Forward Deployed Engineer / DC

Washington, District Of ColumbiaOnsiteDirect Hire$150k - $200kOur client is an early-stage AI company based in Washington, DC, building advanced software systems that help organizations identify and analyze emerging risks across complex digital environments. They are hiring a full-time Forward Deployed Engineer to help deploy, support, and scale their platform across a variety of customer environments. This role sits at the intersection of software engineering, systems deployment, customer engagement, and technical problem solving. The technology stack includes modern cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, AI-driven applications, and on-premise deployments.This is an opportunity to join a small, high-caliber team where your impact will be visible immediately. The ideal candidate is a builder who enjoys solving ambiguous problems, working directly with customers, and taking ownership of technical challenges in the real world. You'll gain exposure to infrastructure, software engineering, deployment strategy, customer operations, and emerging AI technologies. If you're looking for a role that offers rapid growth, significant responsibility, and the chance to work on meaningful technical problems, this is an exceptional opportunity.Required Skills & ExperienceMust hold Secret clearance or above Must be willing to come onsite 5 days a week Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field 1-3 years of software engineering, systems engineering, technical operations, or infrastructure experience - ideally in a forward-deployed capacity Experience in defense, intelligence, or public safety Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills Ability to work independently in unfamiliar environment Excellent communication skills and customer-facing professionalism Willingness to travel as needed (largely in the DC area) Interest in AI, distributed systems, or emerging technologiesDesired Skills & ExperienceExperience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) Familiarity with Linux systems and networking fundamentals Exposure to containerization technologies such as Docker or Kubernetes Experience supporting customer deployments or technical implementations Personal projects, hackathons, startup experience, or open-source contributionsWhat You Will Be DoingDeploying and supporting software systems in customer environments Troubleshooting technical issues across infrastructure, networking, and application layers Working directly with customers to ensure successful implementations Partnering closely with engineering teams to improve product reliability and deployment processes Providing feedback from the field to influence product developmentThe OfferEquity eligible Medical, dental, vision insurance 401(k) PTO