Forward Deployed Software Engineer

OpenKrill; United States; Remote; USD 110,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Equity

Job summary

Growth-stage defense technology company (name disclosed upon mutual interest) is seeking Forward Deployed Software Engineers for field work with customers, building 0-to-1 capabilities end-to-end. You will travel to customer sites, collaborate with PMs and designers, and deliver prototypes that directly impact urgent operational needs.

Ideal candidates are curious, decisive, and comfortable working in ambiguity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience in CS/Software Eng.
• 1+ years of frontend or backend development (SQL, Java, and/or TypeScript/React).
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Willingness to travel up to 50%.
• U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Visit customer sites to diagnose and understand pain points.
• End-to-end development of new features and capabilities.
• Iterate quickly to unlock customer value step by step.
• Write clean, testable, maintainable code.

Skills

SQL

Java

TypeScript

React

Independent work

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Software Engineering or related field

Equivalent work experience

Tools

None

Job description

Forward Deployed Software Engineer

Company: Growth-stage defense technology company (name disclosed upon mutual interest)

Location: Remote (U.S.), with up to 50% travel to customer sites

Role Type: Full-Time Employee

Citizenship: U.S. citizenship required

Compensation: Junior (0–3 years of experience): $110,000–$140,000 base. Senior (4+ years): $140,000–$180,000 base. Both levels include bonus and equity.

About the Client

Our client builds an AI-native software platform that helps government agencies and the industrial companies that supply them see real capacity, surface constraints, and coordinate resources, so that the people on the front line get what they need, when they need it.

About the Role

The company is hiring self-starting software engineers for its Forward Deployed Engineering team. You will build new, 0-to-1 capabilities in the field with customers, end to end, moving quickly but responsibly on urgent problems where software makes a real difference. You value face-to-face time with end users and want to own what you build.

To do this well, you are curious and eager to solve problems, use sound judgment when weighing competing priorities, stay flexible, value outcomes over process, and thrive in ambiguity.

In a typical week, you might:

• Spend the day on site with users, listening and asking questions to understand their pain points.
• Work with product managers and designers to scope, architect, and deliver new products and prototypes.
• Build and ship working, customer-facing prototypes.
• Find, prioritize, and fix the most important gaps in a prototype based on user feedback.
• Fail often, iterate quickly, and try again.

Responsibilities

• Visit customer sites to diagnose and understand pain points.
• Take part in end-to-end development of new features and capabilities.
• Iterate quickly to unlock customer value step by step.
• Write clean, testable, maintainable code.

Requirements

Must-Haves

• U.S. citizenship.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 1+ years of front-end or back-end development experience (SQL, Java, and/or TypeScript/React).
• Ability to work independently with little supervision.
• A strong desire to work in a challenging, fast-paced tech environment.
• Willingness to travel up to 50%.

Nice-to-Haves

• An active U.S. security clearance, or the ability to obtain one with sponsorship.
• Startup or entrepreneurial experience.
• Experience working within a federally accredited software environment.
• Experience in a customer-facing or consulting role.

Compensation & Benefits

Junior level (0–3 years of experience): $110,000 to $140,000 base. Senior level (4+ years): $140,000 to $180,000 base. Both levels include a bonus and equity.