Forward Deployed Software Engineer - Tactical Edge
Palantir· startup· Enterprise software· Mar 2, 2026 · 8mo agoPosted 239 days ago
Washington, D.C.
Hybrid
Full-time
Mid
$135K–$200K
Before you apply
Ghost Signal:
Open since March 2, 2026 — 239 days, and still accepting applications.
Job description
A World-Changing Company
Palantir builds the world’s leading software for data-driven decisions and operations. By bringing the right data to the people who need it, our platforms empower our partners to develop lifesaving drugs, forecast supply chain disruptions, locate missing children, and more.
The Role
Forward Deployed Software Engineers (FDSEs) work directly with customers to quickly understand their greatest problems and design and implement solutions to use data against them. Our customers rely on Palantir’s platforms for some of their most critical operations, and projects often start with an open ended question like “Why are we delaying so many flights?” or “How can we better identify instances of money laundering?” As an FDSE, you’ll apply your problem solving ability, creativity, and technical skills to help organizations use their data to drive a real impact in the world. You’ll have the opportunity to gain rare insight into and contribute to some of the world’s most important industries and institutions.
As an FDSE on the Tactical Edge, your responsibilities look similar to those of a startup CTO: you’ll work in small teams with minimal supervision and own end-to-end execution of high stakes projects. You’ll apply your problem solving ability, creativity, and technical skills to deploy and manage Palantir software across a variety of hardware form factors, ranging in size, location, and accessibility. Your day might span debugging infrastructure/networking/application issues, discussing architecture with fellow engineers, collaborating with developers to improve the Palantir product offering, speaking with customer executives, or establishing strategy for your team.
Whether you aspire to be an entrepreneur or an engineering leader, we believe Palantir is the best place — with the best colleagues — to learn how. You’ll learn how to unpack a problem and understand the costs and consequences of its solution. You’ll learn new technologies and languages, and even develop them yourself. You’ll work autonomously and make decisions independently, within a community that will support and challenge you as you grow and develop.
Our Principles
Impact: We take on meaningful and challenging projects that change the world for the better
Ownership: We see projects through from beginning to end, working through any obstacles we may encounter
Collaboration: We work internally with people from a variety of backgrounds — such as other FDSEs, product teams, and Deployment Strategists. We also work externally with our customers, often on site, to understand and solve their problems.
Trust: We trust each other to effectively manage time and priorities and give people the space to think for themselves
Growth: We encourage ourselves and our peers to seek new challenges and opportunities for growth, as well as find new ways to innovate and share knowledge
Learning: We often face entirely novel problems where we need to pick up a lot of new knowledge and learn how to use it to make progress. We believe experiential learning is one of the best teachers.
What We Value
Strong engineering background, preferred in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics
Experience with containers (Docker/Podman) and orchestration (OpenShift/Kubernetes) infrastructure
Demonstrated proficiency with Linux systems , networking, and on-premise infrastructure
Demonstrated proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, Bash, JavaScript, Go or similar
Familiarity with data structures, storage systems, and front-end frameworks
Understanding of how technical decisions impact the user of what you’re building
Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively in teams of technical and non-technical individuals, and comfortable working in a rapidly changing environment with dynamic objectives and iteration with users
Demonstrated ability to continuously learn, work independently, and make decisions with minimal supervision
Willingness and interest to travel ~25-75%
What We Require
Active US Security Clearance at or above the Top Secret level or willingness to upgrade to Top Secret
Salary
The estimated salary range for this position is estimated to be $135,000 - $200,000/year. Total compensation for this position may also include Restricted Stock units, sign-on bonus and other potential future incentives. Further note that total compensation for this position will be determined by each individual's relevant qualifications, work experience, skills, and other factors. This estimate excludes the value of any potential sign-on bonus; the value of any benefits offered; and the potential future value of any long-term incentives.
Our benefits aim to promote health and wellbeing across all areas of Palantirians’ lives. We work to continuously improve our offerings and listen to our community as we design and update them. The list below details our available benefits and some of the perks that can be enjoyed as an employee of Palantir Technologies.
Benefits
• Employees (and their eligible dependents) can enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as voluntary life insurance
• Employees are automatically covered by Palantir’s basic life, AD&D and disability insurance
• Commuter benefits
• Take what you need paid time off, not accrual based
• 2 weeks paid time off built into the end of each year (subject to team and business needs)
• 10 paid holidays throughout the calendar year
• Supportive leave of absence program including time off for military service and medical events
• Paid leave for new parents and subsidized back-up care for all parents
• Fertility and family building benefits including but not limited to adoption, surrogacy, and preservation
• Stipend to help with expenses that come with a new child
• Employees can enroll in Palantir’s 401k plan
Life at Palantir
We want every Palantirian to achieve their best outcomes, that’s why we celebrate individuals’ strengths, skills, and interests, from your first interview to your longterm growth, rather than rely on traditional career ladders. Paying attention to the needs of our community enables us to optimize our opportunities to grow and helps ensure many pathways to success at Palantir. Promoting health and well-being across all areas of Palantirians’ lives is just one of the ways we’re investing in our community. Learn more at Life at Palantir and note that our offerings may vary by region.
In keeping consistent with Palantir’s values and culture, we believe employees are “better together” and in-person work affords the opportunity for more creative outcomes. Therefore, we encourage employees to work from our offices to foster connectivity and innovation. Many teams do offer hybrid options (WFH a day or two a week), allowing our employees to strike the right trade-off for their personal productivity. Based on business need, there are a few roles that allow for “Remote” work on an exceptional basis. If you are applying for one of these roles, you must work from the state in which you are employed. If the posting is specified as Onsite, you are required to work from an office.
If you want to empower the world's most important institutions, you belong here. Palantir values excellence regardless of background. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer for all, including but not limited to Veterans and those with disabilities. Palantir is committed to making the application and hiring process accessible to everyone and will provide a reasonable accommodation for those living with a disability. If you need an accommodation for the application or hiring process , please reach out and let us know how we can help.
Please note that you will never be asked to submit a payment or share financial information to participate in our interview process. If you suspect that you've been contacted by a scammer, we recommend you cease all communication with the individual and consider reporting them to the relevant authorities, such as the US FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) .
If you would like to understand more about how your personal data will be processed by Palantir, please see our Privacy Policy .
Application prep
Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.
Keywords to mirror
accessibilitydockerkubernetespythonjavajavascriptgo
- Platform
- lever
- Effort
- quick
Benefits
Benefits detected in the listing.
Dental
Vision
401k
Paid Time Off