Engineering Manager - Forward Deployment (Defense)
Applied Intuition· startup· Robotics/Autonomous Systems· Sep 1, 2026 · 2mo ago
Washington, D.C.
In office
Full-time
Manager
$250K–$300K
8+ years exp
Job description
Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co applied.co.
We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions
ABOUT THE ROLE
As the Engineering Manager, you'll lead a team of 8-12 Forward Deployed Engineers who each operate like startup CTOs: owning end-to-end execution of high-stakes projects in small teams. Your job is to make this team scale, hiring and developing exceptional engineers, setting technical direction across engagements, and building the repeatable delivery practices that let us bring physical AI to more platforms and more customers without sacrificing quality or speed.
This is a high visibility player-coach role in a significant customer-facing, mission-critical environment. You'll represent Applied Intuition with authority in front of defense and government customers, own delivery outcomes across a portfolio of concurrent programs, and serve as the escalation point when projects hit ambiguity, changing requirements, or hard technical tradeoffs. You'll be expected to stay close to the technology, reviewing architectures, pressure-testing integration approaches, and diving in when a program needs it. Fielding intelligent machines is a systems problem spanning software, hardware, and operations, and your team sits at the center of it.
AT APPLIED INTUITION, YOU WILL:
- Work directly with defense and government customers to deploy, integrate, and operationalize Applied Intuition's vehicle intelligence products in military and government environments, from defense contractors to forward operating bases
- Tackle a broad range of technical challenges, including software engineering, operating system configuration, system deployment, and hardware integration
- Bridge customer-built systems and Applied’s solutions to deliver tangible value
- Design and implement scalable, consistent approaches for customer engagement and project execution
- Develop architectural solutions that improve consistency and scalability across projects
- Collaborate with internal engineering, product, and customer teams to ensure successful outcomes
- Take ownership of technical outcomes and drive projects to completion, adapting to changing requirements and priorities
WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS:
- 8+ years of industry experience with at least 2 years, recent technical leadership exposure.
Production grade SW experience. Has deployed SW or HW systems to active customers (not R&D, one-off projects)
- Exceptional customer-facing skills and focus on solving customer problems
- A proven mentor and leader of engineering talent
- Strong engineering background, preferred in fields such as Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering
- Broad technical experience across software engineering, operating systems, and some hardware
- Experience supporting integration and deployment of complex systems
- Exceptional problem-solving skills and a proven ability to thrive and innovate independently within highly ambiguous and rapidly evolving operational environments
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field
Security Requirements:
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Must hold or be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
For more information about U.S. security clearances: click here state.gov.
Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.
Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.
Please reference the job posting’s subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is: $250,000 - $300,000 USD annually.
Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.
FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact careers@applied.co. We will work with you!
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Keywords to mirror
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Benefits
Benefits detected in the listing.
Dental
Vision
401k
Paid Time Off
Wellness