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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Forward Deployed Engineer - **Company:** Istari Digital, Inc. - **Location:** Dayton, United States - **Salary:** $143,000.0 - $165,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Clean Code Principles, Computer-Aided Design, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Data Infrastructure, Software Architecture, Software Engineering, Toolchain, Production Code - **Published:** July 17, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.dice.com/job-detail/e7b9108f-3796-4827-ac33-4d64d6a90ac3 ## About the Role * Strong software engineering fundamentals - you write production-quality code and can defend your architectural decisions * Hands-on experience with digital engineering toolchains: CAD, CFD, FEM, or related simulation and modeling environments * Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments without a lot of hand-holding * Ability to work on-site with customers in a U.S. defense or aerospace context (clearance eligibility required; active clearance a strong plus) * U.S. citizenship required Preferred * Experience integrating engineering software into larger data or workflow platforms * Background in aerospace, defense, or other systems-engineering-heavy industries * Exposure to Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) or digital thread / digital twin concepts * Exposure to or direct experience with advanced CAD, CFD, or FEM tools ## Description Istari's software doesn't just get handed off, it gets deployed into some of the most complex engineering environments in aerospace and defense. As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you'll be embedded directly inside our customer organizations, operating as part of their team while remaining tightly connected to Istari's product and engineering core. This is not a support role. You are a builder. You'll write real code, architect integrations, and solve hard problems that emerge at the intersection of digital engineering workflows and mission-critical operations. The challenges you'll tackle require the instincts of a strong software engineer and the adaptability of someone who thrives in unstructured environments. Challenges like connecting CAD, CFD, FEM pipelines to Istari's platform; unlocking cross-discipline and cross-clearance collaboration; enabling organizations to actually use the tools in which they've invested. You'll work alongside Istari Program Managers who are embedded in the same customer environments. They carry the program context and stakeholder relationships while you own the technical execution. Together, you operate as a unit capable of handling almost anything a customer throws at you. The best Forward Deployed Engineers make our product smarter, not just our customers happier. What You'll Do Onsite Technical Delivery * Embed with customer engineering teams to understand their workflows, data environments, and technical constraints * Architect and build software solutions that integrate Istari's platform into existing digital engineering ecosystems (CAD, CFD, FEM, simulation pipelines, and related toolchains) * Serve as the primary technical interface for the customer - not just answering questions, but proactively identifying where our software can drive more value Software Development * Develop, test, and maintain integrations and workflow solutions following modern software engineering practices * Write clean, maintainable code that can be productized or reused across customer deployments * Contribute to internal tooling and documentation that scales your knowledge across the team Feedback Loop to Product * Translate field experience into actionable product insights - you are one of Istari's clearest signals on what customers actually need * Participate in internal engineering reviews, architecture discussions, and roadmap planning * Help develop proposals and technical approaches for new customer opportunities ## Related Videos - [Speeding up Web Apps performance with WebAssembly and Emscripten](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1985-speeding-up-web-apps-performance-with-webassembly-and-emscripten) - [Designing the Future of Human<>Agent Collaboration](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1447-designing-the-future-of-human-agent-collaboration) - [Beyond Dashboards: Fixing Text-to-SQL with Semantic RAG](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2036-beyond-dashboards-fixing-text-to-sql-with-semantic-rag) - [Security Pitfalls for Software Engineers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/726-security-pitfalls-for-software-engineers) - [The Power of Developer Communities](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1109-the-power-of-developer-communities) - [Agile work at CARIAD – Creating a customer web application for controlling the vehicle ](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/200-agile-work-at-cariad-creating-a-customer-web-application-for-controlling-the-vehicle) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [Is Software Engineering Hard?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/448-is-software-engineering-hard) - [Where to Find Entry-Level Software Engineering Jobs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/397-where-to-find-entry-level-software-engineering-jobs) - [The 12 Best Jobs for Software Engineers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/401-the-12-best-jobs-for-software-engineers) - [Now is the time for industrialized software development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/601-now-is-the-time-for-industrialized-software-development) - [Where To Find Software Engineering Jobs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/396-where-to-find-software-engineering-jobs)