Lead Forward Deployed Engineer

Lead Forward Deployed Engineer - Defense Supply Chain Risk Programs

Location: Huntsville, Alabama (Hybrid Position)

Department: Federal Programs

Type: Full-Time

Program Summary

Exiger is seeking a Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to expert guidance, direction, and organize the delivery of solutions and scale delivery of advanced analytics and AI-enabled capabilities supporting Army sustainment and supply chain risk management programs. This role drives the end-to-end execution of data-driven solutions-including AI/LLMs, data pipelines, and risk models-that enhance visibility, resilience, and readiness across the defense industrial base.

The Lead Forward Deployed Engineer will operate at the intersection of program leadership, data engineering, and sustainment operations. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with engineers, data scientists, and Army stakeholders to translate mission requirements into scalable, technically sound analytics workflows that directly inform risk mitigation and acquisition decisions across Army portfolios.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of engineers developing for analytics and AI-driven solutions supporting Army sustainment, acquisition, and supply chain risk management missions.
• Direct the development and deployment of databases, data pipelines, risk models, mitigation strategies, and analytic workflows to identify and mitigate systemic supply chain vulnerabilities.
• Drive program execution by defining technical methodologies, prioritizing development milestones, and managing delivery of mission-ready analytical capabilities.
• Translate complex sustainment and acquisition requirements into actionable tasks for engineering and data science teams.
• Oversee QA/QC for data and model outputs, ensuring results are technically valid, reproducible, and operationally relevant to Army decision-makers.
• Provide technical oversight of analytics integration into sustainment workflows, ensuring compliance with Army policy and information assurance standards.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams-including engineers, product research analysts, and industrial base experts-to deliver measurable mission impact.
• Facilitate coordination between technical teams, program leadership, and Army stakeholders, ensuring program transparency, accountability, and timely reporting.

Qualifications - Required

• 10+ years of experience in front-end, back-end, or full-stack software development leading data analytics, AI/ML, or risk management programs for federal or defense customers.
• Proven record of managing AI- and data-driven programs supporting defense sustainment, logistics, or acquisition missions.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Python, including hands-on experience with data manipulation, validation, and analytics (e.g., pandas, NumPy, or similar libraries).
• Strong SQL skills, capable of writing and optimizing queries for large, complex datasets.
• Hands-on experience with Snowflake for querying, data validation, and analytics - active Snowflake user strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with data pipelines, ETL processes, and workflow orchestration in support of large-scale analytics environments.
• Demonstrated ability to bridge technical development and mission objectives, ensuring solutions are both feasible and impactful.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to clearly convey technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain and retain a U.S. Government security clearance.

Qualifications - Preferred

• Prior experience in software development and artificial intelligence.
• Familiarity with supply chain risk management, industrial base analysis, or production sustainment data
• Experience working with AI/LLM development workflows, including prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and model evaluation.
• Proven experience validating analytics outputs and data transformations within cloud data environments.
• Background in or exposure to mechanical, industrial, or systems engineering concepts as they relate to manufacturing feasibility and readiness analysis.

Why Join Exiger?

At Exiger, we are helping the Army strengthen the resilience, transparency, and security of the defense industrial base through next-generation analytics and AI. Our work supports sustainment readiness, acquisition modernization, and national defense priorities-making this a unique opportunity to lead technical programs that have real operational impact.

We're an amazing place to work. Why?

• Discretionary Time Off for all employees, with no maximum limits on time off.
• Industry-leading health, vision, and dental benefits.
• Competitive compensation package.
• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
• Flexible, hybrid approach to working from home and in the office where applicable.
• Focus on wellness and employee health through stipends and dedicated wellness programming.
• Purposeful career development programs with reimbursement provided for educational certifications.