Forward Deployed Engineers deploy, integrate, and operate complex systems (robotics, autonomy, UAS, RF) at customer sites, perform live software debugging and system operations, and provide hands-on field support for maritime, defense, and autonomy programs.
Forward Deployed Engineers (FDE)
Arsenal Pulse sourced from: Saronic Technologies, AnySignal, Physical Intelligence, Corridor AI, Shield AI — 93 profiles analyzed
3+ years of experience
Any location in the united states
Archetype
Title Variants
Prior Employers
Education Signal
Key Qualifier
Defense / Maritime FDE
Sr. FDE, Forward Deployed Engineer, Field Services Engineer
Palantir, US Navy, NAVSEA, Leidos, Booz Allen
CS, EE, Systems Eng, Naval Engineering
Shipboard ops or DoD field deployment experience
Robotics / Autonomy FDE
Forward Deployed Robotics Engineer, Field Engineer
Boston Dynamics, Palantir, SpaceX, iRobot
Robotics, Mechanical Eng, CS
Hands-on robot deployment and live software debugging
Palantir Alumni FDE
Forward Deployed Engineer, Full Stack Engineer
Palantir Technologies
CS, Math, Physics
Palantir FDE program graduate — highest signal profile
Software Generalist FDE
FDE, Forward Deployed SW Engineer, Solutions Engineer
Anduril, Scale AI, Verizon Federal, SAIC
CS, Software Eng, Information Systems
Customer-facing engineering and live system operations
UAS / Comms Field Engineer
Field Services Eng UAS, FDE, RF Field Engineer
Shield AI, Skydio, L3Harris, General Atomics
EE, Aerospace, CS
UAS operator cert or RF systems field experience
GEM CANDIDATES IN YOUR DATABASE
Gem candidates: Palantir Alumni FDE
Name
Title
Company
LinkedIn
Alex Barrera-Waters
Forward Deployed Software Engineer
Palantir Technologies
linkedin.com/in/alexbawa
Nathan Hunsberger
Forward Deployed Software Engineer
Palantir Technologies
linkedin.com/in/nathan-hunsberger
Avoy Datta
Forward Deployed AI Engineer
Palantir
linkedin.com/in/avoy-datta
Gem candidates: Software / Field FDE
Name
Title
Company
LinkedIn
Jason Chao
Forward Deployed Engineer
Tech
linkedin.com/in/jchao01
Tom Kimbrell
Forward Deployed Engineer
Stuut
linkedin.com/in/tom-kimbrell-773a6a90
LINKEDIN BOOLEAN (SALES NAVIGATOR / RECRUITER)
LinkedIn Boolean Search
title:"forward deployed engineer" AND (Palantir OR Anduril OR "Shield AI") NOT recruiter NOT intern
"forward deployed" AND (defense OR maritime OR robotics OR autonomy) AND engineer
title:"forward deployed engineer" AND (navy OR DoD OR "special operations") NOT intern
"FDE" AND (Palantir OR Anduril) AND ("field deployment" OR "customer site") NOT staffing
GOOGLE X-RAY (SITE:LINKEDIN.COM)
Google X-Ray Search
site:linkedin.com/in "forward deployed engineer" "Palantir" -intitle:"jobs"
site:linkedin.com/in "forward deployed engineer" ("defense" OR "maritime" OR "autonomous") "engineer"
site:linkedin.com/in "forward deployed robotics engineer" ("Boston Dynamics" OR "iRobot" OR "Physical Intelligence")
site:linkedin.com/in "field engineer" ("UAS" OR "unmanned" OR "autonomous systems") ("DoD" OR "Navy" OR "NAVSEA")
Palantir FDE alumni are the single highest-signal pool. Build a persistent Palantir alumni list and refresh quarterly. For maritime FDE, ex-Navy officers with CS/EE backgrounds are rare but perfect for Saronic-type clients.
Ketch Talent Austin, Texas, USA Office
Austin, TX, United States
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What you need to know about the Austin Tech Scene
Austin has a diverse and thriving tech ecosystem thanks to home-grown companies like Dell and major campuses for IBM, AMD and Apple. The state’s flagship university, the University of Texas at Austin, is known for its engineering school, and the city is known for its annual South by Southwest tech and media conference. Austin’s tech scene spans many verticals, but it’s particularly known for hardware, including semiconductors, as well as AI, biotechnology and cloud computing. And its food and music scene, low taxes and favorable climate has made the city a destination for tech workers from across the country.
Key Facts About Austin Tech
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