Forward Deployed Engineer

Job description

ABOUT BRINC: At BRINC, we are redefining public safety with an innovative ecosystem of life-saving tools. Our journey started with the development of drones and ruggedized throw phones, designed to access unsafe areas and establish communication to de-escalate situations. Today, we've expanded into creating and deploying 911 response networks, where drones are dispatched to 911 calls to provide real-time visual data, enhancing safety and enabling de-escalation-focused responses. Our cutting-edge solutions are utilized by over 600 public safety agencies across America and the company has raised over $150M from investors, including Index Ventures, Motorola Solutions, Sam Altman, Dylan Field, Mike Volpe, Alexandr Wang and more. At BRINC, we are committed to recruiting the world's best talent to join us in our mission to support first responders in saving lives. ABOUT THIS ROLE: We are seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to embed onsite with BRINC’s most critical customers and own their success in the field. You will support the installation and commissioning of BRINC’s end-to-end drone systems and live operational flights, triage and debug issues across hardware, firmware, and software, and implement fixes on-site. You will be the direct line between the customer and engineering at headquarters, turning what you see in real operations into shipped features and resolved issues. This is a hybrid of software engineering, technical support, and product expertise, and it suits someone equally comfortable writing code, flying a drone, and briefing customer command staff. This role is upwards of 90% travel and suits someone genuinely excited to be on the road and embedded with our customers. Expect multi-week deployments at key customer sites, with regular travel to BRINC’s Seattle headquarters in between. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: - Deploy onsite for multi-week engagements with critical customers to install, configure, and commission BRINC drones, robotic drone nests, remote controllers, and proprietary LiveOps software into live 911 response operations. - Support live operational flights, including preparation testing, pre-operational briefings with contingencies, and debriefs with customer personnel and BRINC teams. - Triage and debug issues in the field across software, firmware, hardware, networking, and RF, driving them to root cause under operational time pressure. - Implement and validate fixes on-site. Write, test, and deploy code and configuration changes, then upstream that work into the mainline product. - Serve as the primary technical liaison between the customer and engineering at headquarters, translating field observations into reproducible bug reports, requirements, and feature specifications. - Rotate back to BRINC’s Seattle headquarters to work directly with embedded, perception, controls, test, and manufacturing engineers, landing new features and fixes and validating them in the operational environment before broad release. - Maintain deep technical expertise in BRINC products and proprietary software, a high level of flying proficiency, and an FAA Part 107 Pilot’s License with all required recurrent training. - Build trust-based relationships with customers and public safety agencies, and remain a calm, credible presence during mission-critical incidents. - Document issues, create knowledge base articles, and contribute to training materials and runbooks so field learnings scale to the team and to the customer. - Participate in an after-hours support rotation to ensure continuous service for agencies operating 24/7/365. - Responsibly manage assigned BRINC equipment and maintain its functionality and appearance in front of our public safety partners. QUALIFICATIONS: - 4+ years of industry experience in software engineering, field engineering, systems engineering, or technical support of complex hardware systems. - Proven experience troubleshooting complex technical systems across hardware, firmware, and software. - Ability to obtain and maintain an FAA Part 107 license and currency certifications. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills for engaging both engineering teams and non-technical stakeholders. - Ability to remain calm and decisive while supporting public safety customers in mission-critical situations. - Willingness to participate in rotating after-hours on-call support schedules, including nights, weekends, and holidays. - Ability to travel upwards of 90%, including multi-week deployments at customer sites, regular travel to BRINC’s Seattle headquarters, and deployments on short notice. - Proficiency in Python and the ability to read, modify, and debug C/C++. - Working knowledge of Linux environments, command-line tools, scripting, and basic networking for diagnostics. - Strong understanding of embedded systems, robotics, or electro-mechanical devices. - Ability to work independently in a dynamic environment, take initiative, and communicate effectively. PREFERRED SKILLS - Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline. - 5+ years supporting UAS, robotics platforms, or other safety-critical hardware in operational environments. - Prior experience in a forward deployed, field application, or customer-embedded engineering role. - Experience developing software for UAV and UAS used in commercial, industrial, or defense applications. - Experience with flight control, navigation, and autonomy applications. - Experience with standard embedded interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, etc.) and interpreting logs and telemetry from embedded systems. - Familiarity with real-time video and telemetry systems, and operations center software. - Experience with cellular and wireless network operations, including RF troubleshooting in the field. - Prior experience working directly with public safety agencies, first responders, or government entities. - Public safety and sUAS program experience, including working knowledge of FAA Part 107, public safety COA, and COW regulations. - Track record of contributing to technical documentation, training content, or customer-facing knowledge bases. - Strong skills in debugging, root cause analysis, and performance optimization. BRINC CULTURE VALUES: - Try the hard stuff - Be innovative - Invent the future - Move fast - Listen to end-users - Strive for excellence - Don’t build a dystopia - Be frugal - Save lives through technology If you’re interested in this role and in joining BRINC, we hope you’ll apply. We’d love to review your application and get to know more about you! BRINC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that is resolute in cultivating an environment that promotes safety, diversity, inclusion and equity. We’re committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering every employee so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need, please let our recruiting team know - we strive to provide appropriate accommodation and assistance. Benefits and perks listed below may vary based on the nature of your employment with BRINC and/or the country within which you work - Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans for our employees and their families - 401K plan - Maternity and paternity leave - Flexible Time Off (Exempt) / Paid time off (Non-Exempt) - Flexible work environment - Orca pass (for those in Puget Sound) - Free parking (Seattle office) - Free snacks, drinks and espresso (Seattle office)