Recruiting from Scratch is a specialized talent firm dedicated to helping companies build exceptional teams. We partner closely with our clients to deeply understand their needs, then connect them with top-tier candidates who are not only highly skilled but also the right fit for the company’s culture and vision. Our mission is simple: place the best people in the right roles to drive long-term success for both clients and candidates.
Title of Role: Forward Deployed Engineer
Location: Rosslyn, VA
Company Stage of Funding: Series A (Andreessen Horowitz-backed)
Office Type: Onsite (5 days/week) + Travel (~25–40%)
Salary: $190,000 – $235,000 + Equity
Company Description
Our client is a venture-backed defense technology company building AI-powered logistics software for the U.S. military and allied forces. Their platform replaces outdated, manual processes with predictive, real-time systems that improve operational readiness and decision-making in high-stakes environments.
Backed by top-tier investors and staffed by a combination of elite engineers and veterans, the company is rapidly scaling and already supporting critical operations across multiple branches of the military. This is an opportunity to work on mission-critical software in a fast-growing, high-impact environment.
What You Will Do
- Work directly with end users (military personnel and operators) to understand problems and deliver impactful software solutions
- Own features end-to-end, from concept and prototyping to deployment in real-world environments
- Build and deploy full-stack systems across backend, frontend, and systems integration layers
- Debug and resolve complex issues in production, often in high-pressure, real-world conditions
- Collaborate with engineering, product, and operations teams to deliver scalable, reliable solutions
- Continuously improve system performance, observability, and reliability through monitoring and iteration
- Travel (~25–40%) to deploy and support systems in operational environments, both domestically and internationally
Ideal Candidate Background
- 2–6 years of software engineering experience, ideally in startup or high-ownership environments
- Strong coding ability (Java strongly preferred; experience with Go, TypeScript, C++, or similar also valuable)
- Experience working in customer-facing or deployment-oriented engineering roles
- Proven ability to own and deliver projects end-to-end in ambiguous environments
- Strong debugging skills and experience working with production systems
- Ability to work onsite in the DC area and travel as required
- Active U.S. Secret security clearance required
Preferred
- Experience in defense tech, aerospace, or other mission-critical domains
- Prior Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Engineer, or similar experience
- Experience deploying software in constrained or real-world environments
- Familiarity with systems integration, networking, or distributed systems
- Background working in small, fast-moving teams with high ownership
Compensation and Benefits
- Competitive base salary: $190,000 – $235,000
- Equity in a high-growth Series A company
- Opportunity to work on mission-critical software with real-world impact
- High ownership role with direct exposure to users and deployments
- Work alongside top-tier engineering talent and experienced operators
- Career growth opportunities as the team scales rapidly
This role is ideal for engineers who want to operate at the intersection of software, real-world deployment, and mission-critical systems—owning impactful work from code to field execution.