---
title: 'Forward Deployed Engineer at Sitreps'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/forward-deployed-engineer-sitreps-washington-f2t6sp8am57g'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-04'
---

# Forward Deployed Engineer at Sitreps

- **Company:** Sitreps
- **Location:** Washington, DC / Ketchum / Orlando
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-05-06
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-04
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/sitrepsllc/jobs/4241071009

## Job description

Forward Deployed Engineer

Industry: Defense robotics / autonomous ground systems

Company: Venture-backed defense robotics company building autonomous ground vehicle platforms for U.S. and allied customers. East Coast HQ, with additional test ranges in the Mountain West and Appalachia.

Location: East Coast HQ strongly preferred. Mountain West and Appalachian test sites also workable. Remote considered for an exceptional candidate, with the understanding that ramp will pull you into HQ frequently.

Compensation: $120,000–$180,000 base, plus equity for every employee. Bonuses are typically paid in equity rather than cash. Additional hazard pay applies for deployments to high-risk zones.

Travel: ~75% today, with the goal of reducing it as the team scales.

## About the Client

A venture-backed robotics company building autonomous ground vehicle systems for defense customers. The product is a full stack: autonomy software, operator-control interfaces, and integrated mission payloads, riding on hardware they design and build. Programs are moving out of the lab and into operator hands quickly, which is exactly where this role lives.

## About the Role

Forward Deployed Engineers are the company's tip of the spear in the field. You are the technical operator who shows up with the system, gets it working in conditions the manuals don't cover, and keeps customers productive while the technology underneath you is still evolving on a developmental cadence. This is closer to a Palantir-style FDE than a traditional field service rep. You are not a maintainer running checklists. You are a generalist engineer who happens to do the work in the dirt.

The customers you'll support are unusually willing to adopt new capabilities the moment they ship, so the loop between what engineering builds and what the operator uses is short, and you sit in the middle of it.

## Responsibilities

- Deploy with integrated robotic ground systems to customer test sites, training centers, and forward operating locations.
- Troubleshoot across the full stack: vehicle hardware, autonomy software, networking, comms, and operator-control software. When a system fails, you are the person who decides on the spot whether it's hardware, network, or software, and fixes it.
- Pull logs from the command line, reproduce issues, and feed clean diagnostics back to engineering so problems get fixed once, not over and over.
- Spot the next problem before the customer does. Solve it. Document it so it doesn't recur.
- Train and support customer operators on new capabilities as they ship.
- Build trust with units in the field. The role is as much about being the kind of person customers want around as it is about technical chops.

Where you'll go

- Stateside training and test sites: Fort Drum, Fort Bragg, Fort Polk, NTC / Fort Irwin, 29 Palms, Camp Lejeune, White Sands, Aberdeen, Grayling (MI), among others.
- Forward deployed: active overseas program supporting an allied partner with system upgrades, repairs, and field maintenance. This is currently the highest-priority deployment need. Personnel operate behind the front, not on it.

Where you'll be based

The East Coast HQ is the engineering center of gravity and the strong preference. That is where the vehicles are built and where most engineers sit. Additional acceptable locations are the company's Mountain West and Appalachian test ranges. Other company sites exist but lack the hardware on-site that this role needs for ramp, so they are not options for this seat.

## Requirements

Must-Haves

- Engineering depth. A real engineering background applied to hardware-software systems. Comfortable opening up a vehicle, tracing a signal, and also dropping into a CLI to read logs. You do not need to write production code, but you need to operate well above a typical field service rep.
- The right technical stack. Strong signals are C, C++, embedded systems, Linux at the system level, hardware integration, and any robotics / autonomy / unmanned-systems exposure. Python is useful but not the differentiator.
- Genuine appetite for travel. ~75% on the road, including extended stays at military training sites and forward deployments. Candidates who want 10–20% travel are not a fit, no matter how strong the resume.
- Comfort with Type 2 fun. Cold, wet, muddy days kneeling next to a vehicle in the rain are a normal part of the job.
- Mission orientation. You care about the user and the outcome, and that shows up in how you work with customers when conditions are bad and timelines are tight.
- Bias to action. Top performers learn the system, the mission, and the user, then start surfacing and solving problems on their own.

Nice-to-Haves

- Prior experience as a forward deployed engineer at a software-forward defense or dual-use company.
- Time inside government innovation organizations (DEVCOM elements, DIU, service-level innovation offices) where you supported emerging tech in operational hands.
- Background as a highly skilled field service engineer who built software, networking, and embedded depth on top of maintenance fundamentals.
- Military background. A positive signal for mission and user fluency in the field, but not required. Strong non-veteran candidates with deep engineering and field experience are equally welcome.

## Compensation & Benefits

- Base: $120,000–$180,000, with the top of the band reserved for candidates who combine embedded-systems engineering depth, prior field engineering experience, and military background.
- Equity for every employee, top to bottom. New-hire grants vest over 4 years.
- Year-end bonuses are typically structured as equity (with a 1-year vest) rather than cash, so total comp upside is tied directly to company performance.
- Hazard pay for deployments to high-risk zones: $150 / day on the ground, $750 bonus at 3 consecutive weeks, $250 / additional week thereafter. Applies company-wide.

What success looks like at six months

You have learned the system, the mission, and the user. Customers in the field ask for you by name. You are catching problems before they become incidents, fixing them in place, and pushing clean signal back to engineering so the next release closes the loop. The running joke when describing this role is "we just want another one of those guys." You are one of those guys.

Where this role does not fit

To save everyone time, candidates whose center of gravity is one of the following are not a match for this seat:

- Web / full-stack developers (JavaScript, Node, C#, full-stack frameworks)
- AI / ML / LLM engineers whose hands-on experience is models and inference, not embedded systems
- IT / network administration backgrounds where databases and networks are infrastructure, not components of a physical system
- MBA candidates using this role as a stepping stone toward a founder / business track. This is a deep-craft engineering job, not a generalist business rotation.

Hiring Process

- Recruiter screen with the company's TA team after we submit your profile.
- 30–45 minute technical phone screen with the hiring team.
- On-site interview at the East Coast HQ (virtual panel available when travel cannot work for a strong candidate).
- Roundtable decision.

Typical timeline is one phone screen, sometimes two, before the on-site or virtual panel.

## About Sitreps

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Sitreps is a veteran-founded recruiting agency and defense technology company that connects elite military talent with high-impact roles and builds software-driven maritime intelligence platforms for the U.S. Department of Defense.
- **Entity Type**: Private (startup stage; no public funding rounds disclosed)
- **Headquarters**: Arlington, Virginia, USA (multiple job postings list Arlington, VA as primary location; also offices in New York City and Litchfield, VA)
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Kyle Eberly, Wyatt Frasier, Max Cormier (co-founders)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industries**: Defense Technology, Professional Services (Veteran Recruiting & Staffing), Software & Analytics
- **Target Customers**: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and federal civilian agencies (B2G); defense-focused enterprises and technology companies (B2B) seeking veteran talent
- **Mission/Purpose**: Leveraging a deep-rooted community of military veterans to help world-class businesses scale, while also transforming commercial fleets into persistent sensing assets for national security.

## Products & Services
- **Sitreps Talent (Recruiting Agency)**: A curated recruiting service that sources, vets, and places high-performing military professionals into roles at partner companies. Serves 10+ industries including defense tech, software, AI, fintech, and private equity. Places roles such as product managers, account executives, engagement managers, and sales directors.
- **Maritime Intelligence Platform (Defense Tech Software)**: A next-generation software platform that transforms global commercial fleets into persistent sensing assets for the United States. Used by Navy strategic programs; includes analytics, data integration (SQL/Python/R), and implementation services.
- **AI & Agentic Solutions (Emerging)**: Design, prototype, and deploy scalable AI and agentic workflows for defense acquisition challenges, embedding with clients to productionize models.

## Market Standing
- **Valuuation / Funding**: Not publicly disclosed. The company appears to be privately funded (no public rounds recorded). A Head of Sales job description references growing revenue from ~$2M to $5M+ (with a path to $30M), suggesting current annual revenue in the low single-digit millions.
- **Key Metrics**: 150+ veterans placed, 40+ partner companies, 95% retention rate, serving 10+ industries (source: [sitreps.com/about/clients](https://www.sitreps.com/about/clients))
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Not listed publicly. Partner companies are not named on the website, but the client portfolio includes defense tech, software, HVAC, real estate, AI, fintech, private equity.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Scaling sales team from ~$2M to $30M target
  - Active hiring for senior roles: VP of Engagement, Head of Intelligence, Chief Operating Officer, Forward Deployed Data Scientists
  - Expanding into AI/agentic solutions for defense acquisition
  - Multiple office locations and remote/hybrid work options

## Competitive Advantages
- **Authentic Veteran Community**: Sitreps began as a viral online community for veterans transitioning to business roles — now the “largest community of veterans in business in the USA,” providing unmatched access to, and credibility with, military talent.
- **Dual Capability**: Combines a staffing agency with in-house defense tech software development, allowing cross-pollination of talent insights and mission understanding.
- **High Retention**: 95% placement retention rate indicates strong matching and support processes.
- **Clearance and Domain Expertise**: Many roles require active security clearances and deep knowledge of naval strategic programs, DoD acquisition, and intelligence — creating a high barrier for competitors.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale Revenue**: Formalizing sales processes (CRM, commissions, segmentation) with a goal of growing from ~$2M to $5M+ in the near term and eventually $30M.
- **Productize Defense Tech**: Expand the maritime intelligence platform and AI/agentic solutions for broader DoD adoption.
- **Deepen Government Relationships**: Hiring Engagement Directors and Account Executives for each military branch (Air Force, Navy, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps).
- **Build Internal Infrastructure**: Transitioning from QuickBooks to an audit-ready ERP, adding financial controls and federal contract audit compliance.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-Driven Work**: Directly support national security and veteran employment — two high-impact, purpose-rich areas.
- **Hybrid & Remote Flexibility**: Many roles offer remote options (U.S.-based); some positions require on-site presence in Arlington, VA, New York, or Litchfield, VA; a hybrid workspace is the norm.
- **Career Growth**: Early-stage company where leaders are expected to build functions from scratch and grow into C-level roles (e.g., Head of Sales → CRO path).
- **Diverse Roles**: Opportunities span professional services, engineering (forward deployed, data science), intelligence analysis, sales, and operations — appealing to both veterans and civilians.
- **Culture**: Described as “authentic, expertise-driven, and grounded in real connection” — not a typical corporate recruiter but a community-first organization.

## Sources
1. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/sitreps-llc) – Company overview, perks, culture, job listings
2. [job-boards.greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/sitrepsllc) – Official careers page with all current openings
3. [sitreps.com/about/team](https://www.sitreps.com/about/team) – Founders and team profiles
4. [sitreps.com/about/clients](https://www.sitreps.com/about/clients) – Client metrics, industries served, roles filled
5. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/sitreps-llc/jobs) – Detailed job descriptions (Head of Sales, Implementation Engineer, etc.)

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