Forward Deployed Engineer - Embedded

Swarm Aero•Oxnard, CA

16d•$180,000 - $240,000

About The Position

Swarm Aero is seeking a Forward Deployed Software Engineer to embed with U.S. government and military customers and own the technical success of its command-and-control (C2) systems in the field. The role involves deploying and supporting software in real operational contexts across domestic and international deployments, including austere locations, high-stakes timelines, and complex distributed systems. This is a full-scope engineering position involving critical integrations, debugging core services, contributing to new development, and delivering solutions for warfighters and government operators. The engineer will write code daily, work across the software stack, and bring insights from customer environments back to the product. The role includes continuous operational support, non-standard hours, on-call response, and rotational coverage aligned to mission tempo.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
At least 5 years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated ability.
Strong proficiency in at least one major programming language: Python, C/C++, Golang, or Java.
Solid understanding of networking fundamentals, including NAT, DNS/mDNS, UDP/TCP protocols, multicast, and firewall configuration.
Experience with Linux system administration and shell scripting.
Must be based in or willing to relocate to Oxnard, California.
Proven debugging skills across complex software systems, including reading logs, using debuggers, and tracing issues systematically.
Excellent communication skills for engaging with U.S. government and military customers and internal engineering teams.
Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.
Must meet the stated U.S. Government export regulation eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Nice To Haves

Active Secret security clearance.
Experience with containerization such as Docker or Kubernetes and infrastructure-as-code.
Background in distributed systems, real-time systems, or robotics software.
Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation.
Experience in customer-facing engineering or technical sales engineering roles.
Prior defense, intelligence community, or aerospace software experience.
Comfort operating in non-permissive or resource-constrained environments.

Responsibilities

Build and own critical software integrations that bring C2 systems into customer environments, from initial deployment through production reliability across diverse hardware configurations and operational contexts.
Debug complex distributed-system issues in the field by analyzing logs, network traffic, and system performance, resolving failures quickly and with minimal support.
Contribute to core service development alongside the engineering team and apply field insights to product improvements.
Write code daily across the full stack, including customer-specific integrations, core services, and monitoring and reliability solutions.
Support continuous operational environments, including non-standard hours, on-call response, and rotational coverage aligned to mission tempo.
Collaborate with U.S. military and government program offices on-site and remotely, translating operational requirements into software solutions.