Forward Deployed Software Engineer

Forward Deployed Software Engineer

(Defense AI Platform | Unicorn | Pre-IPO Growth Stage)

Our client is a rapidly scaling defense software company that recently secured a $150M growth investment from a leading global private equity firm, bringing total funding to ~$170M+ and placing the company at a valuation exceeding $1B. The business is in a true scale-up phase with clear trajectory toward a future IPO.

The company builds mission-critical software and AI-powered platforms used across the U.S. defense ecosystem to modernize acquisition, supply chain, logistics, and operational decision-making. With strong revenue growth and expanding federal adoption, the team is investing heavily in customer-embedded engineering talent.

They are hiring Forward Deployed Software Engineers to partner directly with end users and build high-impact capabilities in real operational environments.

The Role

This is a highly hands-on engineering position that blends technical ownership with customer immersion.

You will

• Work directly alongside government users to understand workflows, constraints, and operational pain points
• Design and ship 0→1 features, integrations, and system extensions
• Translate ambiguous, real-world requirements into working production systems
• Prototype quickly, iterate based on live feedback, and deploy at speed
• Maintain a high technical bar while delivering customer-facing outcomes

This is not a traditional “solutions engineer” role. You will write and ship real production code, own deployments, and influence product direction based on field experience.

What Makes This Unique

• Direct exposure to senior government stakeholders
• High ownership from discovery → architecture → implementation → iteration
• Opportunity to shape product direction in a scaling unicorn
• Strong internal technical culture combined with real-world deployment impact
• Significant company momentum with a clear path toward IPO

You will thrive in this role if you are:

• A strong full-stack or backend engineer with solid systems fundamentals
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and operating independently
• Credible and composed in customer-facing environments
• Product-minded, with strong judgment and prioritization instincts
• Motivated by real-world impact and complex, high-leverage problems
• Low ego, high accountability, and strong communication skills are critical.

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship required
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience
• 1–4 years of professional software engineering experience
• Experience building and shipping production systems
• Ability to work directly with customers and translate needs into technical solutions

Nice-to-have experience

Modern frontend frameworks (React/TypeScript), Java or backend services, relational databases, AWS or cloud infrastructure.

Security Clearance

• Security clearance is a plus (Secret / TS / TS-SCI) but not required

Location & Travel

• Flexible location (East Coast presence preferred)
• Meaningful customer-driven travel (~30–40%, occasionally higher depending on deployment needs)

Why Join Now

This is a rare opportunity to join a unicorn defense AI company at scale-up stage, with significant capital backing and IPO trajectory, while still operating in a high-ownership environment where engineers shape product and customer outcomes directly.

If you are looking for

• Technical depth
• Real-world deployment
• Fast growth
• High visibility
• Mission-critical impact

This role offers all five.