Senior Forward Deployed Engineer

Swarmaero; United States; Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Swarm Aero is seeking a Senior Forward Deployed Software Engineer to embed with U.S. government and military customers and own the C2 systems in the field.

You will work directly in real operational contexts across domestic and international deployments, building integrations, debugging distributed services, and shipping field-ready solutions for warfighters and operators. You will participate in end-to-end development, contribute to core services, and travel up to 75% to test sites and customer

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Proficient in at least one major language (Python, C/C++, Golang, Java).
• Strong networking fundamentals and Linux scripting.

Responsibilities

• Build and own critical software integrations for C2 systems in diverse environments.
• Debug complex distributed systems in field deployments.
• Contribute to core service development with field insights.
• Write code across the full stack to solve client integration challenges.
• Support on-call duties and mission tempo with non-standard hours.
• Travel domestically and internationally up to 75% for test sites and customer locations.
• Collaborate with U.S. military and government teams on-site and remotely.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Golang

Java

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD tools

Linux

Job description

Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results. The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.

About the Role

Most software engineers never see their code tested against reality. At Swarm Aero, that's the baseline. We are looking for a Senior Forward Deployed Software Engineer to embed directly with U.S. government and military customers and own the technical success of our C2 systems in the field. You will be the person who makes our software work -- not in a lab, not in a staging environment, but in real operational contexts across domestic and international deployments. Austere locations, high-stakes timelines, and complex distributed systems are the job. This is a full-scope engineering role. You will build critical integrations, debug core services, contribute to new development, and ship solutions that warfighters and government operators depend on. If you want to write code that matters and see it run in environments most engineers never touch, this is the role.

What You'll Do

• Build and own critical software integrations that bring our C2 systems to life in customer environments -- from initial deployment through production reliability across diverse hardware configurations and operational contexts
• Debug complex distributed systems issues in the field, analyzing logs, network traffic, and system performance to resolve failures fast and with minimal support
• Contribute to core service development alongside the engineering team, bringing field insight back into the product and shipping improvements that make a direct operational difference
• Write code daily across the full stack -- solving customer-specific integration challenges, contributing to core service development, and building monitoring and reliability solutions that hold up in the field
• Support continuous operational environments, including non-standard hours, on-call response, and rotational coverage aligned to mission tempo
• Travel domestically and internationally (up to 75%) to test sites and customer locations -- deploying software, troubleshooting issues in the field, and feeding hard-won requirements back to engineering
• Collaborate with U.S. military and government program offices on-site and remotely, translating complex operational requirements into software solutions

This Role Is For You

If you want to see your code run in high-stakes, real-world environments -- not just pass CI You thrive on solving hard integration and deployment challenges independently, without a safety net You're comfortable being the most technical person in the room in dynamic, unpredictable field conditions You adapt to shifting schedules and operational demands without losing rigor or precision

This Role Is NOT A pilot position or flight test engineer role

Primarily hands-on hardware work (electronics, wiring, mechanical assembly) A traditional SRE or DevOps role with predictable hours and controlled environments

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated ability
• Strong proficiency in at least one major programming language (Python, C/C++, Golang, or Java)
• Solid understanding of networking fundamentals: NAT, DNS/mDNS, UDP/TCP protocols, multicast, and firewall configuration
• Experience with Linux system administration and shell scripting
• Proven debugging skills across complex software systems -- you know how to read logs, use debuggers, and trace issues systematically
• Excellent communication skills for engaging with U.S. government and military customers and internal engineering teams
• Willingness and ability to travel 60% of the time, both domestically and internationally, including to remote or restricted-access locations
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance. Active Secret clearance preferred but not required

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and infrastructure-as-code
• Background in distributed systems, real-time systems, or robotics software
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation
• Experience in customer-facing engineering or technical sales engineering roles
• Prior defense, intelligence community, or aerospace software experience

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