Forward Deployed Engineer

SkillStorm Commercial Services LLC; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Life insurance

401(k)

Paid training

Job summary

SkillStorm Commercial Services LLC is seeking working software developers to become Forward Deployed Engineers. You’ll undergo six weeks of paid AI engineering training and certification before deployment to federal and Fortune 100 clients nationwide.

First-year salary ranges from $95,000 to $120,000, with medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401(k). U.S. citizenship is required, and candidates with existing clearance are prioritized.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2+ years of professional software development experience.
• Proficiency in Java, C#, Python, or JavaScript/Node.js.
• Experience building or consuming REST APIs.
• Working knowledge of SQL and relational databases.
• Bachelor's degree in a technical field.

Responsibilities

• Build and deploy AI apps inside the client’s cloud environment.
• Own end-to-end delivery of client-facing capabilities.
• Collaborate with client engineers within their environment and tooling.
• Translate business needs into clear specs and architecture.
• Apply AI tooling to accelerate delivery and build AI-enabled capabilities.
• Define engineering patterns, references, coding standards and reviews.
• Present progress, tradeoffs, and risk; document outcomes.

Skills

Java

C#

Python

JavaScript/Node.js

REST APIs

SQL

Education

Bachelor's degree in a technical field

Tools

Spring Boot

.NET Core

Django

Express

Job description

Forward Deployed Engineer is the fastest-growing job title in tech - and you don't need AI experience to claim it.

You need to be a solid software developer. SkillStorm takes working developers, pays you through six weeks of intensive AI engineering training, and deploys you to federal and Fortune 100 clients in multiple locations. Earn $95,000-$120,000 your first year - on the fastest on-ramp to the $170K+ that experienced FDEs command.

The short version

• Paid from day one - including all six weeks of AI engineering training and certification
• $95,000-$120,000 first-year salary plus medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401(k)
• Deploy to Fortune 100 companies and federal agencies - the same clients Deloitte, Accenture, and KPMG are racing to staff
• You bring the software fundamentals; we build the AI engineer. No AI experience required - we train you
• U.S. citizenship required. Already hold a Secret or Top Secret clearance? You're at the front of the line

Why this role, why now

• FDE job postings grew more than 700% year-over-year, while the pool of qualified candidates grew only a fraction of that. Companies can't find these engineers - so we build them.
• Experienced Forward Deployed Engineers average $170K+ base salary nationally. This program is the fastest on-ramp to that trajectory.
• Firms like Deloitte, Accenture, KPMG, and the federal government's largest consulting partners are all racing to staff this role. That's exactly where SkillStorm deploys.

Who should apply

This role was built for working software developers ready to move into AI. If your title today is Java Developer, Software Engineer, .NET Developer, C# Developer, Python Developer, JavaScript Developer, Node.js Developer, Full Stack Developer, Backend Developer, API Developer, Application Developer, Software Consultant, or Systems Integration Engineer - you already have the foundation. We provide the AI engineering training. You don't need AI experience to apply; you need to be a solid developer who wants to become the engineer companies can't find.

What you'll do

After six weeks of paid, team-based AI engineering training on real-world projects, you'll deploy to our government and enterprise clients ready to have an impact on day one:

• Build and deploy agentic AI applications inside the client's cloud environment
• Own delivery of a client-facing capability end to end - from problem framing through deployment and handoff
• Work embedded with client engineers and stakeholders inside their environment, tooling, and constraints
• Translate ambiguous business needs into scoped specifications and defensible architecture
• Apply AI-assisted development tooling to accelerate delivery and build AI-enabled capability where it fits the client mission
• Set patterns other engineers follow: reference implementations, coding standards, review practices
• Brief client stakeholders on progress, tradeoffs, and risk; produce documentation that outlives the engagement

What you need

• 2+ years of professional experience as a software developer (full-time employment)
• Proficiency in at least one of: Java, C#, Python, or JavaScript/Node.js. Framework experience (Spring Boot, .NET Core, Django, Express, or similar) is a plus - not a requirement
• Experience building or consuming REST APIs
• Working knowledge of SQL and relational databases (Oracle, Postgres, SQL Server, or similar)
• Bachelor's degree in a technical field