What does a Forward Deployed Engineer do at Innodata?

Forward Deployed Engineers at Innodata 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 Forward Deployed Engineer role?

The Forward Deployed Engineer role at Innodata 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 Innodata remote?

Remote availability varies by Innodata 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.

Innodata

Forward Deployed Engineer

Remote Martinsburg, WV, US Mid Posted October 13, 2026

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Role Description

Innodata (Nasdaq: INOD) is a global data engineering company. We believe that data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are inextricably linked. Our mission is to enable the responsible advancement of artificial intelligence by providing the data, evaluation frameworks, and human expertise required to build AI systems that can be trusted at scale. We provide a range of transferable solutions, platforms, and services for Generative AI / AI builders and adopters. In every relationship, we honor our 36+ year legacy delivering the highest quality data and outstanding outcomes for our customers.

About the Role:

We build an advanced data platform that helps demanding enterprise and public-sector customers turn large, complex datasets into high-quality, structured data for AI. We're a small, senior team that values ownership, correctness, and strong engineering. We're hiring a full-stack engineer to help build and operate the product end to end, and to work closely with the customers who use it. You'll spend most of your time building, with regular chances to join customer conversations, help deploy the platform in their environments, and see how it's used in the field. It's a great fit for an engineer who enjoys working with customers and wants to grow into a more customer-facing role.

What You'll Do:

Build features end to end across our Rust backend and TypeScript/React frontend, from the data model and APIs to a polished, interactive web application.
Design data models, APIs, and ingestion pipelines that are fast and reliable at scale.
Help deploy, configure, and support the platform in cloud and customer environments, including AWS GovCloud, on-premises Kubernetes, and air-gapped or classified networks.
Build data connectors and integrations that bring customer data into the platform and fit it to their workflows.
Join customer conversations, demos, and occasional on-site visits to understand how the product is used, and turn that feedback into product improvements.
Contribute to architecture, code quality, performance, and security as the product grows.

What We're Looking For:

5+ years building and shipping production software.
Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility (U.S. citizenship required).
Strong backend skills in a modern systems or application language (we work primarily in Rust; we're happy to help a strong engineer ramp up).
Solid SQL and PostgreSQL fundamentals — indexing, transactions, and query performance.
Proficiency with TypeScript and React and an eye for clean, responsive UIs.
Experience deploying and running services with Docker and Kubernetes.
Strong communication skills — able to explain technical work clearly to customers and non-technical stakeholders.
Ability to travel to customer sites.

Nice to Have:

Customer-facing, consulting, or solutions-engineering experience.
Experience deploying software in classified, air-gapped, or other regulated environments.
AWS/EKS (including GovCloud), infrastructure-as-code, and STIG or RMF experience.
Experience with data-intensive applications, data pipelines, or Python for data work.
Familiarity with AI training data, annotation, or data-labeling workflows.

Core Technologies:

Rust · TypeScript / React · PostgreSQL · Python · cloud object storage · Docker · Kubernetes · AWS (including GovCloud). (Additional components shared during the interview process.)

Eligibility:

U.S. citizenship and an active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility are required. This role is open to candidates anywhere in the U.S. (remote) or hybrid in the Washington, DC area, with occasional travel to customer sites.

Please be aware of recruitment scams involving individuals or organizations falsely claiming to represent employers. Innodata will never ask for payment, banking details, or sensitive personal information during the application process. To learn more on how to recognize job scams, please visit the Federal Trade Commission's guide at https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams.

If you believe you've been targeted by a recruitment scam, please report it to Innodata at [email protected] and consider reporting it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov*.*

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.