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Posted May 8Forward Deployed AI Engineer
United StatesRemote
Responsibilities
- Architect, build, deploy, and operate agentic Generative AI systems: APIs, data processing ETL pipelines, integration layers, Retrieval Augmented Generation, and context engineering.
- Prototype and deploy systems leveraging the core products and design patterns of the Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS); bring back insights from the field for continuous product improvement .
- Codify reusable patterns for mission environments: build tools, internal frameworks, playbooks so future deployments are faster, safer, and repeatable.
Requirements
- We deliver secure, scalable software and AI solutions that function in cloud, on-prem, and tactical edge / air-gapped environments — making software a strategic deterrent for warfighters.
- Work in cloud, on-prem, and edge/air-gapped environments to ensure software can run where the mission demands.
- Strong backend engineering skills: production-grade code in Python or TypeScript; deep familiarity with designing services, APIs, data pipelines, integrations, and backend frameworks.
- Familiarity with LLMs or generative AI systems — be able to explain the fundamentals of Context Engineering and understand how model behavior connects to product/mission experience, and how AI capabilities integrate into larger system architectures.
- Strong ability to work in ambiguity: define scope, sequence work, make trade-offs between speed, quality, and scope; remove blockers; deliver under pressure in dynamic mission-driven settings.
- Mission-oriented mindset. Have an understanding that our work is supporting the defense and freedom of the nation. Nice to Have •
- Experience with deploying applications on Kubernetes inside of air-gapped or secure environments. •
- Experience with Information Retrieval fundamentals including knowledge of keyword and vector based search, document parsing and chunking, document reranking, and SQL/NoSQL search engines. •
- Experience with developing, executing, and maintaining LLM evaluations. •
- Experience with open source LLM or SLM models (Llama3, Mixtral, Gemma, Phi) including inference frameworks, structured output, fine-tuning, and model architecture reconfiguration.
- As a Forward Deployed AI Engineer at Defense Unicorns, you will directly contribute to accelerating warfighter capability.
- experience delivering technology programs across the federal market. What We Do
- We proudly support defense and civil agencies across the U.S. government and we work closely with the creators of leading-edge software solutions to deliver value to the mission-owner by improving the security and consumability of commercial software products. What We Work On Kubernetes
- Cloud Environments (AWS/GCP and Azure)
- Infrastructure-as-code (like Terraform/Pulumi)
- Building Kubernetes and cloud native applications
Experience
- 3+ years of engineering or technical deployment
Benefits
- The company’s vision is to advance freedom and independence globally by transforming how the U.S.
- Full compensation packages are based on candidate experience.
- Compensation ranges are established using national benchmarking data and apply across all geographic locations within the United States.
- Remote - USA $148,750 — $201,250 USD Who We Are
- We share a vision of freedom and security for the advancement of progress and innovation.
- Our commitment to this vision, and to our mission-driven customers, means a commitment to speed, user
- Medical/Dental/Vision
- Premiums are 100% Company Paid
- Health Reimbursement Account Life Insurance
- Disability Insurance Financial:
- 401k Retirement Plan
- Home Office Budget Leave:
- We offer all full-time Unicorns Flexible Time Off (FTO) plus all Federal Holidays, one week for Thanksgiving, and two weeks for Christmas and New Year’s
- Paid Parental Leave Learning:
Additional details
- EMPLOYER IS A CONTRACTOR FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. THIS POSITION REQUIRES U.S. CITIZENSHIP.
- An active security clearance is preferred. Clearance eligibility is required.
- Defense Unicorns is veteran-founded and mission-driven.
- Department of War builds, buys, delivers, and sustains software.
- In this role you will join a team building the backbone of modern defense software delivery — helping ensure warfighters can deploy the latest capabilities rapidly, securely, and reliably. What You’ll Do
- Embed with strategic customers as a technical partner, working from problem discovery to solution implementation and customer adoption.
- Scope, sequence, and lead delivery of solutions: define living roadmaps, set priorities, trade off speed vs quality vs scope, work across internal teams and customer stakeholders to drive clarity and remove blockers early.
- Act as the technical face to customer leadership: communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, build trust, manage expectations, and ensure successful scale and mission adoption. This is a customer-facing role.
- Ability and interest to travel up as needed to client sites, but flexible based on personal preferences. What You’ll Bring
- experience (backend or full-stack), ideally in customer-facing or government environments (DoD, intelligence, public sector) or analogous high-assurance contexts.