Forward Deployed Engineer Sr

Description:

The Senior Forward‑Deployed Engineer (FDE) works as a hands‑on technical specialist for Lockheed Martin's AI Factory platform - the internal AI/ML‑Ops foundation that backs our users' MLOps, GenAI, and agentic workflows. In this role you will partner with senior staff and end users to translate solution concepts into working deployments, implement and tune Kubernetes‑based pipelines, and platform‑level improvement opportunities.

* Own assigned customer deployment work streams end to end, from technical discovery and solution shaping through implementation, rollout, and handoff to sustained use.

* Translate customer and user requirements into deployable AI Factory solutions spanning MLOps pipelines, GenAI backends, data-processing workflows, and agentic applications.

* Design, deploy, configure, and maintain Kubernetes-based MLOps pipelines across AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-prem GPU-backed environments, including training, inference, and data-processing workflows.

* Adapt platform architecture and integration plans to customer-specific infrastructure, security constraints, runtime requirements, and operational standards.

* Act as a technical advocate for AI Factory during implementation by steering customers toward out-of-the-box platform capabilities before custom work is introduced.

* Capture platform bugs, performance gaps, reliability risks, and integration friction discovered during deployments, and document actionable remediation suggestions for AI Factory product and engineering teams.

* Turn repeated deployment pain points into reusable templates, guardrails, configuration patterns, or implementation guidance that improve future delivery.

* Embed traceability, auditability, security, and responsible AI guardrails, including model lineage, data provenance, and access controls, into deployed solutions for regulated environments.

* Produce clear, versioned deployment artifacts and operational documentation that support certification, audit readiness, and reliable production support.

* Own design decisions for assigned work streams and contribute substantive feedback in design and code reviews.

* Mentor less-experienced engineers on deployment best practices such as Kubernetes debugging, CI/CD for ML, and operating production AI systems.

* Evaluate emerging MLOps, GenAI, and agentic capabilities for fit with customer delivery needs and Lockheed Martin's AI Factory platform direction.

What's In It For You

From onsite to remote, we offer flexible work schedules to comprehensive benefits investing in your future and security, Learn more about Lockheed Martin's comprehensive benefits package here.

Do you want to be part of a company culture that empowers employees to think big, lead with a growth mindset, and make the impossible a reality? We provide the resources and give you the flexibility to enable inspiration and focus
-if you have the passion and courage to dream big, work hard, and have fun doing what you love then we want to build a better tomorrow with you.

Travel will be approx. 10-20%, Preferred candidate will live in close proximity to any major LM facility.

#LMLAIC

Basic Qualifications:

* 3+ years of hands-on experience in software engineering, platform engineering, MLOps, ML infrastructure, or GenAI systems.

* Demonstrated experience owning delivery of production AI/ML systems, platform capabilities, or deployment work streams across ambiguous requirements and multiple stakeholders.

* Experience designing, deploying, or operating Kubernetes-based MLOps pipelines, model training and inference workflows, or data-processing systems in GPU-backed environments.

* Demonstrated ability to debug complex deployment issues across infrastructure, containers, networking, security controls, and application runtime behavior.

* Strong written and verbal communication skills with customer engineering teams, internal product groups, and peer engineers.

* U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a Secret or Top Secret clearance.

Desired

Skills:

* B.S. (or higher) in Computer Science, Electrical or Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related discipline.

* Working knowledge of platforms such…