Forward Deployed Engineer

Virtru; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 170,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Learning stipend

Team celebrations

Headspace access

401K + stock options

Medical, dental, vision

Job summary

Virtru is hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer to work directly with government agencies and defense customers, deploying and operationalizing the Data Security Platform across Windows and Linux environments.

You will deploy containerized workloads on Kubernetes, integrate with Active Directory and security controls, and serve as the technical bridge between Virtru's platform and agency requirements. This role requires on-site work and travel.

Qualifications

• Active U.S. TS clearance with CI poly preferred.
• 5+ years of deployment/solutions engineering experience in government environments.
• Hands-on containerization and Kubernetes experience.
• Experience with OpenShift, Rancher and Helm.
• Familiar with AWS, Azure, GCP, Tanzu.
• Experience with IdPs like Keycloak or PingFederate.
• Willingness to work onsite and travel.

Responsibilities

• Deploy Virtru DSP across classified and unclassified government environments, aligning with security controls and infrastructure.
• Integrate DSP with Active Directory, Group Policy, and identity systems.
• Architect and manage containerized deployments on Kubernetes platforms (OpenShift, Rancher).
• Collaborate with customer teams to translate mission requirements into deployments.
• Troubleshoot integration challenges across diverse stacks and vendors.
• Create runbooks and automation scripts tailored to government environments.
• Identify gaps and surface improvements to Product and Engineering.

Skills

TS clearance

Govt deployments

Communication

Problem solving

Independent work

Team collaboration

Travel willingness

Tools

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Rancher

Helm

Active Directory

Group Policy

Job description

While the rest of the security industry obsesses over locking data down to prevent it from being lost or stolen, we're doing something fundamentally different at Virtru. We're setting data free so that you can intentionally share it with others, but without sacrificing security, privacy, or control.

We've created both a suite of powerful data protection applications and an open platform that's sparking an ecosystem of innovation. Through the Trusted Data Format (TDF) open standard, we're not just protecting data; we're creating a new paradigm where security enables sharing rather than preventing it.

Think of us as the Android of data protection: a robust platform with an open core that developers and partners can build upon, coupled with our own best-in-class applications that showcase what's possible when you reimagine security from the ground up.

Backed by Iconiq Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Foundry Capital, and Tiger Global, we're helping Fortune 500 companies and government agencies discover that true data security means having the freedom to share, collaborate, and innovate — without compromise.

Compensation: $170,000 - 200,000/year

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) at Virtru, you will work directly alongside government agencies and defense customers to deploy and operationalize Virtru's data protection solutions across mixed Windows and Linux infrastructures in secure, mission-critical environments. Working onsite at customer facilities, you'll serve as the technical bridge between Virtru's platform capabilities and agency-specific security requirements, deploying containerized workloads on Kubernetes while ensuring successful adoption of our Data Security Platform (DSP) within complex government infrastructures that span both Windows enterprise environments and Linux-based cloud-native platforms. If you want to see the real-world impact of your work in national security, this is the role for you.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deploy and configure Virtru's Data Security Platform (DSP) across classified and unclassified government environments, adapting to customer-specific security controls, compliance frameworks, and infrastructure — including Windows Server, Linux, and Kubernetes clusters
• Integrate DSP with government infrastructure including Active Directory, Group Policy, and Windows authentication systems, while supporting Linux-based and cloud-native microservices architectures
• Architect and manage containerized DSP deployments on Kubernetes platforms (OpenShift, Rancher), including Helm chart customization, pod networking, and persistent storage
• Work directly with customer technical teams to translate mission requirements into technical implementations, adapting DSP configurations to specific use cases and security postures
• Troubleshoot complex integration challenges across diverse technology stacks, coordinating between customer teams, Virtru Engineering, and third-party vendors to resolve blockers
• Build and maintain deployment runbooks, configuration guides, and automation scripts (PowerShift, Bash) tailored to government environments
• Surface field-observed gaps, edge cases, and enhancement opportunities to Virtru Product and Engineering based on real-world deployments

Requirements:

• Active U.S. TS Clearance required, w/ CI poly preferred
• Minimum of 5+ years of experience as a deployment engineer or solutions engineer, with expertise in customer-facing technical implementations and system integrations in government environments.
• Strong hands‑on experience with containerization, Kubernetes (K8s), and orchestration tools such as OpenShift, Rancher, and Helm.
• Familiarity with managing services on cloud infrastructure such as AWS, Azure, GCP, Tanzu, etc.
• Hands‑on experience setting up and troubleshooting certificate and DNS issues on Kubernetes, Linux, and Windows environments.
• Familiarity with Identity Providers (IdPs) such as Keycloak, PingFederate, etc.
• Comfortable working in air‑gapped environments.
• Ability to excel both independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills with the on‑site customer and the support team.
• Willingness to work onsite and travel to meet mission requirements.

Virtruvian qualities that will set you up for success:

• Thinking outside of the box to respectfully challenge your teammates and managers in the pursuit of excellence
• Strong sense of urgency with an action‑oriented mindset
• Able to collaborate and adapt to shifting priorities as business needs evolve
• Comfortable with asynchronous communication including slack, email, zoom, etc.

At Virtru, we believe people do their best work when their wellbeing is put first. This is why we make your wellbeing our priority with a thoughtful and holistic program that encompasses Occupational, Mental, Social, Physical, and Environmental Wellness by offering benefits such as…

• A Flexible PTO policy — we strongly encourage you to take time off (in addition to 14 holidays) to ensure that you are getting the proper time needed to unplug and recharge.
• A $1,500 annual Learning & Development Stipend focused on providing you the resources to continually learn and professionally grow.
• Frequent company‑sponsored team celebrations that provide ample opportunities to connect with teammates and be social!
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program
• Access to Headspace, a mental health app tailored to your specific needs.
• A flat 3% contribution to your retirement account
• A high degree of flexibility — Have an appointment, errand, or family emergency to take care of? Hop to it! We give you the time and space to take care of you and your own first.

In addition to wellbeing, Virtru places a strong emphasis on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our DB&I Council is dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace and making the psychological safety of each and every one of our teammates a top priority.

Additional perks include:

• Competitive compensation
• Generous parental, medical, and bereavement policies
• 401K contribution and stock options
• Full medical, dental, and vision benefits
• New Hire Swag and IT Welcome boxes
• Structured semi‑annual 360° performance reviews

Virtru is committed to building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and everyone is encouraged to apply. Virtru is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, disability, national origin, protected veteran status, age, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state, or local law.

Voluntary Self‑Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Virtru’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.