Senior Forward-Deployed Engineer, Federal

Company Operating Rhythm

Opportunity

Deepgram is seeking a Senior Applied Engineer to join our Applied Engineering team, operating in the Forward-Deployed Engineer (FDE) role with a focus on federal customers. In this role, you will embed directly with our most strategic federal accounts to lead complex deployments of Deepgram's Voice AI platform in production environments where mission performance matters, delivery is urgent, and ambiguity is the default.

You will own the full technical lifecycle of federal engagements, from initial discovery and proof-of-concept through production deployment and ongoing optimization. You'll map customer problems, structure delivery, and ship solutions fast. This includes scoping, sequencing, and building full-stack integrations that create measurable mission impact while driving clarity across internal and external teams. Along the way, you'll identify reusable patterns, codify best practices, and share field signals that influence Deepgram's product roadmap.

As a member of the Applied Engineering team, you'll serve as the trusted technical thought partner for federal stakeholders, guiding adoption, maximizing operational value, and ensuring successful deployments at scale. While your engagements will primarily involve federal customers, you'll remain a core part of the broader Applied Engineering team and may contribute to commercial engagements where your expertise is valuable.

Note: this role is based remotely out of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area.

About Applied Engineering at Deepgram

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.

What You'll Do

• 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

Time Allocation

• 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

Your First 90 Days

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.

You'll Love This Role If You

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