Senior Forward Deployed Engineer, U.S. Government
- Pay: $300,000 to $500,000 / year
- Contract: Full time
- Who can apply: United States
- Who can apply: On site
- Posted Oct 30, 2026
In short
This is a full-time job building and launching AI systems for U.S. government missions. You would work on projects from early tests to live use, in secure settings where reliability matters most. It may suit experienced engineers who like owning big technical projects and guiding other engineers.
What you will do
- Lead the building of AI agents that support U.S. government missions, from first prototype to live use.
- Build applications that use large language models, including systems with several agents and tools.
- Work directly with government partners and turn their needs into systems that run reliably.
- Set up data pipelines and tests that help AI models learn and improve.
- Guide other engineers and make the key technical decisions.
What you need to apply
- Extensive professional software engineering experience, with complex production systems you have owned.
- Advanced Python skills and experience taking projects from start to finish.
- Hands-on experience building and running LLM applications and AI agents.
- Comfort working in high-security and mission-critical environments.
- Preferred: an active U.S. security clearance, or willingness to obtain one.
Who can apply
Only residents of the US can apply, and the role is on site. The work is hybrid, with onsite presence 3-4x per week in the Greater Washington DC area.
My tip
Show clearly which systems you have taken from idea to production, and mention any work with government, defense, or security clients. We suggest also stating whether you hold a security clearance or could get one.