Forward Deployed Engineer

This is not a remote support role. This is a boots-on-the-ground role. You're the person who shows up at a flight school or a military base, installs Navi's hardware, configures the software, trains the instructors, troubleshoots the problems nobody anticipated, and doesn't leave until the operation is running and the customer is a believer. You are the bridge between what engineering builds in San Francisco and what actually works in a cockpit in Daytona Beach or on a flight line at Edwards. You need the technical chops to debug a data pipeline at 10pm and the charisma to brief a chief instructor at 8am. You need to be the kind of person a customer calls when something breaks — not because you're obligated, but because they trust you. Every deployment you run accelerates Navi's iteration cycle. The feedback you bring back from the field — the edge cases, the workflow friction, the things nobody thought of — is what makes the product better. You're not just supporting customers. You're supercharging how fast this company learns. What you'll do Travel to customer sites to deploy and configure Navi systems — hardware installation, software setup, avionics integration, and validation under real operational conditions Deliver hands-on training to instructors, students, flight ops staff, and military personnel — make sure every user is confident and operational Troubleshoot issues in real time on site — diagnose problems, fix what you can, escalate to engineering what you can't, and close the loop either way Adapt configurations for unique operational workflows, aircraft types, fleet setups, and data environments Gather field intelligence — user feedback, edge cases, performance data, workflow observations — and bring it back to product and engineering in a way that drives action Own the customer relationship on the ground — you are Navi's face at every site you touch Work directly with engineering to compress the feedback loop between field reality and product iteration About you 2–5 years of experience in field engineering, technical implementation, deployment operations, or customer-facing technical roles Strong understanding of hardware/software integrations, networking, and cloud systems — you can set up and debug a full deployment independently Excellent communicator — you translate technical complexity into clear, confident instruction for non-technical users Hands-on problem solver who thrives in unpredictable, operational environments where the manual hasn't been written yet Comfortable with heavy travel — this role lives in the field, not behind a desk Organized, resourceful, and calm under pressure — the kind of person customers trust and rely on You have genuine charisma — people want to work with you, and that earns Navi credibility before the product even boots up Nice to have Familiarity with aviation systems, flight schools, avionics, or defense operations Pilot certificate or flight training experience Experience working on military installations or in DoD environments Why this role matters Navi's technology only matters if it works where it counts — in the cockpit, the briefing room, the ops center. You're the person who makes that happen. Every site you deploy is a new proof point. Every instructor you train becomes an advocate. Every bug you catch in the field saves engineering weeks of guessing. You close the gap between product and reality — and that's what lets this company scale without breaking. What you'll get Flight training — earn your pilot's license and work with true domain expertise Competitive salary and full travel coverage — per diem, flights, lodging Impact you can see — work directly with pilots, instructors, and military operators using what you deployed A role that scales into field operations leadership as we grow How we work Find a way. We don't wait for permission or perfect information. Ideas come from anywhere regardless of title. Figure it out, ship it, iterate. Creativity over control. First principles over process. We'd rather have a creative solution that's 80% right today than a perfect one next quarter. Update fast. Come in with a hypothesis, throw it away when the data says otherwise. Ego has no place here. Intensity with focus. We work hard because the mission demands it. Clarity on what matters is how we make that sustainable.