Title of Role: Forward Deployed Engineer (AI / Defense)
Location: Washington, D.C.
Company Stage of Funding: Seed / Pre-Series A (~$3.5M raised)
Office Type: Onsite (5 days/week + some travel)
Salary: $180,000 – $220,000 + Equity (0.30–0.48%)

Company Description

Our client is an early-stage, mission-driven AI startup building systems designed to support national security, defense, and intelligence operations. Their platform focuses on identifying and responding to real-world threats using advanced AI capabilities deployed directly in high-stakes environments.

Backed by leading investors and working closely with government and defense partners, the company is rapidly scaling deployments and expanding its engineering team to meet urgent demand. This is an opportunity to work on impactful, real-world problems where the systems you build are deployed in critical environments.

What You Will Do

• Build and contribute to core AI platform features, writing production-grade code alongside the engineering team
• Deploy and operate AI systems in real-world defense and intelligence environments
• Own the full lifecycle of deployments, including scoping, integration, and live operations
• Serve as the primary technical interface for customers, understanding workflows and translating requirements into solutions
• Build rapid prototypes and integrations under tight timelines and evolving requirements
• Translate field learnings and edge cases back into product improvements
• Operate independently in high-stakes environments with minimal oversight
• Support infrastructure setup and troubleshooting across diverse hardware and networking environments

Ideal Candidate Background

• 0–4 years of software engineering experience (open to strong new grads)
• Strong programming skills in Python and solid engineering fundamentals
• Experience building and shipping systems end-to-end (projects, internships, or production systems)
• Comfortable working in unstructured, ambiguous environments with high ownership
• Experience or interest in customer-facing or field-based engineering roles
• Strong problem-solving ability and adaptability under pressure
• Clear communication skills and ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders
• U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain security clearance

Preferred

• Experience with Linux, shell scripting, or systems-level development
• Familiarity with mobile or Android development
• Exposure to AI systems, LLMs, or agent-based architectures
• Experience in defense tech, gov tech, or mission-driven environments
• Prior experience in forward deployed, solutions, or field engineering roles
• Startup or entrepreneurial experience

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive base salary: $180,000 – $220,000
• Meaningful early-stage equity (0.30% – 0.48%)
• Opportunity to work on mission-critical systems with real-world impact
• Direct exposure to defense and intelligence applications of AI
• High ownership and rapid growth in a small, elite team
• Relocation support available for candidates moving to Washington, D.C.

This role is ideal for engineers who want to work at the intersection of AI, national security, and real-world deployment—building systems that directly impact critical operations.