Senior Software Engineer, FDE

About Ditto:

Ditto is redefining how data moves at the edge. Our mission is to make it seamless for developers to build resilient, real-time applications, regardless of network conditions. Whether you're in a stadium, airplane, or remote military base, Ditto's peer-to-peer sync engine ensures devices stay connected and data stays consistent, even without internet. With more than $145 million in funding and trusted by organizations like Chick-fil-A, Delta Airlines, and the U.S. military, Ditto powers mission-critical experiences across aviation, retail, travel, hospitality, defense, and more.

As a globally distributed, fast-growing startup, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the wide range of perspectives needed to solve the world’s hardest connectivity problems.

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you are the technical tip of the spear. FDEs are elite, versatile engineers who work shoulder-to-shoulder with our most critical users to solve complex challenges in real time. Your primary mission is to radically decrease the time-to-value of our software by integrating it directly into the user's operational environment.

Because you see firsthand how our technology performs in the wild, you will also act as a crucial conduit, feeding technical insights and feature requirements back to our core product engineering team. This role requires a highly adaptable problem-solver who is comfortable moving fast, navigating ambiguity, and figuring things out quickly in high-stakes environments.

• Implement the Core Aggregation Node: Lead the on-site architecture, deployment, and configuration of our central data hub within a highly secure, distributed network environment.
• Master Edge-to-Core Synchronization: You won t just be standing up standard relational databases. You will architect and troubleshoot complex, peer-to-peer data synchronization across edge devices utilizing CRDTs (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types) to manage state in decentralized environments.
• Optimize Multi-Protocol Routing: Ensure reliable data flow from the tactical edge to the core by configuring and optimizing routing across heterogeneous and constrained network transports, including BLE, local Wi‑Fi, and tactical radios.
• Solve Problems in Real-Time: Act as the first line of technical defense, rapidly diagnosing and resolving infrastructure, network, and software issues as they arise on the ground.
• Bridge the Gap: Translate the unique, edge-case operational realities you observe (e.g., severe bandwidth constraints, disconnected nodes) into actionable technical requirements for the core product development team.

• Clearance Requirement: Must hold an active TS/SCI clearance (Due to federal security clearance requirements, U.S. Citizenship is strictly required for this role).
• 5+ years of experience in software engineering, forward deployed engineering, or site reliability engineering (SRE). This includes hands‑on experience deploying, configuring, and troubleshooting complex systems in live production environments.
• 2+ years of technical experience working with distributed systems and cloud‑native architectures. This includes practical experience with container orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes, RKE2, K3s) and event streaming or data messaging platforms.
• Prior experience with edge computing, state management, and complex data synchronization. You should understand the challenges of eventual consistency and decentralized architectures.
• A highly adaptable, problem‑solving mindset
  , with the ability to navigate ambiguity, move fast, and balance immediate operational fixes with long‑term technical fidelity.
• Strong communication skills
  , both written and verbal. As the crucial bridge between the operational edge and our core development team, you must be able to translate complex, edge‑case technical realities and user workflows into clear, actionable requirements for product engineers.

• Experience with secure data boundaries and mixed classification data. This includes hands‑on familiarity with architecting or troubleshooting data flows across Cross Domain…