Engineering Manager - Forward Deployment (Defense)

About the role

As an Engineering Manager at Applied Intuition, you will lead a team of 8‑12 forward‑deployed engineers who act as mini‑CTOs, delivering high‑stakes physical‑AI projects for defense and government customers. You will be the technical and people leader, scaling the team, hiring top talent, and establishing repeatable delivery practices while staying hands‑on with architecture and integration challenges.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and grow a team of forward‑deployed engineers, handling hiring, mentorship, and performance management.
• Own delivery outcomes across multiple concurrent defense programs, ensuring quality, speed, and customer satisfaction.
• Represent Applied Intuition with authority in front of defense and government stakeholders, acting as the escalation point for technical ambiguities.
• Define and enforce technical direction, review architectures, and pressure‑test integration approaches.
• Collaborate with customers to deploy, integrate, and operationalize vehicle‑intelligence products in military environments.

Required profile

• Proven experience leading technical teams in complex, mission‑critical environments.
• Strong background in software engineering, operating‑system configuration, system deployment, and hardware integration.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills with the ability to dive into technical details when needed.
• Effective communication skills for interacting with senior defense and government customers.

Required skills

• Software engineering
• Operating system configuration
• System deployment
• Hardware integration

What we offer

• Opportunity to work on cutting‑edge physical AI solutions for defense and government sectors.
• Competitive compensation and benefits package.
• Collaborative, high‑impact environment with direct access to senior leadership.
• In‑office work environment in Arlington with occasional flexibility.