> AI agents: this is one page of Nextmove’s FDE site, in Markdown. Nextmove is a job board and free career service for forward deployed engineers (FDEs). Each posting is classified from its text, not its title: the kind of work, how much of it is production code, pre-sales weight, time at customer sites, travel, remote arrangement, level and posted base pay. The site also publishes the aggregates: median pay by level, metro, company and kind of work, and which companies started hiring FDEs each week. Every page under https://nextmove.md/fde is served this way; the index of pages is https://nextmove.md/llms.txt.

# MSS Developer

Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/6b5a59ca41c97813

Agile Defense posts a FDE role to build what the customer runs in Honolulu, HI with no pay posted. Builds operator-facing analytics, applications, data pipelines, and AI/AIP workflows on MSS and the Palantir stack for J7 mission operations. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026.

- [Agile Defense](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/agile-defense)

Posted Oct 22, 2026 by Agile Defense · open on Lever as of Nov 8, 2026

Pay not posted Honolulu, HI On-site Full-time

Builds operator-facing analytics, applications, data pipelines, and AI/AIP workflows on MSS and the Palantir stack for J7 mission operations.

- [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F6b5a59ca41c97813&placement=top)
- [View posting at Agile Defense](https://jobs.lever.co/agile-defense/d4be0dce-3544-4cd3-b52a-5a3a417ce1ab/apply)

Free. Upload your resume once, see why each FDE role fits, and get introduced only when you say so.

## At a glance

### Posted base pay

Not posted

Not stated FDE postings, 50 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $151K to $204K, median $180K.

### The work

Builds what the customer runs

Balance **Mostly building**

Project stages

1. Pre-sales (not covered)
2. Proof of concept (not covered)
3. Implementation
4. Operations

- **Coding**: Writes production code

- **Builds for**: External customers

- **Role**: Individual contributor

### What they ask for

Experience

- **4+ years** software or data engineering experience, including data analysis or data science experience
- **1.5+ years** hands-on experience with Palantir Foundry, Gotham, AIP, or MSS

Background

- **Software engineering**
- **Implementation and data engineering**

### Do you meet what the posting states?

The posting asks for 1.5+ years. How many do you have?

The job is in Honolulu, HI. Could you work there?

Which of these have you used in production?

Answer each one. Nothing is saved or sent.

[What postings ask for, by background →](https://nextmove.md/fde/paths)

## Conditions

- **Location**: Honolulu, HI

- **Work arrangement**: On-site

- **Remote work restrictions**: Onsite in a SCIF at Camp H.M. Smith, Honolulu, HI.

- **Employment type**: Full-time

## More like this

[Agile Defense](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/agile-defense)

### [MSS Developer - Colorado Springs](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/91cafed6822ac17c)

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### [MSS Developer - DC](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/b7b5b4df6ccb3034)

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### [Lead & Senior Data Engineers](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/958175ab0725378a)

United States and authorized to work in the US Remote New · 2d ago

Pay not posted

- [Other jobs at Agile Defense (13)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/agile-defense)

## The job description from Agile Defense

Posted by Agile Defense on Oct 22, 2026

### About Agile Defense

At Agile Defense we know that action defines the outcome and new challenges require new solutions. That’s why we always look to the future and embrace change with an unmovable spirit and the courage to build for what comes next.

Our vision is to bring adaptive innovation to support our nation's most important missions through the seamless integration of advanced technologies, elite minds, and unparalleled agility—leveraging a foundation of speed, flexibility, and ingenuity to strengthen and protect our nation’s vital interests.

**Job Title:** MSS Developer Engineer

**Location:** Honolulu, HI: Camp H.M. Smith

**Clearance Level:** This position requires candidates to be U.S. citizens and to possess, at minimum, an active Secret security clearance. Roles under this requisition may require higher-level clearances, including TS/SCI, which candidates must be able to obtain and maintain based on project assignment.

### Job Description

### Build Mission-Critical Analytics and Applications

- Build and maintain operator-facing dashboards, applications, and decision surfaces aligned to J7 mission workflows
- Create intuitive, self-service capabilities that empower operators to explore data independently
- Build automated workflows that deliver timely insights to stakeholders across the directorate
- Ensure data accuracy and consistency across all MSS deliverables

### Drive Hands-On Platform Engineering

- Develop and maintain data pipelines, ontology, and access controls on MSS and the underlying Palantir stack
- Integrate external data sources into a well-modeled data foundation
- Ensure AI/AIP workflows have a well-modeled data foundation and that model outputs are surfaced in operationally useful ways
- Partner with mission leaders to understand analytical needs and translate requirements into technical solutions

### Enable Data-Driven Decision Making

- Create compelling data visualizations that communicate complex insights to diverse audiences
- Build interactive tools that allow operators to drill down into data and explore different scenarios
- Design alerting and monitoring systems that proactively identify mission opportunities and risks
- Collaborate with teams to establish KPIs and success metrics that drive mission performance

### Optimize Platform Performance

- Develop efficient data models and query optimization strategies for fast, reliable reporting Implement caching and aggregation strategies to ensure optimal dashboard and application performance
- Build scalable MSS solutions that can handle growing data volumes and user bases
- Provide day-to-day operator support and escalate complex platform issues to senior engineers as appropriate

### Foster Analytics Excellence

- Contribute reusable platform content, including ontology patterns, dashboard templates, and integration recipes, to support continuous curriculum refresh Document data sources, metrics definitions, and analytical methodologies for organizational knowledge
- Support validation of the FDE&T model for potential extension to additional Combatant Commands, Service components, and functional commands
- Stay current with MSS/Palantir technologies and advocate for new tools and approaches that improve mission analytics

### Required Skills

- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a quantitative discipline; extensive Palantir experience will substitute.
- 4+ years of software or data engineering experience (data analysis or data science experience considered), including 1.5+ years hands-on with Palantir Foundry, Gotham, AIP, or MSS
- Demonstrated experience building dashboards, applications, or pipelines for operational end users
- Working proficiency in ontology design, pipeline authoring using PySpark, Code Repositories, or Pipeline Builder
- Active US government security clearance

### Preferred Skills

- Prior Palantir FDE/FDSE or comparable customer-embedded role
- Hands-on MSS experience AIP agent or large language model workflow exposure
- Familiarity with DoD data environments and classified networks
- Prior Combatant Command support
- Solid Python and SQL skills with familiarity in JavaScript/TypeScript

### Working Conditions

Must be able to work onsite in a SCIF

### Our Core Values

Employees of Agile Defense are our number one priority, and the importance we place on our culture here is fundamental. Our culture is alive and evolving, but it always stays true to its roots. Here, you are valued as a family member, and we believe that we can accomplish great things together. Agile Defense has been highly successful in the past few years due to our employees and the culture we create together.

What makes us Agile? We call it the 6Hs, the values that define our culture and guide everything we do. Together, these values infuse vibrancy, integrity, and a tireless work ethic into advancing the most important national security and critical civilian missions. It's how we show up every day. It's who we are.

- **Happy **- Be Infectious. Happiness multiplies and creates a positive and connected environment where motivation and satisfaction have an outsized effect on everything we do.
- **Helpful** - Be Supportive. Being helpful is the foundation of teamwork, resulting in a supportive atmosphere where collaboration flourishes, and collective success is celebrated.
- **Honest** - Be Trustworthy. Honesty serves as our compass, ensuring transparent communication and ethical conduct, essential to who we are and the complex domains we support.
- **Humble** - Be Grounded. Success is not achieved alone, humility ensures a culture of mutual respect, encouraging open communication, and a willingness to learn from one another and take on any task.
- **Hungry **- Be Eager. Our hunger for excellence drives an insatiable appetite for innovation and continuous improvement, propelling us forward in the face of new and unprecedented challenges.
- **Hustle** - Be Driven. Hustle is reflected in our relentless work ethic, where we are each committed to going above and beyond to advance the mission and achieve success.

### Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

[View posting at Agile Defense](https://jobs.lever.co/agile-defense/d4be0dce-3544-4cd3-b52a-5a3a417ce1ab/apply)

## About Agile Defense

AI-enabled federal contractor delivering digital transformation, cybersecurity, and data/AI analytics to DoD, intelligence, homeland security, and civilian agencies.

Late-stage private · 2000–5000 people

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