Forward Deployed Engineer
US$188,000 – US$240,000 / yr base salary
Posted 13 Oct 2026
Advertised as “Senior Forward Deployed Engineer - Platform ”
BranchFactor Summary
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
- Expected experience
- 5+ yrs
- Management level
- Individual contributor
- Employment
- Hybrid
- Contract
- Full-time
| Base salary | US$188,000 – US$240,000 / yr |
|---|
About Ditto:
Ditto is redefining how data moves at the edge. Our mission is to make it seamless for developers to build resilient, real-time applications, regardless of network conditions. Whether you're in a stadium, airplane, or remote military base, Ditto's peer-to-peer sync engine ensures devices stay connected and data stays consistent, even without internet. With more than $145 million in funding and trusted by organizations like Chick-fil-A, Delta Airlines, and the U.S. military, Ditto powers mission-critical experiences across aviation, retail, travel, hospitality, defense, and more. As a globally distributed, fast-growing startup, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the wide range of perspectives needed to solve the world’s hardest connectivity problems.
About the Position
As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you are the technical tip of the spear. FDEs are elite, versatile engineers who work shoulder-to-shoulder with our most critical users to solve complex challenges in real time. Your primary mission is to radically decrease the time-to-value of our software by integrating it directly into the user's operational environment.
Because you see firsthand how our technology performs in the wild, you will also act as a crucial conduit, feeding technical insights and feature requirements back to our core product engineering team. This role requires a highly adaptable problem-solver who is comfortable moving fast, navigating ambiguity, and figuring things out quickly in high-stakes environments.
Key Responsibilities
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Implement the Core Aggregation Node: Lead the on-site architecture, deployment, and configuration of our central data hub within SOCOM's highly secure, distributed cloud environment.
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Architect and Manage GovCloud Infrastructure: Stand up, harden, and operate production workloads on AWS GovCloud at high impact levels, ensuring full compliance with security and accreditation requirements.
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Deploy and Maintain Container Orchestration: Own the lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters (including RKE2/K3s variants) across cloud and on-premise environments, managing upgrades, scaling, monitoring, and incident response.
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Engineer Secure Cross-Domain Data Flows: Architect and troubleshoot data synchronization pipelines that traverse Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) and data diodes, ensuring secure, policy-compliant, unidirectional data transfer between classification levels.