Forward-Deployed Solution Engineer - International

Role Overview

Forward-Deployed Solution Engineer – International at Noda AI. Based in UAE with home office in Austin, TX. This is a senior full-stack engineering role that can land at either Senior Solution Engineer (L5) or Solution Architect (L6) 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

Own URZA deployments end-to-end at customer sites in defense and military operating environments. Lead technical delivery as the senior engineering presence on the ground, partner directly with Mission Leads and Field Operations, and represent Noda AI in customer technical reviews. Drive reusable engagement scaffolding and mentor mid-level Solution Engineers.

Key Responsibilities

Deployment & Configuration

• 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.
• Own URZA deployment for a single engagement and lead on-site execution (L5); or own URZA deployment architecture across multiple concurrent engagements (L6).

Integration & Technical Delivery

• Integrate URZA with third-party C2 systems, sensors, software APIs, and external data sources including weather, reconnaissance, and intelligence feeds.
• Run customer technical reviews and operator training.
• Partner with Mission Leads on engagement coordination.
• Hold customer technical authority where the customer expects an architect (L6).

Documentation & Knowledge Transfer

• Build reusable engagement scaffolding including runbooks, Concept of Operations templates, and integration playbooks.
• Write deployment guides, after-action reports, and technical documentation.
• Mentor mid-level Solution Engineers.

Strategic Influence (L6)

• Define integration patterns and Concept of Operations templates that other Solution Engineers reuse.
• Influence URZA roadmap and the integration layer directly through field learning.

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.
• Hands-on experience with autonomous systems or unmanned vehicles (UAS, UGV, USV, UUV) preferred.
• Prior defense, autonomy, or robotics company experience preferred.
• Classified, ITAR, or CMMC environment exposure preferred.
• Active security clearance preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong proficiency in Python, C++, or Rust.
• Advanced Linux fluency.
• Networking depth including TCP/IP, UDP, multicast, and routing.
• Field debugging across multiple system layers.
• Systems thinking across compute, network, vehicle behavior, and Concept of Operations.
• Tactical C2 systems including TAK, Cursor-on-Target, and Link 16 preferred.
• Pub-sub middleware such as Zenoh and DDS preferred.
• Experience integrating sensors, third-party APIs, or external data feeds preferred.
• Field-grounded; comfortable diagnosing in degraded conditions on a live exercise clock.
• Documentation-disciplined.
• Customer-credible; holds technical authority without overstating or underselling.
• Self-directed; thrives in ambiguity.

Additional Information

Travel & Location

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

Benefits

• 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 a 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 available 24/7 including therapy.
• Additional work-life services including free legal 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.