Forward Deployed Software Engineer (FDE), Advanced

Zebra Technologies•Holtsville, NY

1d•$122,800 - $184,200•Hybrid

About The Position

This is an excellent opportunity for a highly technical Forward Deployed Software Engineer (FDE) to work directly with our customers. In this role, you will lead the deployment of We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic Advanced Forward Deployed Software Engineer (FDE) with 8+ years of software engineering expertise in full stack and android to work directly with our key enterprise customers. In this advanced role, you will spearhead complex deployments of Zebra software, architect customized enterprise-grade solutions, and resolve high-stakes technical challenges to drive product success. As a advanced technical leader, you will leverage your deep frontline customer experience to heavily influence our internal Engineering teams, driving the architectural vision and development of core solutions that proactively address complex customer pain points. Role is required to be onsite in Holtsville, NY office (Hybrid- Minimum of 3 days in the office per week).

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree or Advanced Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
Minimum 8+ years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor's Degree, OR 5+ years of relevant experience with an Advanced Degree
Minimum 6 plus years of professional software engineering hands-on experience in full-stack cloud solutions.
Must possess Android development skills or demonstrate the ability to learn rapidly.
Backend: Java, Spring Boot, Node.js (Express/NestJS)
Frontend: JavaScript, TypeScript, ReactJS
Cloud & Tools: Multi-Cloud (GCP, AWS, or Azure), Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, Microservices architecture
Databases: Relational (MySQL/PostgreSQL), NoSQL (MongoDB), Data Warehousing (BigQuery)
AI Assisted Development: GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, or equivalent AI coding assistants

Nice To Haves

Executive Communication: Proven ability to translate highly complex technical architectures and use cases clearly to both global engineering teams and C-suite/non-technical customer stakeholders.
Expert Problem Solving: A proactive, strategic thinker capable of diagnosing obscure systemic bugs and writing real-time, production-ready code to resolve critical, time-sensitive challenges in high-pressure environments.
AI Adaptation & Strategy: A forward-thinking mindset with strong enthusiasm for leveraging and integrating AI-assisted development tools to optimize the entire software development lifecycle, coding speed, and output quality.
Advanced Android Development (Android SDK, Kotlin/Java)
Willingness to travel to client locations to facilitate critical enterprise software deployments, lead architectural workshops, and provide on-site technical resolution (Approximate travel 25%).

Responsibilities

Establishes requirements for highly complex software design projects and provides leadership in defining project scope and objectives
Architects and designs software for highly complex systems, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and technical standards
Leads and participates in all phases of software development projects, including in process and final inspections to maintain quality
Conducts and oversees code reviews, implementing technical and quality improvements to ensure robust solutions
Develops innovative programs, technologies, and solutions, documenting methodologies for broader team use
Provides technical leadership across multiple engineering disciplines, leveraging expertise to influence program direction and outcomes
Designs and develops advanced tools to aid in solving complex technical challenges and improving team efficiency
Fosters cross-company collaboration and builds strong relationships with other engineering disciplines to drive innovation and project success
Exercises considerable judgment within broadly defined policies and practices to deliver effective solutions
Networks with key internal and external stakeholders, including senior management and customers, to coordinate efforts and achieve project goals
Represents the organization as a technical expert and principal customer contact on critical projects
Spearhead the strategy and execution of large-scale pilot programs at key customer locations. Facilitate comprehensive knowledge transfer, lead technical workshops, and ensure seamless software adoption and transition to live, mission-critical operations.
Serve as a strategic technical advisor by gaining an expert understanding of how Zebra solutions fit into complex, real-world enterprise environments. Anticipate workflow bottlenecks and proactively engineer customized solutions to resolve unique, highly specific client pain points.
Utilize your extensive field experience to dictate system architecture, design patterns, and code quality standards. Lead complex code reviews and establish best practices to ensure our software is highly resilient, production-grade, and fully optimized for massive-scale deployment.
Provide top-tier, on-premise technical leadership, which includes travel to client facilities. You are expected to be highly hands-on during critical phases—actively debugging complex systems, refactoring legacy code, and rapidly redeploying scalable solutions. Furthermore, you will act as a principal technical consultant, reviewing and potentially re-architecting the client’s broader software ecosystem to resolve systemic issues, even those originating outside the Zebra ecosystem.
Architect, build, and scale highly resilient cloud-based backend infrastructures, intuitive user interfaces, and robust APIs. Ensure these components facilitate high-throughput, secure data exchange and seamless connectivity between our core solutions, enterprise client databases, and complex third-party ecosystems.
Champion the adoption of AI coding assistants (like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or Claude Code) across the team to accelerate development lifecycles, conduct advanced problem analysis, and architect superior, bug-free solutions.