Forward Deployed Software Engineer - US Government - Federal Health and Civilian

Palantir Technologies; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Commuter benefits

Relocation assistance

Flexible paid time off

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

Palantir Technologies seeks Forward Deployed Software Engineers to work directly with federal health and civilian agencies on high-impact projects. You will own end-to-end delivery, from whiteboarding architecture to data pipelines, AI agents, and customer advisory, often in a startup-like environment.

You will collaborate on on-site teams, travel as needed, and navigate complex technical and security requirements, shaping solutions that customers rely on for mission-critical outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS or related field.
• Strong engineering background in relevant tech.
• Active U.S. security clearance (Top Secret) or willingness to obtain.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end execution of high-stakes projects for federal health/civil agencies.
• Design data pipelines, architectures, and AI agent deployments.
• Collaborate with customers and engineers on-site to drive solutions.

Skills

Python

Java

C++

TypeScript/JavaScript

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

PostgreSQL

Cassandra

Hadoop

Spark

Java

Groovy

AWS (EC2, S3)

React

Job description

Overview

Palantir builds software for data-driven decisions and operations that empower partners to solve large-scale challenges across public health, supply chains, safety, and more.

The Role

Palantir powers mission-critical work across federal health and civilian agencies. Forward Deployed Software Engineers (FDSEs) work directly with customers to rapidly understand their hardest problems and build solutions. Projects often start with open-ended questions such as how to respond to a foodborne illness outbreak faster or where the medical supply chain is failing patients. Your job is to show up and solve them.

In Federal Health/Civil, your responsibilities resemble those of a startup CTO. You will own end-to-end execution of high-stakes projects within small, high-ownership teams, spanning the full stack: whiteboarding architecture with engineers, building data pipelines and operational workflows, deploying AI agents, advising customer executives, and driving strategy with your team — sometimes all in a single day.

Whether you want to be an entrepreneur or an engineering leader, Palantir is built to help you grow. You will learn to unpack ambiguous problems and reason about the cost and consequences of solutions. You will work autonomously, make consequential decisions, and collaborate with colleagues who support and challenge you along the way.

Technologies We Use

• Core Palantir products provide the foundations for our deployments.
• Custom applications built on top of core Palantir platforms.
• Postgres, Cassandra, Hadoop, and Spark for distributed data storage and parallel computing.
• Java and Groovy for back-end applications and data integration tools.
• Typescript, React, Leaflet, and d3 for web technologies.
• Python for data processing and analysis.
• Palantir cloud infrastructure based on AWS EC2 and S3.

Our Principles

• Impact: We take on meaningful and challenging projects that change the world for the better.
• Ownership: We see projects through from beginning to end, working through obstacles to completion.
• Collaboration: We work with colleagues across backgrounds and with customers on site to understand and solve problems.
• Trust: We trust each other to manage time and priorities and give people space to think for themselves.
• Growth: We encourage seeking new challenges and opportunities for growth, plus sharing knowledge.
• Learning: We tackle novel problems and believe experiential learning is a strong teacher.

What We Value

• Strong engineering background, preferred in Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics.
• Experience with healthcare, logistics, aviation, or readiness analysis is a plus.
• Familiarity with AI agents, data structures, storage systems, cloud infrastructure, front-end frameworks, and other technical tools.
• Understanding of how technical decisions impact the user of what you’re building.
• Strong coding skills in Python, Java, C++, TypeScript/JavaScript, or similar.
• Ability to collaborate effectively in teams of technical and non-technical individuals and adapt in a dynamic environment with users.
• Ability to learn continuously, work independently, and make decisions with minimal supervision.
• Willingness and interest to travel as needed.

What We Require

• Active U.S. security clearance at the Top Secret level, or willingness to obtain or upgrade to a Top Secret clearance

Salary

The estimated salary range for this position is $135,000–$200,000 per year. Total compensation may include Restricted Stock units, a sign-on bonus, and other incentives. Total compensation will be determined by individual qualifications, experience, skills, and other factors. This estimate excludes the value of any sign-on bonus, benefits, and potential future long-term incentives.

Benefits

Our benefits aim to promote health and wellbeing across all areas of Palantirians’ lives. The list below outlines available benefits and some perks available to employees.

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents, with voluntary life insurance
• Basic life, AD&D, and disability insurance coverage
• Commuter benefits and relocation assistance
• Flexible paid time off (not accrual-based) and a baseline number of paid holidays
• Leave of absence programs for military service and medical events
• Paid parental leave and subsidized back-up care
• Fertility and family-building benefits including adoption, surrogacy, and preservation
• Stipend to assist with new child-related expenses
• enrollment in Palantir’s 401k plan

Life at Palantir

We celebrate individuals’ strengths, skills, and interests, supporting long-term growth and opportunities beyond traditional career ladders. We prioritize health and well-being and tailor offerings to regional variations. In-person collaboration is valued, with hybrid options available. Some roles may be remote on an exceptional basis and, if applicable, you must work from the state of employment.

Palantir is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to accessibility in the application and hiring process and will provide accommodations as needed. If you need an accommodation, please reach out and let us know how we can help.

Please note: you will not be asked to submit payment or financial information during the interview process. If you suspect a scam, report it to the appropriate authorities. For information on how your data is processed, please review our Privacy Policy.