Forward Deployed Engineer

About the company

Our client is a defense technology company.

The role

Raydar is recruiting for this role on behalf of our client. Own the technical side of getting production software running inside secure government environments, from initial requirements through go-live and ongoing support. The work pairs backend development with close contact with end users, covering both early pilot efforts and full rollouts after a contract is signed.

What you'll do

• Install, run and maintain production software within secure government IT environments, taking responsibility for delivery from intake to go-live.
• Serve as the lead technical contact for end users and program owners, converting loosely defined needs into working software.
• Scope and build small proof-of-value pilots ahead of a sale, then carry out complete technical rollouts once a contract is in place.
• Write backend code, ideally in Python, to support customer workflows that process large volumes of text, media and location data.
• Handle government IT and security constraints while partnering with product, design and platform colleagues.

Requirements

What we're looking for

• A current top-level U.S. security clearance, or U.S. citizenship with eligibility and willingness to obtain one.
• Around four or more years as a software engineer working across the stack, with solid backend skills that will be tested in a coding and algorithms interview.
• A record of putting software into service inside government or defense IT environments.
• Prior work in defense technology, with a cleared contractor or in a government-adjacent setting, for example as a solutions engineer who delivered pilots and demos or as a customer-facing engineer who shipped production systems.
• Experience collaborating directly with end users or government program offices to define needs and conduct user testing.
• Demonstrated ability to drive a project from start to finish in a customer-embedded setting with little supervision.
• U.S. citizenship, residence anywhere in the U.S., and willingness to travel 20-30% to customer and operational sites.

Bonus points

• Knowledge of government security compliance frameworks and related systems such as identity management, security monitoring and cross-domain tooling.
• Exposure to common web and data tools, such as React and Postgres.

Benefits

Compensation and benefits

Base salary

USD 180,000 to 220,000 per year

• Equity
• Health, dental and vision coverage
• Flexible time off
• Paid parental leave
• Retirement plan with match

Location and work model

• Remote (US)
• Full-time
• Travel of 20-30% to customer sites