Senior Forward Deployed Engineer

About This Opportunity

We are representing a confidential defense technology organization that is building advanced autonomous systems and command & control software. They need a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer who thrives in high-stakes operational environments where software meets reality.

This is not a typical engineering role. You will embed directly with U.S. government and military customers, owning the technical success of complex distributed systems in the field. You'll deploy to austere locations, debug critical issues with minimal support, and ship solutions that operators depend on in real operational contexts.

Responsibilities

• Build and own critical software integrations that bring command & control systems to life in customer environments across diverse hardware configurations and operational contexts
• Debug complex distributed systems issues in the field, analyzing logs, network traffic, and system performance to resolve failures quickly and independently
• Contribute to core service development alongside the engineering team, bringing field insights back into the product and shipping improvements that make a direct operational difference
• Write code daily across the full stack—solving customer-specific integration challenges, contributing to core services, and building monitoring and reliability solutions
• Support continuous operational environments, including non-standard hours, on-call response, and rotational coverage aligned to mission tempo
• Travel domestically and internationally (up to 75%) to test sites and customer locations, deploying software and troubleshooting issues in real-world conditions
• Collaborate with U.S. military and government program offices, translating complex operational requirements into software solutions

What We're Looking For

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience or equivalent demonstrated ability
• Strong proficiency in at least one major programming language (Python, C/C++, Golang, or Java)
• Solid understanding of networking fundamentals: NAT, DNS/mDNS, UDP/TCP protocols, multicast, and firewall configuration
• Experience with Linux system administration and shell scripting
• Proven debugging skills across complex software systems—you know how to read logs, use debuggers, and trace issues systematically
• Excellent communication skills for engaging with U.S. government and military customers and internal engineering teams
• Willingness and ability to travel 60-75% of the time, both domestically and internationally, including to remote or restricted-access locations
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance (active Secret clearance preferred)
• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) to meet ITAR requirements

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and infrastructure-as-code
• Background in distributed systems, real-time systems, or robotics software
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation
• Experience in customer-facing engineering or technical sales engineering roles
• Prior defense, intelligence community, or aerospace software experience
• Comfort operating in non-permissive or resource-constrained environments

This role is for you if:

• You want to see your code run in high-stakes, real-world environments—not just pass CI
• You thrive on solving hard integration and deployment challenges independently, without a safety net
• You're comfortable being the most technical person in the room in dynamic, unpredictable field conditions
• You adapt to shifting schedules and operational demands without losing rigor or precision

This role is NOT:

• A pilot position or flight test engineer role
• Primarily hands-on hardware work (electronics, wiring, mechanical assembly)
• A traditional SRE or DevOps role with predictable hours and controlled environments

How We Work With You

Our talent team at Get A Job.ai partners with leading defense technology organizations to connect exceptional engineers with mission-critical roles. When you apply through our platform, a recruiter will screen your background and experience. If there's a strong match, we'll submit your profile to our client for consideration. Please do not contact the client directly—we manage the entire process to ensure the best outcome for all parties.

Pay

This position offers competitive compensation commensurate with experience, meaningful equity in a high-growth organization, and comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, 401k, PTO, paid sick leave, wellness stipend, catered lunch, and paid parental leave. Our client targets base salary in the $180K–$240K range depending on qualifications.

Get A Job.ai is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds and experiences and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability.