Forward Deployed Engineer - Oahu (TS/SCI Clearance Required)

About the role

Our Mission teams operate like small startups within the Vannevar Labs umbrella. As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you will serve as the technical owner for a mission and its associated customer engagements. You will work directly with operators, analysts, and technical stakeholders supporting national security missions, owning the architecture, development, deployment, and fielding of software solutions tailored to real-world operational needs. You will act as a senior technical counterpart to customer stakeholders — translating mission requirements into scalable software, navigating government technical environments, and ensuring capabilities are delivered reliably into production. You will collaborate closely with product, design, platform engineering, and mission teammates to deliver high-impact outcomes, while remaining a hands-on individual contributor.

Responsibilities

• Architect, build, and own software solutions deployed directly to customer environments in support of mission-critical use cases
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customer stakeholders, engaging with senior technical leaders to understand mission needs and represent Vannevar’s technical approach
• Own end-to-end technical delivery for your mission workstreams, from requirements gathering and system design through implementation, deployment, and sustainment
• Contribute hands-on code to improve product capabilities, performance, and scalability across customer use cases
• Build software that enables users to unlock value from large-scale data holdings, including text, multimedia, and geospatial datasets spanning over 46 languages
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners — including engineers, product designers, and mission domain experts — to plan and deliver complex software features
• Navigate and integrate with government IT ecosystems, ensuring solutions meet security, compliance, and operational constraints

Requirements

• 5+ years as a Full Stack Developer including familiarity with relational databases (like Postgres), caching technologies (like Redis), object storage systems (like S3), and modern front-end frameworks (like React)
• Experience developing and deploying software compliant with DoD Risk Management Framework (RMF)
• Experience interfacing with government owned IT systems (for example, data platforms, IdAM providers, SIEM, CDSs, etc)
• Experience working with government IT and program offices to scope technical requirements, architecture, and integrations
• Experience working with end users to scope mission requirements, conduct user testing, and gain product feedback

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and teamwork skills
• Must hold an active U.S. TS Security clearance with SCI Eligibility

Skills

• Full Stack Development
• Relational Databases (Postgres)
• Caching Technologies (Redis)
• Object Storage Systems (S3)
• Modern Front-End Frameworks (React)
• DoD Risk Management Framework (RMF)
• Government IT Systems Interfacing
• End User Collaboration
• Communication and Teamwork

Benefits

• Competitive Salary
• Comprehensive Benefits including health, dental, and vision insurance, remote friendly with WeWork access, unlimited PTO, 401(k) match, lifestyle & wellbeing stipends, salary top-up during military reserve duty, fully paid parental leave, child and pet care reimbursement during travel

Pay

The salary range for this position is $135,000-$205,000 + equity. Within the range, individual pay is determined by experience, relevant education, and/or training.

Schedule

This is a fully remote role, but traveling is required - travel up to 20–30% to engage directly with mission owners and deliver capabilities in the field.