We're hiring a forward deployed engineer to embed with Aslan's customers and write the code that makes our platform solve their specific mission. You'll sit alongside intelligence analysts, targeting officers, and federal agents, learn the operational problem they're actually trying to solve, and build until the platform does something they can't live without.
The threats our operators face destroy lives at scale, and the people fighting them have never had a tool built for the terrain those threats now occupy. Every line of code you ship in the field puts capability in the hands of someone who has been outmatched by an adversary they couldn't previously reach. That's the weight of this job, and it's why it matters.
This is an engineering role, not a deployment or support role. You write production code at customer sites. You take our core platform and make it work inside operational environments that are messy, sensitive, and unlike anything the product team could have anticipated. You build the custom integrations, the tailored workflows, the mission-specific configurations that turn a general capability into something indispensable for this operator, on this mission, with these targets. And you bring every pattern, every failure, every insight back to the core engineering team so the platform gets better for everyone.
At this stage there is no playbook. You are the product team in the field. What the operator needs tomorrow is something nobody has built yet, and you'll figure it out on the ground, in real time, under real conditions.
ResponsibilitiesEmbed with customers and write production code that makes Aslan's platform solve their specific operational problem
Learn the customer's mission, targets, and workflows deeply enough to build the right thing, not the thing the product spec assumed
Build custom integrations, mission-specific agent configurations, tailored analytics, and operator-facing workflows that make the intelligence output actionable
Debug agent behavior in live operational environments and fix it with code, not escalation
Identify patterns across deployments and bring them back to the core engineering team as product insights that shape what gets built next
Iterate in days, not quarters, because the problems are live and the operators can't wait
3+ years of software engineering. You've shipped production code, not prototypes, and you've done it under pressure.
Full-stack generalist instincts. Whatever blocks the deployment becomes your job, whether that's backend services, data pipelines, agent configuration, or a UI the operator needs by morning.
Working knowledge of AI/ML systems, enough to reason about agent behavior, diagnose failures, and write the code that fixes them without waiting for the research team.
The ability to understand a domain that isn't yours. You'll sit with operators whose world you've never lived in and build software that fits their reality, not yours.
Self-directed to the core. When you're embedded, you're the engineering team. You make the calls.
DMV-based, willing to travel to customer sites regularly and stay for extended periods.
You've been embedded at a customer site writing production code, not visiting for a demo
Experience with AI agent systems, LLM applications, or autonomous systems in production
Prior work in classified, IC, or government environments
You've been the sole engineer on a live customer engagement at an early-stage company
Prior military, intelligence, or law enforcement background
Active, recent, or eligibility for a U.S. security clearance (TS preferred)
Skills Required
- 3+ years of software engineering experience shipping production code
- Full-stack generalist experience across backend services, data pipelines, agent configuration, and user interfaces
- Working knowledge of AI/ML systems sufficient to diagnose agent behavior and failures
- Ability to understand customer domains and build software aligned with operational workflows
- Strong self-direction and ability to make engineering decisions independently
- Based in the DMV region
- Willingness to travel regularly to customer sites and stay for extended periods
- Experience embedded at customer sites writing production code
- Experience with AI agent systems, LLM applications, or autonomous systems in production
- Prior work in classified, intelligence community, or government environments
- Experience as the sole engineer on a live customer engagement at an early-stage company
- Prior military, intelligence, or law enforcement background
- Active, recent, or eligibility for a U.S. security clearance, with TS preferred
What We Do
Aslan builds an operating capability for national security in the digital domain. Its platform helps defense and intelligence operators find and understand adversaries who recruit, coordinate, and plan online, providing indicators, warnings, and actionable insight. The company also supports homeland security, investigations of transnational crime and illicit finance, and efforts to identify foreign influence and strategic competition, helping operators anticipate threats and shape outcomes before they escalate.
