Forward Deployed Engineer

About this role

Hadrian seeks a Forward Deployed Engineer to embed with enterprise aerospace and defense customers, owning programs end-to-end from discovery through production. You'll configure and extend Hadrian's Opus platform, build custom solutions at the edge, and translate between technical teams and customer leadership to drive manufacturing innovation.

What you'll do

• Own customer programs from initial ambiguous conversations through deployment and iteration in production
• Configure and integrate Opus (software and robotics platform) for specific customer needs and production systems
• Build net-new software, workflows, and integrations to solve problems beyond current platform capabilities
• Communicate across diverse stakeholders—customer leadership, program managers, operators, and internal teams—translating technical constraints into actionable decisions
• Partner with Opus teams to architect integrations and data models aligned with customer reality
• Feed field learnings back to product teams to inform platform roadmap decisions

What they're looking for

• Full-stack software development (frontend, backend, systems design)
• AI-driven development and rapid prototyping
• Customer discovery and translating ambiguous requirements into shipped solutions
• Systems integration and platform architecture
• Cross-functional communication and stakeholder management
• Rapid iteration and shipping in ambiguous environments
• Manufacturing or operations domain knowledge (preferred)
• Product thinking and prioritization

Benefits

• Work on critical aerospace and defense manufacturing programs with significant real-world impact
• High ownership and autonomy from discovery through production
• Exposure to cutting-edge robotics, software, and manufacturing technology
• Direct influence on platform product direction through field insights
• Fast-growing company backed by top-tier investors (Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Lux Capital)
• Opportunity to shape a new team and role during early-stage growth

Likely interview questions

• Can you walk through a project where you owned a program end-to-end with ambiguous initial requirements—how did you scope it and ship?
• How have you used AI tools to compress your development cycle? Give us a concrete example of where AI made you multiples faster.