> 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. # Forward Deployed Engineer (D.C Area) Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/8c1e0164683d1629 Legion Intelligence posts a FDE role to build what the customer runs in Washington, DC, at $160,000–$200,000 base, below the senior FDE median of $190,000 across 1,864 postings with pay. A forward-deployed engineer builds and iterates on custom agentic AI workflows and applications in direct collaboration with government and defense customers. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026. - [Legion Intelligence](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/legion-intelligence) Posted Jul 22, 2026 by Legion Intelligence · open on Greenhouse as of Nov 8, 2026 **$160,000–$200,000** Washington, DC A forward-deployed engineer builds and iterates on custom agentic AI workflows and applications in direct collaboration with government and defense customers. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F8c1e0164683d1629&placement=top) - [View posting at Legion Intelligence](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/yurtsai/jobs/5193362007) 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 $160K–$200K Below the median Midpoint $180K · median $190K This job $160K to $200K. 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 - **Coding**: Writes production code - **Builds for**: External customers - **Level**: Senior - **Role**: Individual contributor ### What they ask for Experience - **4+ years** Forward Deployed Engineering, Solution Engineering, or similar customer-facing technical roles - **4+ years** Supporting military, intelligence, or defense-related environments Background - **Software engineering** - **Solutions and customer engineering** - **Forward deployed engineering** ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting asks for 4+ years. How many do you have? 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 - **Pay**: ## More like this [Accenture](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/accenture) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer (Secret cleared)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/8cf1918feb630cef) Arlington, VA 2w ago $120,400–$234,700 [Credence Management Solutions](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/credence-management-solutions) ### [Senior AI Software Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/55eab9f133b0cbaa) Mclean, VA 2w ago $155,000–$200,000 [BRG](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/brg) ### [Sr. Managing Consultant/Managing Consultant Full Stack Engineer- Financial Institution Operations & Technology](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/131e7548102580cf) New York, NY · Chicago, IL · +3 more 12d ago $158,000–$210,000 ## The job description from Legion Intelligence Posted by Legion Intelligence on Jul 22, 2026 ### About Legion Let’s be real, AI isn’t magic; Legion was built to move beyond AI hype—delivering secure, reliable systems that work alongside the people tackling the world’s most critical challenges. Born from a Department of Defense partnership and trusted by leaders across government and enterprise, Legion embeds intelligence inside complex systems, unlocking data, accelerating human workflows, and strengthening mission-critical systems. We don’t replace workflows—we optimize them, ensuring quality, efficiency, and reliability inside the platforms our partners already use. With world-class collaborators like Palantir, Nvidia, HPE, and Oracle, we’re building intelligent infrastructure that enhances human capability and drives impact at the edge and across a range of enterprises. We’re looking for bold thinkers and doers to join us in shaping the future of AI that’s secure, grounded, and built to work. ### Forward Deployed Engineer (D.C. Area) ### ***This position requires a US Department of Defense or Intelligence ACTIVE Top Secret (TS) clearance and also be eligible for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI)- eligibility only needed for SCI portion*** *****80–100% embedded with customers, working independently in classified or constrained environments***** *****Due to Government contract requirements, we are only able to hire US citizens***** ### The Role: We’re looking for a Forward-Deployed Engineer to work directly with customers to design and build custom workflows on top of our agentic AI platform. This is not a traditional product or platform engineering role. You will sit with end users, understand mission needs, and rapidly develop “app packs” and workflows that solve real operational problems. You’ll operate as both a builder and a translator—turning ambiguous requirements into working systems. You’ll have a finger on the pulse of our end users, transforming requests and requirements into truly transformative agentic AI solutions that revolutionize user workflows. You will spend the majority of your time (80–100%) embedded with customers, working independently in classified or constrained environments. Success in this role requires autonomy, strong communication, and the ability to ship practical solutions quickly. You’ll also act as a feedback loop into product and engineering—surfacing patterns, feature gaps, and opportunities to improve the core platform. ### Responsibilities: - Embed with customer teams to understand mission workflows, pain points, and operational constraints - Design and build custom applications and workflows (“app packs”) on top of the platform - Rapidly prototype and iterate on agentic AI solutions in real-world environments - Translate non-technical user needs into technical implementations - Operate independently in forward-deployed environments with minimal oversight - Gather and synthesize product feedback, feature requests, and usage insights - Collaborate with product engineering and agentic solution teams to influence roadmap and capabilities - Integrate with enterprise systems (data platforms, ticketing systems, collaboration tools, etc.) - Build lightweight UI components and interfaces where needed to support workflows - Support deployment, troubleshooting, and ongoing iteration of solutions in the field ### Qualifications: - 4+ years of experience in Forward Deployed Engineering, Solution Engineering, or similar customer-facing technical roles - Experience building and shipping full-stack applications or prototypes in production or near-production environments - Proficiency in Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, or similar scripting languages - Experience integrating with enterprise systems (e.g., Microsoft O365, Palantir Foundry, Databricks, ServiceNow, Atlassian) - Ability to build simple UI/UX using frameworks like Node.js, Next.js, or React - Proven ability to operate autonomously and solve ambiguous problems - Strong communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders - Experience working in classified or restricted environments is a plus ### Domain Experience: - 4+ years supporting military, intelligence, or defense-related environments - Familiarity with mission domains such as operations, logistics, intelligence, or C4/IT systems - Experience working with government or federal customers preferred ### Preferred Qualifications: - Experience building or deploying AI/ML systems, especially agentic workflows - Familiarity with tools such as n8n, Palantir Foundry, or other workflow/automation platforms - Experience evaluating AI system performance and interpreting results - Exposure to product telemetry, usage analytics, or feedback-driven iteration - Experience working in early-stage or high-growth startup environments ### ***This position requires a US Department of Defense or Intelligence ACTIVE Top Secret (TS) clearance and Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility only needed for SCI)*** *****80–100% embedded with customers, working independently in classified or constrained environments***** *****Due to Government contract requirements, we are only able to hire US citizens***** ### Why Join Us: This role sits at the edge of product and reality. You won’t be building features that may or may not get used—you’ll be building systems that are immediately deployed and tested in the field. If you want to work close to the mission, own outcomes end-to-end, and have a direct hand in shaping both product and customer success, this is the role. Compensation Information $160,000—$200,000 USD ** *Equal Opportunity Statement*** *Legion provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.* [View posting at Legion Intelligence](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/yurtsai/jobs/5193362007) ## Similar jobs [STR](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/str) ### [Lead Mission Engineer - Full Stack ](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/473a8eb7a795e70f) Denver, CO · San Diego, CA · +2 more 6w ago $175,000–$240,000 [Red Cell Partners](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/red-cell-partners) ### [Senior/Staff Full Stack Software Engineer, Federal](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/f2b085ebb8b7bbc3) Seattle, WA · Mclean, VA Remote 9d ago $180,000–$240,000 [Amazon (incl AWS)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/amazon-incl-aws) ### [Sr Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), AWS Forward Deployed Engineering, US Government](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/9f1c2b67db2daf1a) Denver, CO · Jessup, MD · +4 more New · 3d ago $168,100–$250,200 [Salesforce](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/salesforce) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) (Mid/Senior Level)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/2a5e1855e6916121) San Francisco, CA · Seattle, WA · +8 more Remote 4mo ago $88,970–$198,170 [LMI](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/lmi) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer - Clearance Required](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/fb2abc8cb6bb62e4) Washington, DC Hybrid 2w ago $145,000–$210,000 - [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 Legion Intelligence and want this page changed or removed? 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