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CHAOS Industries

Forward Deployed Engineer - Software

$140K - $240K Hawthorne, CA, US Mid Posted May 15, 2026

Role Description

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:

The Field Engineering Team is seeking an experienced engineer to join our team in the development and customer delivery of cutting-edge RF systems. With a deep understanding of our engineering, technology, and customers' missions, this individual will help develop and implement our products with customers. This position offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the design, development, and deployment of innovative RF capabilities, with a focus on enhancing systems, sensors, and platforms for national security applications including UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) surveillance systems and integrated air and missile defense. Ability to solve complex technical problems and contribute to rapid prototyping efforts is expected.

Responsibilities:

  • Test, deploy, and troubleshoot CHAOS products in the field.
  • Understand customer workflows and translate them into clear product and technical requirements.
  • Collaborate with core engineering teams to prioritise feedback, shape product direction, and drive delivery.
  • As an early engineer on a growing team, design and build new software products that bridge the gap between CHAOS capabilities and customer mission needs.
  • Integrate data from CHAOS edge sensors into customer systems.
  • Apply and develop machine learning and AI solutions to applied problems, using analysis of sensor data to iterate and improve performance.
  • Travel (typically up to 25%, with flexibility for higher travel periods when needed) to customer sites and our offices Washington DC.

Minimum Requirements:

  • Strong technical foundation, ideally with a background in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
  • Proven programming skills, with proficiency in languages such as Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, or similar technologies.
  • An existing or qualification for a United States security clearance

Preferred Requirements:

  • At least one year of relevant work experience, especially in a defence context.
  • Familiarity with core technical concepts – such as data structures, storage systems, cloud infrastructure, and modern front-end frameworks.
  • Confidence working in a command-line environment, with familiarity using tools like Git, SSH, and Linux-based systems.
  • Experience applying machine learning or AI techniques to real-world or customer-facing problems.
  • Thoughtful about how technical choices shape user experience, and comfortable managing internal and external stakeholders with a mix of technical insight and common sense.
  • Demonstrated ability to learn new concepts quickly and adapt in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
  • Comfortable working both autonomously and within teams that include both technical and non-technical members.

Why CHAOS?

  • Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
  • Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
  • Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
  • Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
  • Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices

*Salary Range: $140,000 - $240,000* *The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.*

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

*#LI-onsite*

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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