About this opportunity
Motion Recruitment Partners LLC lists this Head of Forward Deployed Engineering opportunity in washington, District of Columbia. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
An early-stage defense AI startup building autonomous AI agents for national security and federal mission environments is hiring aHead of Forward Deployed Engineering. You'll lead the team responsible for bringing cutting-edge AI technology into customer environments, partnering closely with users while building scalable solutions using Python, TypeScript, modern AI frameworks, cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes, and distributed systems.
This is a unique opportunity to build and lead one of the company's most strategic engineering organizations from the ground up. You'll recruit, mentor, and grow a high-performing team while remaining close to customers solving real-world mission problems. They're looking for someone who has led forward deployed, solutions engineering, or customer-facing engineering teams in fast-moving environments and enjoys operating where technical leadership, product strategy, and customer success intersect. As the company grows, you'll play a major role in shaping both the engineering organization and the future of the product.
Required Skills & Experience
8+ years of software engineering experience with at least 3+ years in forward-deployed or heavily customer-facing environments
Experience leading teams
Strong software development background using Python, Go, TypeScript, or similar languages
Experience building cloud-native applications on AWS or Kubernetes
Ability to work directly with customers, understand complex operational problems, and translate them into scalable software solutions
Experience mentoring, and growing engineering teams
Strong communication skills with executive-level customers and internal leadership
Startup or high-growth company experience strongly preferred
Desired Skills & Experience
Experience supporting defense, intelligence, or federal government customers
Experience with AI/LLMs, agentic AI systems, or machine learning platforms
Familiarity with distributed systems and modern infrastructure platforms
Previous experience at companies such as Palantir, Anduril, Scale AI, OpenAI, or similar mission-driven technology organizations
Having an active security clearance at TS or above
You will receive the following benefits:
Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
401(k)
Paid Vacation & Holidays
Equity
Opportunity to build and lead a critical engineering function at a rapidly growing AI startup
Applicants must be currently eligible for a security clearance.
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Worksite address
washington, DC, 20022, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.