> 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 - Embedded

Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/a31dd0c0c1d39ad1

Swarm Aero posts a FDE role to build what the customer runs in Oxnard, CA, at $180,000–$240,000 base, above the senior FDE median of $190,000 across 1,864 postings with pay. Build and own C2 software integrations across customer environments and hardware configurations. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026.

- [Swarm Aero](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/swarm-aero)

First seen Oct 4, 2026 · open on Ashby as of Nov 8, 2026

**$180,000–$240,000** + equity Oxnard, CA On-site Full-time

Build and own C2 software integrations across customer environments and hardware configurations.

- [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2Fa31dd0c0c1d39ad1&placement=top)
- [View posting at Swarm Aero](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/swarmaero/f7f62a1c-b260-4353-9126-da1d64d72548/application)

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

$180K–$240K Above the median

Midpoint $210K · median $190K

This job $180K to $240K. 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 (not covered)
3. Implementation
4. Operations

- **Coding**: Writes production code

- **Builds for**: External customers

- **Level**: Senior

- **Role**: Individual contributor

### What they ask for

Experience

- **5+ years** professional software engineering experience (or equivalent demonstrated ability)

Background

- **Software engineering**

### Do you meet what the posting states?

The posting asks for 5+ years. How many do you have?

The posting reads as a senior role. What level are you at now?

The job is in Oxnard, CA. 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**: Oxnard, CA

- **Work arrangement**: On-site

- **Remote work restrictions**: Must be based in or willing to relocate to Oxnard, California.

- **Employment type**: Full-time

- **Pay**:

## More like this

[Anduril](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/anduril)

### [Senior Forward Deployed Software Engineer, Strategic Defense](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/496735084229ffc9)

Costa Mesa, CA · Washington, DC 6w ago

$191,000–$254,000

[EY](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/ey)

### [EY-Parthenon - Strategy and Execution - Growth Platforms - Software Engineer - Sr Assoc/Consultant](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/db242f263e15ea06)

New York, NY · Atlanta, GA · +12 more Hybrid 2mo ago

$130,000–$185,000

[Accenture](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/accenture)

### [Full Stack Forward Deployed Engineering Manager](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/22c678035fc1bf46)

Arlington, VA · Milwaukee, WI · +35 more 2mo ago

$80,400–$316,300

## The job description from Swarm Aero

Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results.

The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.

### About the Role

Most software engineers never see their code tested against reality. At Swarm Aero, that's the baseline.

We are looking for a Forward Deployed Software Engineer to embed directly with U.S. government and military customers and own the technical success of our C2 systems in the field. You will be the person who makes our software work -- not in a lab, not in a staging environment, but in real operational contexts across domestic and international deployments. Austere locations, high-stakes timelines, and complex distributed systems are the job.

This is a full-scope engineering role. You will build critical integrations, debug core services, contribute to new development, and ship solutions that warfighters and government operators depend on. If you want to write code that matters and see it run in environments most engineers never touch, this is the role.

### What You'll Do

- Build and own critical software integrations that bring our C2 systems to life in customer environments -- from initial deployment through production reliability across diverse hardware configurations and operational contexts
- Debug complex distributed systems issues in the field, analyzing logs, network traffic, and system performance to resolve failures fast and with minimal support
- Contribute to core service development alongside the engineering team, bringing field insight back into the product and shipping improvements that make a direct operational difference
- Write code daily across the full stack -- solving customer-specific integration challenges, contributing to core service development, and building monitoring and reliability solutions that hold up in the field
- Support continuous operational environments, including non-standard hours, on-call response, and rotational coverage aligned to mission tempo
- Collaborate with U.S. military and government program offices on-site and remotely, translating complex operational requirements into software solutions

### This Role Is For You If

- You want to see your code run in high-stakes, real-world environments -- not just pass CI
- You thrive on solving hard integration and deployment challenges independently, without a safety net
- You're comfortable being the most technical person in the room in dynamic, unpredictable field conditions
- You adapt to shifting schedules and operational demands without losing rigor or precision

### This Role Is NOT

- A pilot position or flight test engineer role
- Primarily hands-on hardware work (electronics, wiring, mechanical assembly)
- A traditional SRE or DevOps role with predictable hours and controlled environments

### Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field
- 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated ability
- Strong proficiency in at least one major programming language (Python, C/C++, Golang, or Java)
- Solid understanding of networking fundamentals: NAT, DNS/mDNS, UDP/TCP protocols, multicast, and firewall configuration
- Experience with Linux system administration and shell scripting
- Must be based in (or willing to relocate to) Oxnard, California
- Proven debugging skills across complex software systems -- you know how to read logs, use debuggers, and trace issues systematically
- Excellent communication skills for engaging with U.S. government and military customers and internal engineering teams
- Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance. Active Secret clearance preferred but not required.

### Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and infrastructure-as-code
- Background in distributed systems, real-time systems, or robotics software
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation
- Experience in customer-facing engineering or technical sales engineering roles
- Prior defense, intelligence community, or aerospace software experience
- Comfort operating in non-permissive or resource-constrained environments

### ITAR requirement

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Swarm Aero is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds and experiences and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability.

### What We Offer

- Meaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology company
- Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
- Medical, dental, vision, and 401k
- PTO and paid sick leave
- Monthly wellness stipend
- Daily catered lunch (office)
- Paid parental leave
- Direct impact on a critical national security mission
- A world-class team of engineers and operators solving genuinely hard problems

[View posting at Swarm Aero](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/swarmaero/f7f62a1c-b260-4353-9126-da1d64d72548/application)

## Similar jobs

[Planhat](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/planhat)

### [Forward Deployed Engineer | Americas](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/760df506cf3445ee)

Pacific Palisades, CA On-site 4mo ago

$170,000–$250,000 · OTE

[Meta](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/meta)

### [Business Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/61f630e50014b285)

Los Angeles, CA · Seattle, WA · +1 more 4w ago

$149,000–$210,000

[Amazon (incl AWS)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/amazon-incl-aws)

### [Senior Forward Deployed Engineer, AWS Forward Deployed Engineering](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/780f6825731d9f9e)

Boston, MA · Seattle, WA · +4 more 2w ago

$168,100–$261,500

[Skiffra](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/skiffra)

### [Founding Forward Deployed Engineer ](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/e3fd47c183cc8879)

Los Angeles, CA Hybrid 2mo ago

$215,000–$250,000

[Docflow Labs Inc](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/docflow-labs-inc)

### [Product Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/cb32e192c5c4c004)

Los Angeles, CA On-site 1mo ago

$150,000–$300,000

- [Compare senior FDE salary ranges](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/senior)
- [Similar jobs in Los Angeles](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?region=greater-la)
- [Similar jobs that build what the customer runs](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?role=builds-for-customers)

Hiring at Swarm Aero and want this page changed or removed? Email info@nextmove.md and we take it down.

Employer postings · [How we read postings](https://nextmove.md/fde/method)