Forward Deployed Engineer

About Code Metal

Code Metal is redefining code translation for mission-critical industries, helping defense partners move more quickly and reliably from algorithm to silicon. Our platform accelerates deployment of DSP, RF, communications, and embedded signal processing algorithms onto heterogeneous compute targets, including GPUs, FPGAs, ASICs, and edge SoCs. We also support automotive, aerospace, and semiconductor partners deploying complex algorithms onto constrained hardware with speed and rigor.

Code Metal operates at the intersection of advanced algorithms and specialized hardware, where successful deployment requires deep technical execution close to the customer. We’re looking for a Forward Deployed Engineer who owns the last mile from validated solution to reliable fielded capability: integrating, optimizing, debugging, and operating customer workloads on GPUs, FPGAs, and edge systems.

This is not a purely internal engineering role. You will work directly with customer teams - often in high-stakes, mission-critical environments - to integrate into real systems, resolve deployment blockers, and ensure successful production delivery. You will operate with high autonomy and remain accountable until the capability works reliably in the customer environment.

Requirements:

• Own end-to-end deployment of validated customer solutions. From implementation and integration through production acceptance, you are accountable for delivering reliable working systems on target hardware.

• Work directly with customer engineers and operators to integrate into their environment, understand operational constraints, and close gaps between a validated solution and production use.

• Productionize and optimize implementations. Take validated DSP, RF, communications, or other compute-heavy pipelines and make them reliable, performant, testable, and deployable on GPUs, FPGAs, and other accelerators using Code Metal's platform.

• Optimize performance under real-world constraints. Profile, debug, and tune systems for latency, throughput, memory, and power across heterogeneous compute environments.

• Debug across the full stack. Identify and resolve issues spanning algorithms, software, hardware, and toolchains in complex deployment environments.

• Collaborate cross-functionally. Partner with Solutions Engineers, Solutions Architects, product, and core engineering to resolve field issues, harden reusable capabilities, and feed deployment learnings into the platform.

• Operate with a high-ownership mindset. Navigate ambiguity, unblock critical issues, and do what is required to move deployments forward in high-stakes environments.

• Build reusable deployment patterns and playbooks. Capture integration, test, observability, and operational learnings so future deployments become more repeatable and supportable.

• Support on-site deployments. Travel as needed (30-75% depending on the customer) to integrate, test, and validate systems in real-world environments.

• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance; some assignments may require an active Top Secret clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in software engineering, systems engineering, or applied algorithm development

• Strong programming ability in at least one of: Python, C++, CUDA, Matlab, VHDL, Verilog, or Rust

• Hands-on experience with one or more of the following: GPU programming, FPGA development, embedded systems, or edge compute environments

• Experience working with compute-intensive workloads (DSP, RF, communications, computer vision, etc.)

• Demonstrated ability to optimize and deploy software on specialized or constrained hardware

• Ability to debug complex systems across software and hardware boundaries

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-moving environments

• Comfort working directly with customers and communicating technical concepts clearly

• Comfort spending significant time embedded with customer teams when deployment needs require it.

• Experience delivering software or systems in defense, aerospace, industrial, or other mission-critical environments.

Level Expectations by Track:

This role is open at Senior, Staff, or Principal level. The expectations below describe how scope, ownership, and technical leadership differ by level; candidates are evaluated against the level they are hired into.

Senior:

• Years of Experience: 5+

• Engineering Craft & Code Quality: Writes clean, idiomatic, well-tested code/output and follows best practices; drives debugging of the team's hardest issues; ensures AI-assisted work is correct, modular, and fully tested.

• Architecture & Technical Knowledge: Designs and implements changes to single systems, collaborates on larger designs, and drives architecture reviews for multi-developer projects.

• Delivery, Scoping & De-risking: Works with Product to scope and de-risk work; provides reliable estimates for medium-sized projects with clear risk communication.

• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: A go-to technical reviewer for the team's codebase; mentors and onboards teammates; contributes to interviews and candidate experience.

Staff:

• Years of Experience: 7+

• Engineering Craft & Code Quality: Defines and enforces the team's testing strategy, standards, and quality bar; ensures AI-generated output is tightly integrated into existing paradigms and robustly tested.

• Architecture & Technical Knowledge: Designs cross-cutting changes across the stack; provides architectural guidance across the team; owns design docs for major multi-service or multi-surface projects.

• Delivery, Scoping & De-risking: Owns technical scoping and execution strategy for complex, multi-sprint initiatives; audits requirements for technical risk and hidden dependencies before development begins.

• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: The primary technical gatekeeper for the team's codebase; reviews most high-impact work; leads technical grooming, design spikes, and RFCs; coordinates across pods when changes cross domain boundaries.

Principal:

• Years of Experience: 10+

• Engineering Craft & Code Quality: Sets the quality and correctness bar across the department; their work is the example others learn from; improves the automated systems and practices that ensure quality department-wide.

• Architecture & Technical Knowledge: Provides architectural guidance across the department and invents paradigms that solve CodeMetal-specific domain problems (e.g., translation, optimization, deployment across target environments); a key resource on every major system.

• Delivery, Scoping & De-risking: A consistent contributor to the company's technical roadmap; gives reliable estimates for large cross-team initiatives; ensures pragmatic scoping toward the most valuable outcomes.

• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: An active driver of company-wide architectural reviews and proposals; mentors mid-level and senior staff at scale; influences others across departments toward the best technical outcome.

Benefits

• Pay depends on experience, but we strive to be at the upper end of the salary range

• Health care plan with 100% premium coverage, including medical, dental, and vision

• 401k with 5% matching

• Paid Time Off (uncapped vacation, plus sick and public holidays)

• Flexible hybrid or remote work arrangement

• Relocation assistance for qualifying employees

Wage Transparency - The salary range for this role is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as the final offer amount may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, individual proficiency, skills, experience, and location.

We are an equal opportunity employer. US Citizenship may be required for certain project assignments involving security clearance.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.