Forward Deployed Engineer

We are seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to join our Deployment Services team within Customer Success. This role focuses on application-layer platform work: Python automation, database operations, API integration, data migration tooling, and backend service configuration for customer environments.

This engineer will work alongside Senior Solutions Engineers to deliver platform services to defense, aerospace, and commercial customers. Where the Solutions Engineer leads agent/module integration and Dgraph operations, this role owns the data and API layer: writing migration scripts, managing database operations, configuring backend services, building automation tooling, and integrating platform APIs. Our customers operate in regulated, security-sensitive environments across AWS, Azure, GovCloud, on-premises Kubernetes, and air-gapped networks.

The ideal candidate is a strong Python developer with database and API experience, comfortable working directly with customers, and capable of building reliable automation tooling under time pressure.

Core Responsibilities

• Write and maintain data migration scripts for customer identity transitions (Zitadel to Keycloak), multi-tenancy data migrations, and schema changes

• Manage database operations across customer environments, including PostgreSQL administration, Dgraph query optimization, schema migrations, data integrity verification, and performance tuning

• Configure and validate backend platform services per customer requirements: Identity Service, Keycloak, AI Chat, and service integrations

• Build and maintain Python automation tooling for repeatable deployment and configuration tasks

• Integrate platform APIs for customer-specific workflows, including authentication flows, data exchange endpoints, and service configuration

• Configure identity provider integrations per customer requirements (Keycloak, SAML, OIDC, SSO with PingFederate, Okta, Azure AD)

• Troubleshoot application-layer issues in customer environments, including service configuration, database performance, API connectivity, and authentication failures

• Support agent and module deployment alongside the Solutions Engineer, including configuration validation, backend connectivity, and module integration testing

• Coordinate with customer engineering teams on service configuration requirements, data migration schedules, and validation

• Maintain migration runbooks, service configuration documentation, and customer environment notes based on field experience

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in software engineering, platform engineering, or a technical customer-facing delivery role

• Strong Python development skills, including production scripts, automation tools, and data processing pipelines

• Hands-on experience with relational databases in production (PostgreSQL preferred), including queries, schema migrations, performance tuning, and backup/restore

• Working knowledge of REST APIs, including building integrations, debugging connectivity, and reading API documentation

• Experience with Kubernetes at an operational level (deploying and troubleshooting workloads, reading logs, understanding pod lifecycle)

• Familiarity with identity and authentication systems (OAuth, OIDC, SAML, LDAP) at a configuration level

• Experience working directly with external customers in a technical capacity

• Strong troubleshooting skills, able to trace issues across application logs, database queries, and service configurations

• Clear written and verbal communication skills for customer-facing interactions

• U.S. Citizen

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with graph databases (Dgraph, Neo4j, or similar), including queries, schema design, and performance optimization

• Experience with Keycloak or other open-source identity providers (administration, realm configuration, user federation)

• Experience with AWS services (S3, IAM, KMS, RDS) or equivalent Azure experience

• Familiarity with Helm charts and Kubernetes application deployment

• Experience writing data migration tooling for production systems with rollback capabilities

• Experience with TypeScript/Node.js in addition to Python

• Familiarity with compliance or security frameworks such as FedRAMP, NIST, CMMC, or similar

• Experience supporting defense, aerospace, or government customers

• Experience with monitoring and observability tools (CloudWatch, Grafana, Prometheus)

• Industry certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect Associate, CompTIA (Security+), or similar

• Active security clearance (Secret or Top Secret)

Why This Role?

The engineers who do this job well become some of the most technically well-rounded people in the industry. You'll see how large, complex organizations actually work -- not just the happy path. You'll build things that get used immediately. And because you're reporting into Istari's Customer Success org (not a sales or account team), your career trajectory stays technical. You'll also have the Istari team behind you: regular syncs, access to internal engineering resources, and a clear path to influence the product you're deploying.

About Istari Digital

Istari is a digital engineering software company building open, scalable infrastructure for engineering data. Our platform lets customers simply and securely integrate engineering models across disciplines, organizations, and security levels -- whether they're designing prototypes, performing virtual testing, or training AI and autonomy for complex systems.

Focus is rewarded. Finish is remembered.

Facts are friendly. Even when they are not fun.

Fellowship is fundamental. Make others successful.