Forward Deployed Engineer

Revive IT Recruitment; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Rivet Industries is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer in San Jose, CA for a full-time, on-site role. You will embed with defense and commercial customers to solve field-level problems by writing production-grade code and shaping the product roadmap. You will deploy with customers, troubleshoot across Linux, C, Rust, Python stacks, and operate in austere environments.

Travel 35–70% is expected, and candidates must be U.S. citizens with a Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of hands-on software engineering experience with Linux, networking, and low-level programming (C/Rust).
• Experience deploying and debugging integrated technology onsite with customers.
• Background in embedded systems, defense tech, robotics, or IoT.
• Willingness to travel 35–70% and to work in austere field environments.
• U.S. citizen with an active Secret security clearance or ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

• Deploy onsite with customers to develop, debug, and ship field software solutions.
• Gather real-world feedback at customer sites and iterate with core engineering.
• Diagnose and resolve diverse technical issues in field environments.
• Represent Rivet on site and translate field learnings into product priorities.
• Collaborate with PhDs and domain experts to solve complex challenges.

Skills

Linux

Networking

C / Rust

Embedded systems

Onsite deployment

Security clearance

Tools

Python

DevOps

Embedded tools

Job description

Forward Deployed Engineer at Rivet Industries

San Jose, CA • Full‑time • On‑site

Base salary $165,000 – $220,000 per year plus competitive equity.

Must be a U.S. citizen with a Secret security clearance or the ability to obtain one.

About this role

Embed directly with commercial and defense customers to solve complex real‑world problems at the intersection of hardware, software, and mission‑critical operations. Write production‑quality code in the field, shape the product roadmap, and work on technology that matters.

What you will be doing

• Deploy onsite with customers (industrial, defense, and government) to develop, debug, and ship high‑impact software solutions in the field — often in air‑gapped, austere, or disconnected environments.
• Cycle between customer sites and the office, gather real‑world feedback, bring it back to the core engineering team, and iterate fast to improve the product.
• Diagnose and solve a wide range of technical problems on the fly — from networking issues to code bugs — using whatever tool is right for the job (Linux, Android, C, Rust, Python, etc.).
• Act as Rivet's ambassador on site, represent the company credibly with customer stakeholders, translate field learnings into product priorities, and identify new use cases.
• Collaborate with Rivet's core engineering team (including PhDs and domain specialists) to communicate and resolve complex technical challenges discovered in the field.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of hands‑on software engineering experience with strong foundations in Linux, networking fundamentals, and low‑level programming (C, Rust, or similar); comfortable across multiple languages and abstraction levels.
• Demonstrated experience deploying and debugging integrated technology solutions onsite with customers—not just building in an office.
• Background in environments where software meets the physical world (embedded systems, defense tech, robotics, aerospace, IoT, factory automation, or similar).
• Scrappy, curious, self‑directed; thrives in ambiguity, willing to travel 35–70%, and genuinely excited to work in austere field environments.
• U.S. citizen with an active Secret security clearance or the ability to obtain one.

Travel: 35–70% on field sites.

On‑site work policy: In‑office in San Jose, CA with 35–50% travel to customer sites.

Full‑time position.

Tech stack: Linux, Android, C, Rust, Python, DevOps, Networking/IP, Embedded Systems, Hardware‑Software Integration, SDLC, Sensors, AI.