Software Engineer - Forward Deployed - National Security
Role summary
This role is for a Forward-Deployed AI Engineer in National Security, based in Washington, DC. The engineer will deploy and operate AI platforms in sensitive government and defense environments, owning the full lifecycle from scoping and integration to live operation. Responsibilities include writing production code for the core platform, building rapid prototypes, and serving as the primary technical interface to mission owners. The role requires 0-4 years of software engineering experience, proficiency in Python or TypeScript, and the ability to operate independently at customer sites. Eligibility for a U.S. security clearance is mandatory.
Forward-Deployed AI Engineer — National Security
Washington, DC
$180K–$220K + Equity
About the Role
Our client builds AI for the people who protect this country. The work matters. The stakes are not abstract.
You'll deploy their platform into high-consequence environments across the U.S. national security community — intelligence, defense, and law enforcement. You own the full arc: scoping, integration, live operation, and customer trust, in settings where ambiguity is the default and the margin for error is thin.
This is not a field support role. You're a core engineer who thrives at the point of contact — someone who ships production code during the week and deploys it into a SCIF on Friday. You contribute meaningfully to the codebase, not just operate on top of it.
What You'll Do
- Contribute directly to the core platform — writing production code, building features, and extending agent capabilities alongside the engineering team
- Deploy and operate agentic AI systems in sensitive government and defense environments with full technical ownership from integration through live operation
- Serve as the primary technical interface to mission owners and operators, learning their workflows before they have to explain them twice
- Build rapid prototypes and custom integrations in hours, not sprints — then bring the best of those back into the core product
- Translate field requirements and edge cases back to the engineering team with precision, urgency, and working code
- Stand up and maintain field infrastructure across heterogeneous hardware and networking environments
- Conduct live demonstrations to senior government and military stakeholders where failure is not an option
What You'll Bring
- 0–4 years of software engineering experience, ideally in a customer-facing or field capacity
- Experience with Python or TypeScript
- Ability to operate independently at customer sites with minimal oversight
- Eligibility for a U.S. security clearance (active clearance a plus)
Please note the client is also interested in fresh grads as long as you have had internships and gone to a top 20 CS college