Forward-Deployed Solution Engineer - International

Role Overview

Forward-Deployed Solution Engineer - International at Noda AI. Home office in Austin, TX; deployment location in Qatar. This role can be filled at Senior Solution Engineer (L5) or Solution Architect (L6) level depending on demonstrated depth.

Company Overview

Noda AI is a veteran-owned Series A defense technology company building the orchestration layer for autonomous unmanned systems. The platform URZA coordinates fleets of heterogeneous vehicles across air, sea, and land for defense and intelligence customers.

Role Purpose

Lead URZA deployment and customer-facing technical delivery across active customer programs in defense and military operating environments. Own end-to-end deployments at customer sites, represent Noda AI in technical reviews, and build reusable engagement scaffolding for the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Deployment & Operations

• Lead URZA deployments end-to-end at customer sites in Department of War and military operating environments.
• Configure URZA for each customer's mission and Concept of Operations.
• Operate as the senior engineering presence on the ground at customer sites.
• Run customer technical reviews and operator training.

Integration & Technical Delivery

• Integrate URZA with third-party C2 systems, sensors, software APIs, and external data sources including weather, reconnaissance, and intelligence feeds.
• Diagnose and debug across multiple system layers in field conditions.

Documentation & Knowledge Transfer

• Build reusable engagement scaffolding including runbooks, deployment guides, Concept of Operations documents, and after-action reports.
• Mentor mid-level Solution Engineers.

Stakeholder & Program Management

• Partner directly with Mission Leads and Field Operations on engagement coordination.
• Represent Noda AI in customer technical reviews and hold technical authority with customers.

Qualifications & Experience

• 5+ years of full-stack engineering experience, with significant customer-facing or forward-deployed work.
• Demonstrated deployment experience in Department of War, military, or comparable operational environments.
• U.S. citizenship; able to obtain a security clearance.
• Active Secret clearance required.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong proficiency in Python, C++, or Rust.
• Advanced Linux fluency.
• Networking depth including TCP/IP, UDP, multicast, and routing.
• Systems thinking across compute, network, vehicle behavior, and Concept of Operations.
• Field-grounded; comfortable diagnosing in degraded conditions on a live exercise clock.
• Documentation discipline.
• Customer credibility; holds technical authority without overstating or underselling.
• Self-directed; thrives in ambiguity.

Preferred Technical Skills

• Hands-on experience with autonomous systems or unmanned vehicles (UAS, UGV, USV, UUV).
• Tactical C2 systems including TAK, Cursor-on-Target, or Link 16.
• Pub-sub middleware experience with Zenoh or DDS.
• Experience integrating sensors, third-party APIs, or external data feeds including weather, reconnaissance, and intelligence.
• Prior defense, autonomy, or robotics company experience.
• Classified, ITAR, or CMMC environment exposure.
• Active security clearance.

Role Leveling

Senior Solution Engineer (L5)

• Owns URZA deployment for a single engagement.
• Leads on-site execution; partners with a more senior engineer on architecture decisions.
• Operates independently within an engagement; escalates cross-engagement trade-offs.
• Mentors mid-level Solution Engineers.

Solution Architect (L6)

• Owns URZA deployment architecture across multiple concurrent engagements.
• Defines integration patterns and Concept of Operations templates that other Solution Engineers reuse.
• Holds customer technical authority where the customer expects an architect.
• Influences URZA roadmap and the integration layer directly through field learning.

Additional Information

Travel & Location

• Mission-dependent travel up to approximately 75%, including OCONUS rotations.

Benefits & Perks

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with company match.
• Equity grants for new hires.
• Unlimited PTO.
• 11 paid holidays.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including holiday hiatus in November and December.
• Generous Parental Leave.
• Military Leave for annual training or service requirements.
• FSA.
• DCFSA.
• HSA.
• Professional Development Opportunities.
• Access to One Medical.
• Free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy, legal support, and financial support.

Career Growth

• Growth path: Senior Solution Engineer → Solution Architect → Principal Solution Architect.
• Lateral opportunities: Engineering Manager (Solutions Engineering), Product Manager, Mission Lead.

Export Control Compliance

To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you 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 otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.