Senior Forward Deployed Engineer - Implementation Focus

Second Front Systems•Washington, DC

17d•$160,000 - $190,000•Remote

About The Position

Second Front Systems is seeking an operationally experienced, technically rigorous Senior Forward Deployed Engineer focused on implementation to strengthen its federal deployment function. The role owns technical success for complex customer implementations of Game Warden, a managed and compliant DevSecOps platform, and establishes implementation standards that help customers achieve secure, accredited deployments on schedule. The engineer will lead high-stakes onboarding engagements, including first-of-kind application onboardings and multi-agency or multi-enclave rollouts. They will configure and troubleshoot deployments across cloud platforms and classified and unclassified networks, resolve difficult integration and infrastructure issues, and document root causes as durable fixes. The role also develops technical playbooks and enablement materials, improves onboarding and support processes, mentors Implementation Engineers, and serves as an escalation point. Working closely with Product, Platform Engineering, Federal Sales leadership, and senior customer stakeholders, the Senior Forward Deployed Engineer will turn field lessons and warfighter constraints into platform and roadmap improvements. The position requires U.S. citizenship, eligibility for a DoD Top Secret/SCI clearance, and travel of up to 25%. Candidates must reside in an approved hiring hub: DC/Maryland/Virginia; Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Denver/Colorado Springs, Colorado; or Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. The role is full-time and can be performed virtually near one of the hub locations.

Requirements

8–10+ years of experience in software engineering, DevOps, cloud engineering, or implementation/deployment engineering.
Demonstrated ownership of complex, production-grade deployments, rather than only execution of defined tasks.
Advanced Linux installation, troubleshooting, and maintenance expertise, including hands-on hardening and support of on-premises hardware at scale.
Deep knowledge of DevSecOps tools and practices, with experience building or maturing implementation and onboarding processes.
Strong communication under pressure and experience leading technical conversations with senior customer stakeholders during high-stakes deployments.
Demonstrated mentorship and technical leadership of other engineers, including serving as an escalation point on difficult problems.
Experience diagnosing and resolving integration friction between customer legacy systems and modern software stacks, with sound judgment about when to challenge customer architecture and when to work within constraints.
Eligibility for a DoD Top Secret/SCI clearance is required; active or interim clearance is strongly preferred.
U.S. citizenship is required.
Ability to travel up to 25%.
Must reside in an approved hiring hub: DC/Maryland/Virginia; Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC; Denver/Colorado Springs, CO; or Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.

Nice To Haves

Active or interim DoD Top Secret/SCI clearance.
Experience with AWS, GCP, and Azure deployments.
Experience with classified and unclassified networks, legacy architectures, unusual dependency chains, or non-standard compliance postures.

Responsibilities

Own technical strategy and execution for complex, high-visibility customer deployment implementations, including first-of-kind application onboardings and multi-agency or multi-enclave rollouts.
Serve as the senior subject matter expert on Second Front products across Implementation and develop internal enablement materials and technical playbooks.
Continuously improve onboarding and customer support processes across the Implementation function through better tooling, documentation, or automation.
Lead customer application onboarding into Game Warden for security scanning, including legacy architectures, unusual dependency chains, and non-standard compliance postures.
Partner with Product and Platform Engineering leadership and contribute implementation-pattern insights to the platform roadmap.
Architect and configure complex customer deployments across AWS, GCP, and Azure, establishing design precedents for other engineers.
Resolve escalations from Implementation Engineers, unblock stalled deployments, and coach colleagues through novel technical problems.
Represent Second Front technically with senior customer stakeholders and program managers, and collaborate with Sales and Platform Engineering.
Diagnose configuration, infrastructure, and integration issues across classified and unclassified networks and document root causes as lasting fixes.
Manage multi-week onboarding engagements with minimal support and help customers achieve secure, accredited deployments on schedule.

Benefits

Competitive salary of $160,000–$190,000, with compensation determined by background, technical proficiency, seniority, and regional cost factors.
Potential eligibility for equity awards and discretionary bonuses.
100% healthcare, vision, and dental coverage.
401(k) with a 3% company contribution.
One Medical membership, mental health resources, and family planning assistance.
Equity incentive plan.
Technology and office supplies stipend.
Annual professional development stipend.
Flexible paid time off and federal holidays off.
Parental leave.
Referral bonus.
Virtual work near one of the approved hub locations.