Senior Forward-Deployed Engineer, Federal

The Applied Engineering (AppEng) team at Deepgram combines the functions that other companies might separate into Sales Engineering, Solutions Architecture, Implementation, Forward-Deployed Engineering, and Technical Support. We serve as the technical interface between Deepgram and our customers throughout their entire journey, from initial discovery and proof-of-concept, through implementation and onboarding, to ongoing technical support. We work closely with our Customer Success and Developer Relations (DevRel) teams to ensure a positive, growth-focused experience for our customers, as well as with Product and Engineering teams to deliver solutions that meet customer needs. This unified approach allows us to provide comprehensive technical guidance and build deeper relationships with our customers.

As a Senior Applied Engineer operating in the FDE role for federal engagements, you'll work with a high degree of autonomy in customer environments that often have unique infrastructure constraints, compliance requirements, and security considerations. Your work will directly shape how federal agencies leverage Voice AI to achieve their missions.

Own technical delivery across federal deployments, from first prototype to stable production

Embed deeply with federal customers to design and build mission-critical applications powered by Deepgram's Voice AI models

Lead technical discovery and solution design for federal prospects and customers, partnering with Account Executives to navigate complex government sales and procurement cycles

Prototype and build full-stack integrations using Python, JavaScript, Rust, or comparable stacks that deliver real mission impact

Enable successful deployments across customer environments by delivering observable systems spanning infrastructure through applications

Proactively guide federal stakeholders on maximizing operational value from Deepgram's platform, including performance optimization and deployment strategies

Scope work, sequence delivery, and remove blockers early, making deliberate trade-offs between scope, speed, and quality

Build and manage relationships with customer leadership and technical stakeholders to ensure successful deployment and scale

Contribute directly to code when clarity or momentum depends on it

Codify working patterns into tools, playbooks, reference architectures, and building blocks the broader team can use

Share field feedback with Product and Engineering to influence model and product development

Serve as an escalation point for complex technical issues in federal deployments

Analyze deployment patterns to identify product improvement opportunities and inform Deepgram's federal go-to-market strategy

40% — Embedded customer delivery: deployments, integrations, and technical problem-solving at federal customer sites and facilities

25% — Pre-sales technical engagement: discovery, demos, proof-of-concepts, and proposal support

20% — Building reusable solutions, automation, documentation, and reference architectures

15% — Internal collaboration: product feedback, knowledge sharing, and contributing to Applied Engineering strategy

First 30 Days: Complete comprehensive onboarding to understand Deepgram's technology, products, and competitive landscape. Gain proficiency with our core APIs and documentation. Shadow active customer engagements across both commercial and federal accounts to build familiarity with how the Applied Engineering team operates, the deployment patterns we use, and the specific requirements of government environments.

60 Days: Begin taking ownership of federal customer engagements, leading technical discovery and developing proof-of-concepts for government prospects. Start contributing to federal-specific technical content, reference architectures, and deployment guides. Participate in sales strategy sessions and provide technical insights on active federal deals.

90 Days: Own the full technical relationship with assigned federal accounts. Develop and deliver complex solutions addressing specific mission challenges. Establish patterns for repeatable federal deployments and begin contributing to the team's federal go-to-market methodology.

Thrive in high-ambiguity, mission-driven environments where you need to move fast and make sound decisions under pressure

Are passionate about translating complex technical capabilities into real operational value for government missions

Enjoy embedding deeply with customers, building trust, and becoming their go-to technical partner

Find satisfaction in shipping production systems that make a tangible difference

Are energized by the challenge of deploying cutting-edge Voice AI in complex, constrained environments

See yourself as an engineer first who happens to be great with customers, not the other way around

Can ruthlessly prioritize across multiple projects and operate with high autonomy

Active Top Secret/SCI (TS/SCI) security clearance, or equivalent

5+ years of engineering or technical deployment experience, ideally in customer-facing or government environments

Strong software engineering background with professional development experience in at least one modern programming language, such as Python, JavaScript, or similar

Proven ability to scope and deliver complex systems in fast-moving or ambiguous contexts

Experience building and deploying production systems in government or similarly constrained environments

Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to translate technical concepts for both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including senior government leadership

Track record of navigating complex sales or procurement cycles in the federal space

Willingness to travel up to 50%, including on-site work at government facilities

Experience with speech recognition, NLP, AI/Voice agents, or related AI technologies

Familiarity with cloud deployment models (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, etc.), Kubernetes, Terraform, and related infrastructure

Experience building or deploying systems powered by LLMs or generative models, with an understanding of how model behavior affects product experience

Knowledge of FedRAMP, FISMA, or other government compliance frameworks

Experience with API-first products and developer tools

Background in sales methodologies such as MEDDIC or Solution Selling, particularly in government contexts

Experience developing automation solutions, self-service tools, and technical documentation for customer enablement

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