Forward Deployed Engineer - Software Modernization (TS/SCI Clearance Required)

Vannevar; Washington (Washington County); On-site; USD 170,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Vannevar is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to lead modernization efforts for DoD mission-critical software. You’ll own architecture, development, deployment, and fielding of agentic solutions while collaborating with government stakeholders and defense primes.

The role requires hands-on engineering leadership, strong communication with engineers and executives, and ability to navigate secure environments and travel 40-50% in support of national security missions.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of production software engineering experience for DoW/IC.
• Strong ability to translate mission needs into technical solutions.
• Experience modernization/integration of large-scale software systems.
• Proficient in TypeScript, Python, Java, C++, or similar languages.
• Experience with cloud, Kubernetes, CI/CD, and DevSecOps.
• Experience in DoD RMF/NIST 800-53 environments.

Responsibilities

• Deploy and lead modernization of mission-critical defense software.
• Serve as primary technical contact with government and primes.
• Collaborate with product, design, and mission teams.
• Analyze architectures and guide implementation strategies.
• Develop modernization plans and AI-enabled capabilities demonstrations.

Skills

Software engineering

Customer engagement

Cloud infrastructure

Kubernetes

DevSecOps

RMF/NIST 800-53

Tools

LangGraph

OpenAI SDK

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Agent2Agent (A2A)

Job description

Vannevar is a defense technology company building AI to deter our adversaries. In the 21st century, conflict moves at algorithmic speed and foresight equals firepower. Our agentic AI is purpose-built to compete with China—from cross-Strait conflict to gray zone coercion. Trained on the most mission-relevant datasets in defense, our technology models adversary behavior, simulates campaigns, and recommends the best course of action to decision makers. Our AI systems are some of the most trusted in the industry and actively used on the front lines of the Indo-Pacific to keep the peace and save lives.

Exceptional technology starts with exceptional people. Vannevar is a small agile team combining world-class engineers with veteran strategists who bring deep expertise in defense and tradecraft. We’re building a company defined by mission impact, user empathy, and disciplined growth. In just three years, we grew from $3M to $80M in ARR, achieved early profitability, and reached unicorn status—proving that disruption doesn’t require an ego, and staying power doesn’t mean standing still.

About the role

Our Mission teams operate like small startups within the Vannevar umbrella. As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) supporting software modernization for the Department of War, you will serve as the technical lead for customer engagements focused on modernizing mission-critical software systems. You will work directly with technical stakeholders across government and other defense primes supporting national security missions, owning the architecture, development, deployment, and fielding of agentic solutions tailored to real-world systems engineering challenges.

In this role, you will act as a senior technical counterpart to customer stakeholders — translating mission requirements into scalable software, navigating government technical environments, and ensuring capabilities are delivered reliably into production. You will collaborate closely with product, design, platform engineering, and mission teammates to deliver high-impact outcomes, while remaining a hands‑on individual contributor.

U.S. Persons status with at least a current Top Secret US DoD or IC clearance is required. This is a customer‑facing role required to be based in Washington D.C. Work will require time in secure or classified environments and frequent travel (40-50%).

What you’ll do

• Deploy, customize, and extend Vannevar’s agentic software modernization platform to accelerate refactoring, architecture modernization, testing, and software delivery for mission‑critical defense systems.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customer stakeholders, partnering with government and industry teams to understand mission requirements and deliver technical outcomes.
• Collaborate with engineers, product teams, and mission experts to design and deliver software solutions that address complex systems engineering challenges.
• Analyze existing massive software architectures, development workflows, and technical constraints to identify modernization opportunities and guide implementation strategies.
• Develop technical recommendations, demonstrations, and modernization plans that help government program offices adopt AI‑enabled software engineering capabilities.

What we’re looking for

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience building and deploying production systems across the DoW or IC.
• Experience working directly with customers or stakeholders to translate mission requirements into technical solutions. Candidate should have strong technical communication skills and the ability to lead complex technical discussions with both engineers and senior stakeholders.
• Experience supporting modernization, integration, or sustainment efforts for large‑scale software systems.
• Proficiency in one or more of TypeScript, Python, Java, C++, or similar programming languages.
• Experience with modern software development and deployment practices, including cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes, CI/CD, and DevSecOps.
• Experience operating in regulated or secure environments, including DoD Risk Management Framework (RMF) and NIST 800-53.

What we value

• Experience with Ada, CMS-2, C++, Java, or other legacy systems languages.
• Experience building, evaluating, or operating coding agents, software engineering agents, code intelligence systems, or agentic developer tools using LangGraph, OpenAI SDK, Model Context Protocol (MCP), Agent2Agent (A2A), and more.
• Experience with software architecture reviews, systems engineering, requirements management, verification, and validation.
• Prior experience working with defense primes or government program offices.

What we offer

We’re proud to offer competitive benefits that support our employees. Some key highlights of our benefits package include:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Remote friendly with WeWork access
• Unlimited PTO, shared downtime during the federal holiday calendar, and company‑wide off-time at the end of each year
• 401(k) match
• Lifestyle & wellbeing stipends
• Salary top‑up during military reserve duty
• Fully paid parental leave
• Child and pet care reimbursement during travel

Vannevar is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
We are committed to protecting the privacy of all applicants. Official emails from the company will come from an @vannevarlabs.com domain. Under no circumstances will a legitimate representative from our company contact you to request passwords, financial information, or other sensitive personal data. Please be vigilant of potential scams.