Senior Forward Deployed Engineer - Platform

Job description

**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** - **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. - **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. - **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. - **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. - **Bridge the Gap:** Translate the unique, edge-case operational realities you observe (e.g., ATO constraints, network segmentation at the SOCOM enterprise level, cross-domain latency) into actionable technical requirements for the core product development team. - **Lead Technical Customer Engagement:** Work directly with operational users and Government technical stakeholders to understand mission workflows, integration needs, environmental constraints, and deployment readiness. Communicate technical progress, dependencies, and issues in coordination with the Program Manager. - **Analyze and Validate Requirements:** Translate customer needs into documented operational and technical requirements, including data sources, interfaces, connectivity, security constraints, and measurable acceptance criteria. Validate requirements with customers and coordinate feasibility and prioritization with Product, Engineering, and Program Management. - **Provide Tier 2/3 Technical Support:** Provide advanced troubleshooting and sustainment engineering for the APFIT program under development and test. Reproduce issues, collect diagnostic evidence, identify root causes, implement authorized fixes or workarounds, and coordinate product defects with core Engineering through verification and closure. Keep Program Management informed of customer impact, remediation status, and escalation needs. - **Support Operational Validation:** Support scheduled integration, test, demonstration, deployment, and operational validation events. Develop technical test procedures, document results, and track deficiencies against agreed requirements and acceptance criteria. - **Document and Transition the Capability:** Maintain integration documentation, configuration baselines, deployment procedures, and troubleshooting guides. Provide technical knowledge transfer supporting Government operation and support of the accepted capability. ## **What You'll Need** - **Clearance Requirement:** Must hold an active TS/SCI clearance (Due to federal security clearance requirements, U.S. Citizenship is strictly required for this role). - **5+ years of experience** in platform engineering, DevOps, site reliability engineering (SRE), or cloud infrastructure engineering. This includes hands-on experience deploying, configuring, and troubleshooting complex systems in live production environments. - **2+ years of technical experience** with container orchestration platforms and cloud-native architectures in secure environments, including CI/CD pipeline design and infrastructure-as-code tooling. - **Demonstrated experience** with **AWS GovCloud** or equivalent FedRAMP-authorized cloud platforms at IL4/IL5/IL6, including a deep understanding of the compliance, networking, and architectural constraints of operating at these impact levels. - **A highly adaptable, problem-solving mindset**, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, move fast, and balance immediate operational fixes with long-term technical fidelity. - **Strong communication skills**, both written and verbal. As the crucial bridge between the operational edge and our core development team, you must be able to translate complex, edge-case technical realities and user workflows into clear, actionable requirements for product engineers. - **Demonstrated experience** leading customer discovery sessions and translating operational needs into clear, testable technical requirements. - **Experience diagnosing complex applications**, data synchronization, integration, and networking issues, including coordinating escalations and fixes with software engineering teams. - **Proven ability to communicate technical constraints**, tradeoffs, and remediation plans to customers while coordinating scope and delivery commitments with Program Management. ## **Nice to Haves** - **Hands-on experience with Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) and data diodes**, including architecting or troubleshooting unidirectional data flows between unclassified and classified networks. - **Experience with the Authority to Operate (ATO) process**, including STIG implementation, vulnerability management, and working with ISSMs/ISSOs to achieve and maintain accreditation. - **Familiarity with SOCOM-specific or SOF-centric IT environments**, including an understanding of the SOCOM enterprise network architecture and its unique operational requirements. - **Experience with GitOps workflows** (e.g., ArgoCD, Flux) for managing Kubernetes deployments in air-gapped or disconnected environments. - **Previous experience with event streaming or data messaging platforms** (e.g., Kafka, NATS, RabbitMQ) in high-security environments. - **Previous experience working directly with DoD, IC, or SOCOM customers**, with an understanding of navigating classified network environments. - **A background in systems programming** (e.g., Rust, Go, or C++) alongside standard scripting, allowing for deep optimization of platform services. ### **The Benefits of Building with Us** We offer competitive salaries and meaningful equity. We believe everyone on the team should have a stake in what we’re building. Benefits vary by region to make sure you're covered in the ways that matter most. In the US, that includes health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, plus a 401(k) and flexible spending accounts. Regardless of where you live, everyone at Ditto can utilize flexible time off. And while we work remotely, our Atlanta office is always open if you ever want a place to work or meet up with teammates. ### **Apply Anyway** At Ditto, we know game-changers don’t always come wrapped in a “perfect” resume. Years of experience? Every single bullet point checked? Meh. That’s not what drives us. What does matter? - Grit. - Curiosity. - Adaptability. - And a genuine spark for what we’re building. So if you’re fired up about our mission but not sure you tick every box - hit that apply button anyway. Use your application to show us how you’ll make an impact here. We’re always on the lookout for exceptional humans who want to grow, stretch, and build something meaningful with us. ### **Equal Opportunity Employer** Ditto is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Ditto is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let us know.