Role Description
C3 AI (NYSE: AI), is the Enterprise AI application software company. C3 AI delivers a family of fully integrated products including the C3 Agentic AI Platform, an end-to-end platform for developing, deploying, and operating enterprise AI applications, C3 AI applications, a portfolio of industry-specific SaaS enterprise AI applications that enable the digital transformation of organizations globally, and C3 Generative AI, a suite of domain-specific generative AI offerings for the enterprise. Learn more at: C3 AI
C3 AI is seeking Forward Deployed Engineers to join the Federal team. As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will be engineering full-stack AI-driven web applications on the C3 AI Platform, working directly with U.S. federal customers to design, develop, and deploy production applications, demos, and proofs-of-technology. An ideal candidate possesses strategic and analytical aptitude, software development expertise, and excellent interpersonal skills.
This role requires U.S. citizenship. An active TS/SCI with CI Polygraph or greater is preferred.
Responsibilities: ---------------------
- Develop and deploy applications. Engineer full-stack, AI-based enterprise applications on the C3 AI Platform.
- Mentor junior team members. Share coding standards and design techniques with less experienced engineers.
- Conduct design and code reviews. Review customer software applications for quality, architecture, and best practices.
- Test and enhance customer applications. Troubleshoot, test, and improve customer software applications directly and on behalf of customers.
- Deliver technical enablement. Lead technical deep-dives, product demonstrations, and customer training sessions.
- Write documentation. Produce application specifications, technical documentation, and supporting artifacts.
- Identify and mitigate risk. Continuously surface technical risks and gaps; devise mitigation strategies in anticipation of customer needs.
- Drive product improvement. Work closely with product management and engineering to improve the overall quality of C3 AI software.
Qualifications: -------------------
- Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM), or a comparable area of study.
- 2+ years of professional software development experience with object-oriented programming languages.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to work effectively on a cross-functional team.
- Analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to travel as needed.
Preferred qualifications ----------------------------
- Current, active U.S. Government security clearance of TS/SCI with CI Polygraph or greater.
- Experience with the Federal government, especially DoD.
- Graduate degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM), or a comparable area of study.
- Experience deploying enterprise-scale applications.
- Experience working in a customer-facing role.
- Software development experience with JavaScript and Python.
- Experience with Git or other version control software.
- Experience working with JavaScript frameworks such as React, Redux, Vue, Backbone, or Angular.
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future company sponsorship.
C3 AI is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected characteristics, including disabled and veteran status.
About Forward Deployed Engineering
Forward Deployed Engineers are embedded directly with customers to build custom solutions, integrate products into existing infrastructure, and bridge the gap between product engineering and customer success. The role combines deep technical skills with the ability to operate in client environments and translate business requirements into working software.
Originally pioneered by Palantir, the FDE model has spread across AI, enterprise SaaS, and cloud infrastructure companies. FDEs write production code, architect integrations, train customer teams, and feed product insights back to the core engineering organization. At companies like OpenAI, Salesforce, and Databricks, FDE teams are treated as elite engineering units that can ship custom solutions in days rather than quarters.
Typical FDE stack: Python, TypeScript, SQL, REST/GraphQL APIs, cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure), and increasingly LLM APIs and AI orchestration frameworks. Strong communication and the ability to context-switch between technical and business conversations are as important as coding ability.
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