Forward Deployed Engineer

Forward Deployed Engineer

The defense market is surging, but the data that drives it hasn't kept up. Companies, government, and investors are forced to perform heavily manual processes and piece together hundreds of disparate sources to make decisions. Obviant is building a data source of truth and AI tools for defense acquisition to solve this. We fuse information from thousands of sources – structured + unstructured – to provide a cohesive picture of budget, programs, the organizations running them, and much more. Whether it's a company navigating GTM or a program manager developing capabilities, we're providing all sides with the intelligence they need to execute effectively. We're growing fast and backed by top funds and DoD/national security veterans.

We believe that public sector mission sets matter above anything else. If you feel the same way, we'd love for you to join us.

The Role

You'll be on the front lines of deploying technology that's redefining how defense and government organizations operate. Our Forward Deployed Engineers bridge the gap between product, data, and mission — embedding directly with users across government, military, and industry to understand their workflows, challenges, and objectives. You'll help architect and implement solutions that transform how they make decisions, run programs, and execute missions.

You'll work closely with our engineering and data teams to translate complex operational problems into technical solutions — and with our customers to ensure those solutions are adopted and driving real-world impact. This is a deeply hands-on role that combines systems thinking, operational empathy, and the ability to drive outcomes in uncertain environments.

Responsibilities

• Deploy and operationalize Obviant's analytics platform within the Department of War and related organizations, ensuring successful adoption and measurable mission outcomes.
• Work side-by-side with users to understand their workflows, pain points, and objectives.
• Design, implement, and iterate on configurations, data models, and workflows that bring clarity and automation to complex operational processes.
• Collaborate with our product and engineering teams to translate mission requirements into scalable product improvements.
• Act as the connective tissue between users and the technical stack — guiding organizations on how to use Obviant most effectively, and how to evolve their processes alongside it.
• Drive user training, onboarding, and sustained engagement to ensure enduring success in the field.
• Travel to customer sites and work directly alongside mission teams to support deployments and field adoption

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional experience , ideally in a mission-oriented or client-facing technical role.
• Candidates with 2+ years of relevant FDE experience , including an active or recent DoD security clearance , will also be considered.
• Clearance-ready (U.S. Citizen with eligibility and willingness to obtain a clearance).
• Strong technical acumen — able to understand complex systems, data workflows, and technical architectures.
• Experience implementing or deploying software in operational or government environments.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills, with the ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical users.
• Comfortable working in ambiguous and fast-changing environments, often interfacing with senior government stakeholders.
• Passionate about the defense mission and driven by impact more than optics.
• Prior experience in defense, national security, or government contracting preferred but not required.

Our Working Style – Why We Might Work Well Together

You care about government & are mission-oriented – Our work is important, and is critical to improving a system that impacts us all.

Perseverance and endurance – Hard problems are worth solving, and solving them can take a long time. There is no such thing as exhausting all options, it's just time to look for new ones.

Empowerment > micro-management – We're building a culture of high-performers. Our job is to equip them with what they need and eliminate roadblocks for them to succeed. We trust their judgment, skills, and experience from there.

We're collaborative and communicate well – Constructive dialogue that takes all viewpoints into account is the only way we get to the right decision. Respect, trust, and complete transparency with each other is critical — keep it all in the open.

You're really good at what you do… but it speaks for itself – High output, no ego. Being humble is extremely important to us.

You don't mind change and are comfortable with uncertainty – We're deliberate about setting goals, but we're comfortable changing course and dealing with discomfort to get there. We're still figuring things out, and that demands being flexible and iterative.

Work doesn't feel like "work" to you – We're passionate about what we're going after, and we devote more time to it than a typical 9–5. That often means putting in extra time at night and occasionally on weekends. However, maintaining your own personal balance comes above all else, and you should establish that however you need to — flexible schedule, taking advantage of time off, or anything else you need.

You like to move fast and have a bias towards action – Our roadmap is directional at this stage — speed and a feeling of urgency are key to proving it out. We expect each other to proactively determine what needs to get done and go for it.

Integrity is never negotiable – Transparency, honesty, and respect come above all else.

Benefits & Structure

We're a tight-knit team headquartered in Arlington, VA. We work in the office together most days and believe being in the same place is a competitive advantage.

Flexible schedule – We all have other things going on in our lives. Doctor visits, kids' activities, dog walks — take care of it whenever you have to. And work from home when you need to.

Competitive compensation + Sizeable equity – We're building something with massive upside potential, and you'll have ownership in that. This is ours.

Flexible vacation time – Use what you want, as long as you're taking care of what needs to get done.

Full health, dental, and vision insurance.

And more…