# Forward Deployed Engineer

**Company:** [Northwood Space](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/northwood-space)
**Location:** Washington, DC
**Role:** Solutions Architecture
**Salary:** $170k – $225k/yr
**Experience:** 7+ years
**Skills:** Solutions Engineering, Systems Engineering, mission operations, satellite communications, rf, APIs, networking protocols, Cloud Infrastructure, telemetry, mission assurance
**Posted:** 2026-07-23

> Forward Deployed Engineers at Northwood serve as primary technical contacts for satellite customers, guiding missions from discovery through deployment on the company's ground station network. They perform hands-on integration, troubleshooting, and code shipping while translating customer needs to internal teams. Requires 7+ years customer-facing technical experience and a bachelor's degree.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Make customer missions succeed on Northwood's network.
- Serve as the primary technical contact for customers during capture, evaluation, onboarding, and post-deployment.
- Get hands-on with implementation and integration — working directly alongside customers and Engineering to bring up, troubleshoot, and validate their operations on the network.
- Ship code, debug integrations, and validate operations alongside customers and Engineering.
- Support Business Development on qualification, proposals, and expansion.
- Lead technical discovery, exchanges, demos, and readiness reviews alongside Program Management.
- Learn each customer's mission, workflows, constraints, decision criteria, and success metrics in depth.
- Translate customer needs into clear priorities for Engineering, Product, and BD.
- Surface friction points, adoption blockers, and recurring needs that should shape the product and network.
- Coordinate onboarding and deployment readiness — clarifying requirements, flagging risks, and aligning internal teams around customer objectives.
- Build reusable discovery frameworks and customer-facing materials that help Northwood scale capture and customer success.

## Basic Qualifications
- 7+ years in customer-facing technical roles: solutions or systems engineering, mission operations, technical business development, capture engineering, solutions architecture, or TAM.
- Bachelor's in EE, CE, CS, Aerospace, or related field — or equivalent experience with mission systems, ground systems, networking, cloud, or satellite operations.
- Track record taking complex customer engagements from discovery through deployment or expansion.
- Proven ability to build trust with technical customers and turn ambiguous mission needs into concrete priorities.
- Comfortable working in ambiguous environments spanning hardware, software, networking, and business objectives.
- Strong communicator — able to lead technical conversations, write clear customer materials, and brief internal stakeholders.
- Effective across BD, Engineering, Product, Program Management, and customer teams.
- Willing to travel up to 30%.

## Preferred Qualifications
- Background in satellite communications, RF, space operations, ground stations, or telecom infrastructure.
- Experience with proposals, technical evaluations, demos, pilots, or proof-of-concept work.
- Experience managing technical relationships in mission-critical environments.
- Familiarity with APIs, networking protocols, telemetry, scheduling systems, cloud infrastructure, or mission assurance.
- Ability to obtain or hold TS/SCI clearance.

## Additional Requirements
- This position requires successfully obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment.
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
- This role requires being on-site 5 days per week.

## Compensation
- Base salary determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary depending on job-related skills, education, experience, and technical expertise.
- In addition to base salary, Northwood Space offers long-term incentives such as company stock options and discretionary performance bonuses.
- Benefits include equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, flexible spending accounts, flexible time off, 10 or more paid holidays per year, retirement savings plans, and opportunities for professional development.

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