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EdgeRunner AI is a Series-A startup bringing state-of-the-art AI to the tactical edge for the U.S. military. The company specializes in deploying AI models directly to warfighters in harsh, disconnected environments, enabling faster decision-making and natural language interaction with robotic platforms. The team combines AI researchers and machine learning engineers to deliver frontier-level performance through specialized model training, aggressive quantization, distillation, and compression techniques.
As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will serve as a field CTO for key customer engagements, working directly with the core engineering, research, and business development teams on projects critical to national security. You will own the prototyping, development, and deployment of software solutions tailored to specific customer needs. This role requires significant travel (up to 50% of the time) to meet with customers on-site for prototyping, scoping, and implementing new solutions. You will collaborate closely with engineers, researchers, product leaders, and former military officers to build AI-enabled solutions that increase operational effectiveness.
The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can understand how business objectives translate into technical solutions, interact effectively with customers, and operate independently in ambiguous environments. You will be responsible for translating government IT and PEO requirements into technical architecture, conducting user testing, and delivering capabilities that meet rigorous government standards.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 5+ years of experience building and deploying production software, including desktop applications and/or containerized services
- Experience packaging and distributing desktop software onto government-managed endpoints
- Experience deploying containerized applications (Docker, Kubernetes, Helm) into government systems and networks (Iron Bank, Platform One, IL4/IL5/IL6 environments)
- Familiarity with Large Language Models and agentic workflows, including serving, tool integration, and real-world evaluation
- Experience developing and deploying software compliant with DoD Risk Management Framework (RMF)
- Experience interfacing with government-owned IT systems (data platforms, IdAM providers, SIEM, CDSs)
- Experience working with government IT and PEOs to scope technical requirements, architecture, and integrations
- Experience working with end users to scope requirements, conduct user testing, and gather product feedback
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills
- Must be eligible to receive TS/SCI clearance; active clearance strongly preferred
- U.S. citizenship required (federal law requirement for security clearance)
PLUS (desirable):
- Experience shipping AI-enabled desktop applications on edge devices in limited-connectivity or offline settings
- Experience with GPU-enabled containers (NVIDIA Container Toolkit, GPU Operator)
