Associate Forward Deployed Engineer

Raft Company Website•Honolulu, HI

17h•$100,000 - $120,000•Onsite

About The Position

We're seeking a motivated Associate Forward Deployed Engineer to serve as a technical face to our users at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. This is a customer-facing position where your communication skills matter just as much as your technical chops. You'll be an on-the-ground technical expert for our customers; troubleshooting system issues, supporting production deployments, and building trusted relationships with the people who depend on our technology every day. This is an ideal launchpad for a recent graduate who wants to grow fast in a real-world engineering environment, work closely with senior engineers, and make an immediate impact on mission-critical systems.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field (completed within the last year, or graduating by summer 2026)
Foundational understanding of software engineering principles and practices gained through coursework, internships, capstone projects, or personal projects
Comfortable using AI tools as a force multiplier, including for debugging, documentation, and rapid prototyping, while maintaining critical evaluation of AI-generated outputs
Foundational understanding of machine learning concepts including supervised/unsupervised learning, model training and evaluation, and common algorithms (regression, classification, clustering)
Exposure to containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) through coursework, labs, internships, or self-directed learning
Familiarity with CI/CD concepts and tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)
Demonstrated experience working on a team — whether through collegiate sports, internships, academic group projects, hackathons, open-source contributions, or extracurricular technical teams
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a natural ability to interface with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Outgoing, personable demeanor with a genuine interest in customer-facing work
Willingness to relocate to Oahu, Hawaii for full-time onsite work at Schofield Barracks and Hickam AFB
Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance
U.S. citizenship
All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.
A 1-minute introductory video is required as part of your application.
Must possess a valid, active US passport with at least six months validity beyond intended period of employment to facilitate international travel and meet security requirements for government contracts

Nice To Haves

Experience in software engineering and DevOps through coursework, internships, capstone projects, or personal projects
Coursework or project experience with Linux environments
Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) through coursework, personal projects, or certification
Experience working with common AI/ML frameworks and libraries such as PyTorch , TensorFlow, scikit-learn, or Hugging Face
Hands-on experience integrating AI/ML APIs or third-party model services (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, Azure AI) into software applications
Familiarity with large language model (LLM) concepts such as prompt engineering, context windows, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
Interest in serving the Department of Defense (DoD) or federal government mission
Familiarity with networking fundamentals, scripting, or automation tools
Involvement in technical clubs, competition teams, or veteran/military-affiliated student organizations

Responsibilities

Deploy, maintain, and support containerized applications in Kubernetes environments
Provide technical support for CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration platforms
Diagnose and resolve technical issues across diverse technology stacks by troubleshooting and debugging production systems at the system level, ensuring maximum uptime and performance
Collaborate with backend engineering teams to implement solutions and improvements
Support operational deployments and maintain system reliability in production environments
Interface directly with customer stakeholders in secure environments making strong interpersonal and communication skills essential