tools, systems, and processesDemonstrated experience developing and deploying machine learning models in operational or production environmentsExperience engineering AI-driven anomaly detection models (e.g., time-series forecasting approaches such as Prophet) to monitor API traffic or system telemetry5+ years of hands-on experience in UI/UX design and front-end development, with a portfolio demonstrating measurable impact on user experienceProven track record of improving adoption or usability on complex enterprise or government applications — fixing existing products, not just building new onesExpert-level proficiency in React, Next.js, TypeScript, and HTML/CSS, with deep familiarity with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standardsExperience with data visualization libraries (D3.js, Chart.js, Recharts, or similar) and a solid understanding of UX research methods (usability testing, journey mapping, heuristic evaluation)Proficiency with Git, JIRA, Jenkins, and Sonatype Nexus for artifact management, dependency governance, and secure software supply chain practicesDesired Technical Skills Languages: Python, Golang, C++, C, SQL, JavaCloud & Big Data: AWS (CLI, EC2, S3), Hadoop, Snowflake, Databricks, PySpark, Teradata, Oracle, SQL Server, AzureMachine Learning & Analytics: XGBoost, SVM, Random Forest, kNN, Cosine Similarity, NLP, Alteryx, AWS SageMaker, TableauTools/Frameworks: Git, GitHub, Flask, NodeJS, ReactJS, Next.js, TypeScript, D3.js, Chart.js, Recharts, REST API, Django, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins, JIRA, Sonatype Nexus, GitHub Copilot/CursorDesired Certifications AWS Certified Machine Learning - SpecialtyCompTIA Security+ ceAWS Certified Solutions Architect Salary Range: $150,000 - $180,000 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on the selected candidate's experience, education, certifications, skills, and overall qualifications. Benefits Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)Short Term & Long Term DisabilityTraining & DevelopmentFree Food & SnacksWellness ResourcesStock Option Plan