What does a Forward Deployed Engineer do at deCircle?

Forward Deployed Engineers at deCircle are embedded directly with enterprise customers to implement and customize the platform, build integrations, and solve technical problems in real-world client environments. They combine software engineering skills with direct customer interaction, writing production code while also serving as the primary technical point of contact.

What skills are required for this Swarm Aero - Forward Deployed Engineer (Remote) role?

The Swarm Aero - Forward Deployed Engineer (Remote) role at deCircle typically requires strong software engineering skills (Python, TypeScript, SQL), experience with APIs and system integration, comfort with cloud platforms, and the ability to communicate complex technical topics to non-technical stakeholders. Most FDE roles require 3-7 years of engineering experience.

Is this Forward Deployed Engineer position at deCircle remote?

Remote availability varies by deCircle FDE role. Some positions are fully remote, others require travel to customer sites, and some are hybrid. Check the full job description above for the specific location requirements for this posting.

deCircle

Swarm Aero - Forward Deployed Engineer (Remote)

$180K - $240K Remote San Francisco, CA, US Mid Posted October 11, 2026

Apply on Indeed All FDE Jobs

Role Description

Source: Paraform - https://www.paraform.com/share/swarm-aero/cmqraxsp6000z0dkyrnfwvhsv (NOTE: Paraform shows this role as not accepting new applications as of 2026-10-12)

Compensation: $180,000-$240,000 + competitive equity.

Location: US-based remote (listed San Francisco); 50-75% domestic and international travel to coastal/water-adjacent sites. Visa: not open to any visas (US citizen / Green Card).

About this role

Forward Deployed Engineer with 5-7 years of experience to embed directly with U.S. military and government customers and own the technical success of Swarm Aero's C2 systems in live operational environments. Equal parts software engineer and field operator: writing production code, debugging distributed systems under pressure, and deploying software in high-stakes contexts.

What will you be doing?

Deploy and integrate C2 software on-site with military operators, domestic and international (50-75% travel)
Break-fix troubleshooting and rapid code development in the field; gather requirements from uniformed operators and ship same-day
Work with drone operators, potentially flying assets in air, water or land during live missions
Feed field insights back to core engineering
Operate autonomously in ambiguous, resource-constrained environments (hardware, code, technician work)

Tech stack

Golang, React, Python, C/C++, Java, Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD

About Swarm Aero

Building the largest swarming UAV and swarming aircraft network, plus C2 software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets. Team from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer, Blue Origin, Boom. 12 employees, founded 2022, $59M total funding.

5-7 years full-stack software engineering and/or forward-deployed engineering
US citizen or Green Card holder
Comfortable with 50-75% travel

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.