This listing pays about $165,000 a year. Across 103 open forward deployed engineer listings that state pay, the middle half runs $160,000 to $215,000 and the median is $195,000. That is inside the middle half of those listings, 15% below the median.

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Among software developers, AI is already used for some of the tasks. Measured exposure for software developers: 29% (some).

Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.

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About the job

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

Our customers run satellite missions on our software. Failure isn't an option. As a Forward Deployed Product Engineer, you make sure our software holds up at the edge, where it matters most.

You'll also spot what's missing, what could be simpler, and what should exist but doesn't yet, then turn those observations into product direction.

This is a product role as much as an engineering one. You'll work in the field, in ops centers, and alongside customers. You're a generalist who moves across the full stack, from infrastructure to frontend, and you use AI as leverage to ship faster. At Quindar, we believe the future belongs to engineers who use AI to move faster, build better, and shape the next generation of our products

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

- Configure and deploy our software in customer environments, ensuring reliability and performance across complex workflows.

- Troubleshoot issues across backend APIs, cloud infrastructure, databases, and the frontend.

- Travel to customer sites and embed with operations teams, building trusted technical relationships.

- Prototype products and iterate quickly with live customer data and direct feedback.

- Act as the voice of the customer in product discussions, translating field insights into roadmap priorities, solutions, and integrations.

- Partner with Product & Engineering to turn successful prototypes into production code.

- Develop playbooks for repeatable integrations and maintain clear documentation and training resources.

QUALIFICATIONS

- Education:

- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Aerospace, Engineering, or a related field.

- Experience:

- 3+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on customer-facing roles.

- Proven track record of building, deploying, or supporting production software in mission-critical environments.

- Technical Skills:

- Proficiency in Python; experience with TypeScript, Java, or similar is a plus.

- Experience building software with AI tools such as Cursor, Amp, ChatGPT

- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), databases, and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes).

- Soft Skills:

- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

- Strong product sense: ability to question requirements, spot patterns, solve problems for the users.

- Bias toward action: comfortable shipping prototypes quickly and iterating.

- Adaptability and curiosity, thriving in ambiguous, fast-changing environments.

- Certifications:

- Relevant certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Certified Kubernetes Administrator) are a plus.

- Clearance:

- Active US Security Clearance (TS/SCI) required

ITAR REQUIREMENTS

- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/ddtc_public/ddtc_public?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE WORKING AT QUINDAR

- We work in a cutting edge industry and you will get the opportunity to be part of a small team with a large direct impact on the success of our customers’ space missions!

- We take work life balance very seriously. We require employees to take 15 days off but provide unlimited PTO and follow most US federal government holidays.

- Mental health is just as important as physical so we provide quarterly health & wellness benefits.

- Comprehensive health insurance for you and your family with 100% coverage for employees.

- We encourage employees to save for retirement and provide 4% 401(k) matching.

- Each year we have an annual company offsite. Previous locations include San Francisco, Palm Springs, Nashville, Denver, Santa Fe, New Orleans, San Diego, Bozeman, and New York City.

- Our culture and company is evolving. You will be key in creating the next major or minor version!