Forward Deployed Engineer

Istari Digital•Washington, DC

6d•$143,000 - $165,000•Onsite

About The Position

Istari's software is deployed into complex engineering environments in aerospace and defense. As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will be embedded directly within customer organizations, operating as part of their team while remaining connected to Istari's product and engineering core. This is a builder role where you will write code, architect integrations, and solve problems at the intersection of digital engineering workflows and mission-critical operations. The challenges require strong software engineering instincts and adaptability in unstructured environments, such as connecting CAD, CFD, and FEM pipelines to Istari's platform, enabling cross-discipline collaboration, and helping organizations utilize their invested tools. You will work alongside Istari Program Managers, with them owning program context and stakeholder relationships, while you own technical execution. The goal is to make Istari's product smarter, not just customers happier.

Requirements

Strong software engineering fundamentals — production-quality code and ability to defend architectural decisions.
Hands-on experience with digital engineering toolchains: CAD, CFD, FEM, or related simulation and modeling environments.
Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments without extensive guidance.
Ability to work on-site with customers in a U.S. defense or aerospace context.
Clearance eligibility required; active clearance a strong plus.
U.S. citizenship required.

Nice To Haves

Experience integrating engineering software into larger data or workflow platforms.
Background in aerospace, defense, or other systems-engineering-heavy industries.
Exposure to Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) or digital thread / digital twin concepts.
Exposure to or direct experience with advanced CAD, CFD, or FEM tools.

Responsibilities

Embed with customer engineering teams to understand their workflows, data environments, and technical constraints.
Architect and build software solutions that integrate Istari's platform into existing digital engineering ecosystems (CAD, CFD, FEM, simulation pipelines, and related toolchains).
Serve as the primary technical interface for the customer, proactively identifying where Istari's software can drive more value.
Develop, test, and maintain integrations and workflow solutions following modern software engineering practices.
Write clean, maintainable code that can be productized or reused across customer deployments.
Contribute to internal tooling and documentation that scales knowledge across the team.
Translate field experience into actionable product insights.
Participate in internal engineering reviews, architecture discussions, and roadmap planning.
Help develop proposals and technical approaches for new customer opportunities.