The D.C. metro area ranks second in the nation for artificial intelligence-related job openings, with nearly 1,800 job postings at the end of August. The demand for AI skills is primarily driven by the defense and biotech industries in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. Data scientists constitute a significant portion of job postings, with growing demand for full-stack engineers and Scrum Masters, who play a facilitating role in AI project management.
These AI positions offer competitive salaries, with Scrum Masters in the D.C. area commanding a pay range of $137,000 to $232,000 annually. The AI job market in the region is expected to continue growing, further boosting demand for data centers and impacting real estate markets. Northern Virginia, with its concentration of data centers, is poised to benefit significantly from this trend.
Layoffs: Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks is embarking on a $59 million restructuring plan, resulting in 440 job layoffs, as part of its strategic realignment to invest in long-term growth opportunities. The move is aimed at enhancing operating margin and will involve around $48 million in cash expenditures. The company anticipates completing most of the layoffs by the end of Q1 2024. Juniper’s emphasis on enterprise networking gear and its robust performance in AI-driven enterprise revenue highlight its commitment to staying competitive in the evolving technology landscape.
Hiring: FLorida Defense Contractor
A defense contractor is exploring the possibility of establishing a significant aerospace parts manufacturing facility in Titusville, with plans to bring around 300 well-paying jobs to the area between 2027 and 2033. To incentivize its location in Titusville, the company is requesting a $1.26 million grant from a local Brevard County economic development entity. The potential project also involves a military branch linked to the contract stationing up to 100 civilian and military personnel at the site, with a likelihood of this expansion happening from the plant’s opening in 2027 until 2046. Additionally, an economic and fiscal analysis by the North Brevard Economic Development Zone predicts that the 300 direct jobs created could lead to 519 spinoff jobs in related businesses. While the identity of the company behind “Project Topaz” remains confidential, there are hints of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s involvement. The Brevard County Commission will decide on the $1.26 million grant, which is essential in competing for the company’s investment in Titusville, among other locations.
Cleared Employer at Work: Booz Allen
Opportunity to Watch
CesiumAstro, SES, and Hughes have achieved a successful OTA demonstration of a scalable Ka-band active phased array terminal for SATCOM.
Conducted by CesiumAstro throughout the months of June and July in Austin, TX, the demonstration paired the company’s medium form factor terminal with the Hughes HM400 software-defined modem connecting through SES’s geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite. This news is a key milestone on CesiumAstro’s roadmap to flight-qualify its Ka-band SATCOM terminal on commercial and defense platforms. CesiumAstro recently announced a contract to demo its terminal aboard a U.S. Air Force MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial system (UAS) in support of the military’s need for enhanced, higher throughput connectivity aboard airborne vehicles.
CesiumAstro’s SATCOM terminal connected with SES’s satellite on both stationary and mobile platforms, demonstrating transmit and receive link closure to the satellite, and to a Hughes ground station in Woodbine, MD. The CesiumAstro team surfed the internet as well as streamed full-motion video and a live webcam feed from the terminal to a remote site, replicating the required capabilities of commercial inflight connectivity and UAS intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
