Forward Deployed Engineer | San Jose, CA (On-site, 35–50% travel) | $165K–$220K base + equity | US Citizen
Our client is an early-stage defense tech company (55 people, $70M raised) building mixed reality hardware and software for soldiers and industrial operators — night vision headsets with thermal and low-light sensors, deployed under the US Army's Soldier Born Mission Command (SBMC) program, the follow-on to IVAS. They sit as a direct competitor to Anduril and Elbit in the next-gen soldier systems space, and also deploy the same platform for maintenance on satellites, aircraft carriers, submarines, and power plants.
The team vibe: scrappy, field-first, no ego. Engineers here don't theorize about user needs from a desk — they go on-site, strap on the hardware, walk alongside soldiers and operators, and debug in real conditions, sometimes in windowless rooms with no internet. The platform architect is a former Palantir FDE, the SBMC lead engineer comes from a government frontline software background, and the team includes a retired Marine as test lead and engineers who came up through IVAS at Microsoft.
They're now hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer to embed directly with commercial and defense customers, write production code in the field, and shape the product roadmap from the point of need. You'll cycle between customer sites and the office, gather real-world feedback, and iterate fast — genuinely high-impact, high-visibility work in a team small enough that every person has direct access to leadership.
What they need:
- US citizen with an active Secret security clearance, or able to obtain one (non-negotiable)
- 3–5 years of hands-on software engineering, strong in Linux, networking fundamentals, and low-level programming (C, Rust, or similar)
- Demonstrated experience deploying and debugging integrated systems on-site with customers, not just building in an office
- Background where software meets the physical world: embedded systems, defense tech, robotics, aerospace, IoT, or factory automation
- Comfortable working across Linux, Android, C, Rust, and Python, using whatever tool fits the problem
What we're looking for:
- Scrappy, curious, and self-directed — thrives in ambiguity
- Willing to travel 35–70% and genuinely excited to work in austere field environments, not just an air-conditioned office
- Someone with range and resourcefulness over narrow specialization
- Strong communicator who can represent the company credibly with customer stakeholders and translate field learnings into product priorities
If you are interested in finding out more please apply below and I will be in contact to discuss the position further.