Forward Deployed Engineer

Founding Engineer OpportunityWe're assisting a well-funded startup in the defense space with their search for founding engineers. Their AI powered platform helps the U.S. military track supplies, equipment, personnel, and transportation in real time, while using predictive analytics to anticipate shortages and recommend how to get resources where they're needed. The role will work out of their Rosslyn, VA or Seattle, WA office with travel (domestic and international) 30-35% of the time to military bases to deploy software.What you'll do:Work side-by-side with end users and stakeholders to understand their toughest challenges, then design and deliver software solutions that directly address those needs.Take full ownership of features from concept to deployment, including prototyping, integrating with existing systems, and ensuring performance in demanding real-world environments.Collaborate across engineering, product, design, and operations teams to build scalable systems, prioritize work, and drive complex projects to completion.Continuously monitor and improve system reliability and performance by instrumenting code, analyzing metrics, diagnosing issues, and iterating on fixes.Balance short-term urgency with long-term maintainability—making thoughtful trade-offs that keep solutions practical, effective, and mission-focused.Travel roughly ~25% to deploy, field-test, and support software systems, gathering feedback directly from users to ensure success in operational settings.What you'll bring:Experience deploying software on-site with a customer or in the field.Must have an active Secret security clearance (inactive or lapsed not currently eligible).4+ years of experience as a full-stack software engineer in a customer-facing position (e.g., forward deployed engineer).Worked at a startup or on a small team with outsized ownership.Full-stack proficiency in Go, TypeScript/JavaScript, C++, or similar.Must be willing to travel 30-35% of the time.