Forward Deployed Software Engineer, Public Sector

Scale AI; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 138,000 - 219,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision coverage

Retirement benefits

Learning and development stipend

Generous PTO

Commuter stipend may be available

Job summary

Scale AI in St. Louis is seeking a Mission Software Engineer for its Federal Engineering team to design and implement backend solutions and data integrations within government‑focused environments.

The role involves close collaboration with customers, on-site deployments, and a strong emphasis on scalable, secure systems, with travel or relocation to key locations and the requirement for TS/SCI clearance or the ability to obtain it.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI security clearance or ability to obtain one.
• Experience with Python and JavaScript; Node/React a plus.
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud-native app development.
• Familiar with Docker and Kubernetes, Linux shell scripting.
• Networking fundamentals and data engineering concepts including ETL.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities.

Responsibilities

• Work directly with customers to translate problems into features for Scale’s platform.
• Be open to >50% travel or relocation to key customer locations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define backend solutions for government users.
• Implement end-to-end data integrations, syncing customer data with Scale’s platform.
• Deploy and maintain Scale software at customer sites.
• Develop customer-requested features and ensure customer success.
• Build robust backend systems that can serve as standalone products.
• Participate in customer engagements to understand requirements and deliver innovative solutions.

Job description

Mission Software Engineer – Federal Engineering

Scale AI is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Mission Software Engineer to join our dynamic Federal Engineering team. You will play a critical role in supporting Scale’s government customers by scoping and developing onsite solutions. Our scalable, high-performance platform is the foundation for these customer solutions, and your expertise will be instrumental in designing and implementing systems that can handle interactions with existing customer systems to help our products integrate into existing customer workflows.

You will:

• Work directly with customers to understand their problems and translate those into features in Scale’s platform.
• Be open to >50% travel or relocation to a key customer geographic location.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to define and execute the vision for backend solutions, ensuring they meet the unique needs of government agencies operating in secure environments.
• Implement end‑to‑end data integrations, syncing customer’s data to Scale’s platform and back.
• Deploy and maintain Scale software at customer sites.
• Develop customer requested features and work closely with them to ensure that they win customer love.
• Build robust and reliable backend systems that can serve as standalone products, empowering customers to accelerate their own AI ambitions.
• Participate actively in customer engagements, working closely with stakeholders to understand requirements and deliver innovative solutions.
• This role will require an active TS/SCI security clearance or the ability to obtain a security clearance.

Ideally you have:

• Track record of success as a hybrid customer‑facing engineer, forward‑deployed software engineer, and ability to quickly adapt to different roles.
• Prior experience developing with Python and JavaScript, or other modern software languages. Familiarity with Node and React is a plus.
• Cloud‑Native Technologies: Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and experience in developing and deploying applications in a cloud‑native environment. Understanding of containerization (e.g., Docker) and container orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes) is a plus.
• Linux experience: Understanding of shell scripting, operating systems, etc.
• Networking experience: Understanding of networking technologies, configuration (ports, protocols, etc).
• Data Engineering: Knowledge of ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes and experience in building data pipelines to integrate and process diverse data sources. Understanding of data modeling, data warehousing, and data governance principles.
• Problem Solving: Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills to understand complex challenges and devise effective solutions. Ability to think critically, identify root causes, and propose innovative approaches to overcome technical obstacles.

Compensation

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The base salary range for this full‑time position varies by location:

San Francisco, New York, Seattle – $184,000—$292,560 USD

Hawaii, Washington DC, Texas, Colorado – $165,600—$263,304 USD

St. Louis – $138,000—$219,420 USD

Honolulu, Hawaii – $138,000—$219,420 USD

Benefits include comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, generous PTO, and a commuter stipend may be available.

About Us

At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high‑quality data and full‑stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact.

EEO Statement

We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or veteran status.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at [e-mail].

We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision.