The role
- COMP
- $180K - $240K
- EQUITY
- Competitive
- LOCATION
- San Francisco
- WORKPLACE
- Remote
- EXPERIENCE
- 5 - 7 years
- VISA
- None
- STACK
- Go, React, Python, C/C++, Java, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD
- INDUSTRY
- Defense, Hardware, Manufacturing, Autonomous Vehicles
/roles — ROLE_423
Forward Deployed Engineer (Remote)
Defense aerospace startup building autonomous swarming aircraft and the command software that directs them
The company
Early-stage defense aerospace startup building autonomous aircraft purpose-built for swarming, along with command-and-control software that lets operators direct very large mixed fleets.
- STAGE
- growth-stage
- FUNDING
- $50M+ raised
- TEAM
- ~10 people
- FOUNDED
- 2022
- BACKING
- backed by Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund
JD — the work
About the role
You would work embedded with American defense and government users, owning how the company's command-and-control software performs in real operations. Half software engineer and half field operator, you will write production code, chase down distributed-systems bugs in stressful conditions, and deploy in settings few engineers ever see. The team is small, about a dozen people, and brings prior startup exits, large defense contracts, and deep aircraft design experience from major aerospace companies.
What you'll do
- Install and integrate the command-and-control software alongside military operators at domestic and overseas sites
- Fix problems in the field and write code on the spot, taking requirements straight from uniformed operators
- Work alongside drone operators during live missions, possibly flying assets by air, land, or sea
- Relay what you learn in the field to the product engineers so the platform keeps getting better
- Work independently in ambiguous, low-resource settings, switching between hardware hookups, coding, and technician tasks
What they're looking for
- 5 to 7 years of software engineering experience
- Comfort shipping production code and tracking down distributed-systems failures in high-pressure settings
- Willingness to travel 50 to 75% of the time, mostly to coastal and waterside sites
- Working knowledge of parts of the stack: Go, Python, C/C++, Java, React, Docker, Kubernetes