Forward Deployed Engineer
LB424
Posted: 21/04/2026
- £90,000 - £120,000
- London Area
Forward Deployed Engineer
This isn’t a “build it and hope it works” role.
This is where code meets reality and has to perform.
🧠 The Mission
Join a defence AI company building the software backbone for autonomous systems, robotics, and real-time decision-making.
Their tech is already deployed in high-stakes environments — where failure isn’t an option.
No prototypes. No safe sandboxes. Just real systems doing real work.
🚀 What You’ll Actually Do
- Ship and deploy software directly into live customer environments
- Work hands-on with robotics, sensors, and autonomous systems
- Turn messy, unpredictable real-world data into reliable, working systems
- Go on-site, understand problems first-hand, and solve them where they happen
- Feed what you learn back into the product — shaping what gets built next
⚙️ What Makes You a Fit
- Strong engineering fundamentals (Python, C++, Java, or JS/TS)
- You’re comfortable outside clean abstractions - systems, data, hardware
- You don’t wait for perfect specs - you operate well in ambiguity
- You like talking to users as much as writing code
- You’re willing to get on-site and close the loop end-to-end
🔐 Requirements
- Eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC)
- Typically 5+ years UK residency
- British citizen (due to project sensitivity)
- Right to work in the UK
🌍 What You’re Walking Into
- Early-stage, high-calibre team - engineers who build and ship
- Direct exposure to defence, autonomy, and real deployments
- Real ownership from day one - no layers, no passengers
- Work at the intersection of AI, hardware, and mission-critical systems
Kirstie Moffat
Data Science & Machine Learning Recruitment Consultant