> 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. # Mission Engineer Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/75e91de6ce709edf Spear AI posts a FDE role to build what the customer runs in Washington, DC with no pay posted. Mission Engineers translate national-security mission needs into end-to-end technical solutions, from system design and prototyping to application development and data integration. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026. - [Spear AI](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/spear-ai) Posted Apr 17, 2025 by Spear AI · open on Lever as of Nov 8, 2026 Pay not posted Washington, DC On-site Full-time Mission Engineers translate national-security mission needs into end-to-end technical solutions, from system design and prototyping to application development and data integration. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F75e91de6ce709edf&placement=top) - [View posting at Spear AI](https://jobs.lever.co/spear-ai/3fbb9a22-4217-4739-8102-17f2bf69fae5/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 Senior FDE postings, 1,864 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $160K to $220K, median $190K. ### The work Builds what the customer runs Balance **Mostly building** Project stages 1. Pre-sales (not covered) 2. Proof of concept 3. Implementation 4. Operations Travel **Required, amount not stated** - **Coding**: Writes production code - **Builds for**: External customers - **Level**: Senior - **Role**: Individual contributor ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting reads as a senior role. What level are you at now? The job is in Washington, DC. 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**: Washington, DC - **Work arrangement**: On-site - **Employment type**: Full-time - **Travel**: Travel required, amount not stated ## More like this [CrossCountry Consulting](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/crosscountry-consulting) ### [Forward Deployed Software Engineer (Recent Graduate) - DC Metro](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/d90bc54a20cb2e75) Mclean, VA Hybrid 12d ago $95,000–$125,000 [Amazon (incl AWS)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/amazon-incl-aws) ### [Senior Forward Deployed Engineer (Model Customization and Optimization)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/110f7227e28583f5) East Palo Alto, CA · Boston, MA · +3 more 12d ago $168,100–$261,500 [STR](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/str) ### [Lead Mission Engineer - Full Stack ](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/c813a41fbd10f311) Arlington, VA 6w ago $175,000–$240,000 - [Other jobs at Spear AI (6)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/spear-ai) ## The job description from Spear AI Posted by Spear AI on Apr 17, 2025 Mission Engineers (MEs) are at the tip of the Spear leading customer engagements and understanding the pain points and issues within current technology. You will design end to end solutions to solve some of the hardest problems within the national security enterprise. MEs deploy modern technical solutions to solve problems that people are directly affected by. Projects can start with simple questions, like "How could AI help me analyze intelligence reports better" or "How do I write an Operational Report faster?" MEs lead the development of solutions to the questions, from high-level system design and prototyping to application development and data integration. As an ME you leverage Spear AI's core product offering, open source technologies, and whatever you can build to succeed. Your work will start with the IC at an AI Task Force -- an elite team modeled after Project Maven -- which has the mission to provide the IC with foundational, enterprise-wide AI capabilities. You will be on the ground floor of this organization as it creates the future technology that will power the US Intelligence Community. You'll learn how to understand and deconstruct complex problems and analyze the tradeoffs in any solution you propose and create. You'll learn how to apply Artificial Intelligence to massive data sets, and along the way you'll learn new technologies, techniques, and languages. You'll work autonomously and make decisions independently, sometimes alone and unafraid, but often with a community that will support and challenge you as you grow and develop. ### Responsibilities - Act as the connective tissue between operators, analysts, and technical teams to translate mission needs into technical solutions. - Identify, articulate, and shape operational use cases that can be enhanced or enabled by AI/ML capabilities. - Interface with DIA leadership, developers, and external stakeholders to align product development with mission-critical needs. - Drive feedback loops between end users and engineers to ensure delivered solutions are impactful and relevant. - Support field testing, performance evaluations, and operationalization of new tools in a fast-paced, iterative environment. ### Requirements - Active **Top Secret** clearance, with the ability to receive access to **Sensitive Compartmented Information** - A strong software engineering background, with formal education in Computer Science preferred - Familiarity with data structures, storage systems, cloud infrastructure, front-end frameworks, and other technical tools - Understanding of how technical decisions impact the user of what you're building - Demonstrated ability to work in classified environments and liaise across operational and technical stakeholders - Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially in conveying technical ideas to non-technical audiences. - Familiarity with AI/ML systems and their operational applications is highly preferred. - Military background or previous IC/DoD experience is a strong plus. - Willingness and interest to travel as needed [View posting at Spear AI](https://jobs.lever.co/spear-ai/3fbb9a22-4217-4739-8102-17f2bf69fae5/apply) ## About Spear AI Builds maritime AI software and sensors and provides engineering services for defense and national security missions. Seed · 50–100 people ## Similar jobs [Steampunk](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/steampunk) ### [AI Developer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/6c87ea097321a760) Mclean, VA 2w ago $140,000–$190,000 [Accenture](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/accenture) ### [Palantir Forward Deployed Senior Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/79e9c43db5c86c34) Chicago, IL · Milwaukee, WI · +39 more 2mo ago $80,400–$316,300 [Booz Allen](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/booz-allen) ### [AI/ML Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/00ce9bae32e49a7a) Washington, DC New · 2d ago $99,000–$225,000 [Lovelytics](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/lovelytics) ### [Lead Consultant, Gen AI ](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/49d6ba1b5b494dcd) Arlington, VA · Chicago, IL Remote 5mo ago $112,000–$160,000 [Deloitte US](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/deloitte-us) ### [Lead Palantir AI and Data Science Engineer II](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/4867fab29840d472) Rosslyn, VA 2mo ago $159,100–$265,100 - [Compare senior FDE salary ranges](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/senior) - [Similar jobs in Washington, DC area](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?region=dmv) - [Similar jobs that build what the customer runs](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?role=builds-for-customers) Hiring at Spear AI and want this page changed or removed? 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