About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, IT Services and IT Consulting.

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

---

The short version

Paid from day one — including six weeks of intensive AI engineering training and certification. First‑year salary range $95,000–$120,000 (see Compensation). Deploy to large federal and enterprise clients in the DC metro. U.S. citizenship and Secret‑clearance eligibility required. W2 employment; not a C2C opportunity.

---

Why this role, why now

This program is built to close a massive skills gap: Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) are in high demand across consulting and federal partners. This role is the fastest on‑ramp from solid software developer to designer/owner of AI-enabled, client‑facing systems deployed at scale.

---

What you’ll do

After six weeks of paid, team‑based AI engineering training you’ll deploy to client engagements and be expected to:

• Build and deploy agentic AI applications inside client cloud environments.
• Own delivery end‑to‑end — from problem framing through deployment and handoff.
• Work embedded with client engineers and stakeholders inside their environment, tooling, and constraints.
• Translate ambiguous business needs into scoped specifications and defensible architecture.
• Apply AI‑assisted development tooling to accelerate delivery and build AI‑enabled capability where it fits the client mission.
• Create reference implementations, coding standards, and review practices that other engineers follow.
• Brief client stakeholders on progress, tradeoffs, and risk; produce durable documentation.

---

What you need

• 2+ years of professional, full‑time experience as a software developer.
• Proficiency in at least one: Java, C#, Python, or JavaScript/Node.js. Framework experience (Spring Boot, .NET Core, Django, Express, etc.) is a plus.
• Experience building or consuming REST APIs.
• Working knowledge of SQL and relational databases (Oracle, Postgres, SQL Server, or similar).
• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field OR equivalent professional software development experience.
• U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a Secret security clearance.
• Able to work hybrid on‑site in Tysons Corner, VA (or willing to relocate for the program).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills for client‑facing work.

---

Nice to have (we’ll train the rest)

• Consulting or client‑facing delivery experience.
• Agile/Scrum delivery experience (Jira, Azure DevOps).
• DevOps, CI/CD, cloud platforms, web UI development, or test automation experience.
• Exposure to AI coding tools (Copilot, Claude, Cursor). AI experience is not required — training is provided.

---

Security clearance: your fast lane

U.S. citizenship and Secret‑clearance eligibility are required. Candidates with an active Secret or Top Secret clearance, or transitioning veterans with software experience, will be prioritized. If you are clearance‑eligible, the program supports you through needed steps.

---

Compensation

Earn between $95,000 and $120,000 your first year, plus medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401(k). Compensation grows with certifications and deployments; experienced Forward Deployed Engineers nationally average $170K+ base.

---

Where Confidential Client stands out

• Paid, enterprise‑level AI engineering training and certification — earn while you learn.
• Deployment to Fortune‑scale enterprise clients and federal agencies.
• Health, vision, dental, and life insurance with 401(k).
• Continuous mentorship and technical support throughout deployments.

---

About the opportunity provider

This role is provided by a confidential client that builds customer‑ready technology teams for large enterprise and federal engagements. The program blends practical training, certification, and direct client deployment to accelerate your career into high‑demand AI engineering roles.

---

Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.