Forward Deployed Engineer

Title of Role: Forward Deployed Engineer
Location: Rosslyn, VA
Company Stage of Funding: Series A (Andreessen Horowitz-backed)
Office Type: Onsite (5 days/week) + Travel (~25–40%)
Salary: $190,000 – $235,000 + Equity

Company Description

Our client is a venture-backed defense technology company building AI-powered logistics software for the U.S. military and allied forces. Their platform replaces outdated, manual processes with predictive, real-time systems that improve operational readiness and decision-making in high-stakes environments.

Backed by top-tier investors and staffed by a combination of elite engineers and veterans, the company is rapidly scaling and already supporting critical operations across multiple branches of the military. This is an opportunity to work on mission-critical software in a fast-growing, high-impact environment.

What You Will Do

• Work directly with end users (military personnel and operators) to understand problems and deliver impactful software solutions


• Own features end-to-end, from concept and prototyping to deployment in real-world environments


• Build and deploy full-stack systems across backend, frontend, and systems integration layers


• Debug and resolve complex issues in production, often in high-pressure, real-world conditions


• Collaborate with engineering, product, and operations teams to deliver scalable, reliable solutions


• Continuously improve system performance, observability, and reliability through monitoring and iteration


• Travel (~25–40%) to deploy and support systems in operational environments, both domestically and internationally

Ideal Candidate Background

• 2–6 years of software engineering experience, ideally in startup or high-ownership environments


• Strong coding ability (Java strongly preferred; experience with Go, TypeScript, C++, or similar also valuable)


• Experience working in customer-facing or deployment-oriented engineering roles


• Proven ability to own and deliver projects end-to-end in ambiguous environments


• Strong debugging skills and experience working with production systems


• Ability to work onsite in the DC area and travel as required


• Active U.S. Secret security clearance required

Preferred

• Experience in defense tech, aerospace, or other mission-critical domains


• Prior Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Engineer, or similar experience


• Experience deploying software in constrained or real-world environments


• Familiarity with systems integration, networking, or distributed systems


• Background working in small, fast-moving teams with high ownership

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive base salary: $190,000 – $235,000


• Equity in a high-growth Series A company


• Opportunity to work on mission-critical software with real-world impact


• High ownership role with direct exposure to users and deployments


• Work alongside top-tier engineering talent and experienced operators


• Career growth opportunities as the team scales rapidly

This role is ideal for engineers who want to operate at the intersection of software, real-world deployment, and mission-critical systems—owning impactful work from code to field execution.