Forward Deployed Data Engineer (TS/SCI)

TRM Labs • Full-time • Washington DC • $200k - $260k / year • 3m ago

TRM Labs is a blockchain intelligence company committed to fighting crime and creating a safer world. By leveraging blockchain data, threat intelligence, and advanced analytics, our products empower governments, financial institutions, and crypto businesses to combat illicit activity and global security threats. At TRM, you'll join a mission-driven, fast-paced team made up of experts in law enforcement, data science, engineering, and financial intelligence, tackling complex global challenges daily. Whether analyzing blockchain data, developing cutting-edge tools, or collaborating with global organizations, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful and lasting impact.

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will work directly with TRM’s government customers. This includes bridging our SaaS offering with federated capabilities and cloud architectures from the initial setup and implementation to configuration and maintenance.

A successful mission will enable TRM’s government customers to securely leverage TRM in regulated industries and also scale with maturity. As an early member of the Forward Deployed Engineering team, you will be deeply involved in the technical details and ultimately champion your team to build a safer financial system for billions of people.

The impact you’ll have here:

Partner directly with mission-focused customers to design and deploy secure, scalable cloud-based data lakehouse solutions on AWS (e.g., S3, EMR/EKS, Iceberg or Delta Lake).
Own and deliver production-ready ETL/ELT pipelines using Python, Apache Airflow, Spark, and SQL—optimized for petabyte-scale workloads.
Containerize and deploy services on Kubernetes (EKS), using Terraform or CloudFormation for Infrastructure-as-Code and repeatable environments.
Design integrations that ingest data from message buses, APIs, and relational databases, embedding real-time analytics capabilities into client workflows.
Actively participate in all phases of the software development lifecycle: requirements gathering, architecture, implementation, testing, and secure deployment.
Implement observability solutions (e.g., Prometheus, Datadog, NewRelic) to uphold SLAs and drive continuous improvement.
Support mission-critical systems in production environments—resolving incidents alongside customer operations teams.

What we’re looking for:

Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
4+ years of hands-on experience building and deploying data pipelines in Python.
Proven expertise with Apache Airflow (DAG development, scheduler tuning, custom operators).
Strong knowledge of Apache Spark (Spark SQL, DataFrames, performance tuning).
Deep SQL skills—able to optimize queries with window functions, CTEs, and large datasets.
Professional experience deploying cloud-native architectures on AWS, including services like S3, EMR, EKS, IAM, and Redshift.
Familiarity with secure cloud environments and experience implementing FedRAMP/FISMA controls.
Experience deploying applications and data workflows on Kubernetes, preferably EKS.
Infrastructure-as-Code proficiency with Terraform or CloudFormation.
Skilled in GitOps and CI/CD practices using Jenkins, GitLab CI, or similar tools.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills—able to interface confidently with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% to client sites as needed.
Active TS/SCI clearance required (Polygraph strongly preferred).

About the Team:

The FDE team is made up of experienced professionals with direct customer knowledge and deep experience with technology, we leverage this to provide impactful outcomes and clear communication both internally and externally.
The FDE team aligns to the US-eastern timezone, both onsite and remotely. Wee communicate across numerous channels (highside chat, highside/lowside email, slack, phone calls, signal, google meets) and ensure we are able to rapidly switch between appropriate channels as necessary.
We have weekly team syncs as well as project check-ins, we keep project tracking tools up to date and directly communicate issues as they arise.
We always put the customer first – The FDE team is uniquely close among other teams at TRM to our customers and will develop close relationships with them. We do whatever it takes to ensure their mission success.

Learn about TRM Speed in this position:

Rapid Issue Resolution: Forward Deployed Engineers identify and diagnose critical onsite issues, set up incident channels or virtual war rooms with the remote team, and implement fixes in mintues to hours. FDEs also conduct retros and shares lessons with both internal teams and customer stakeholders within 48 hours of resolution.
Navigating Bureaucratic Hurdles: Engineer anticipates and proactively addresses potential customer-side delays. They build relationships with customer stakeholders (COTR, Enterprise technical lead, etc.), identify procedural bottlenecks, and seek alternative pathways for approvals. This approach reduces wait times for critical decisions and keeps projects on track despite complex customer processes.
Efficient Knowledge Transfer: Conducts knowledge sharing sessions and maintains up-to-date documentation in Notion and issue tracking in Jira for the remote team. All milestone-impacting issues are flagged within 24 hours, reducing problem-solving time and ensuring remote team is always aware of any updates to the plans.

About TRM's Engineering Levels:

Engineer: Responsible for helping to define project milestones and executing small decision decisions independently with the appropriate tradeoffs between simplicity, readability, and performance. Provides mentorship to junior engineers, and enhances operational excellence through tech debt reduction and knowledge sharing.

Senior Engineer: Successfully designs and documents system improvements and features for an OKR/project from the ground up. Consistently delivers efficient and reusable systems, optimizes team throughput with appropriate tradeoffs, mentors team members, and enhances cross-team collaboration through documentation and knowledge sharing.

Staff Engineer: Drives scoping and execution of one or more OKRs/projects that impact multiple teams. Partners with stakeholders to set the team vision and technical roadmaps for one or more products. Is a role model and mentor to the entire engineering organization. Ensures system health and quality with operational reviews, testing strategies, and monitoring rigor.

The following represents the expected range of compensation for this role:

The estimated base salary range for this role is $200,000 - $260,000.
Additionally, this role may be eligible to participate in TRM’s equity plan.
Please note – we factor in the different costs for geographies outside the United States.

Life at TRM Labs

Leadership Principles

Our LPs are foundational elements of our strategy, guiding how we make decisions, how we treat each other, and how we behave day-to-day.

Impact-Oriented Trailblazer – We put customers first, driving for speed, focus, and adaptability.
Master Craftsperson – We prioritize speed, high standards, and distributed ownership.
Inspiring Colleague – We value humility, candor, and a one-team mindset.

Accelerate your Career

Join a mission-driven team of industry leaders and make a real-world impact—disrupting terrorist networks, recovering stolen funds, and more. At TRM, you will:

Work alongside top experts and learn every day.
Embrace a growth mindset with development opportunities tailored to your role.
Take on high-impact challenges in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Thrive in a culture of coaching, where feedback is fast, direct, and built to help you level up. We expect everyone to both give and receive feedback as part of how we get better—together.

What to Expect at TRM

TRM moves fast—really fast. We know a lot of startups say that, but we mean it. We operate with urgency, ownership, and high standards. As a result, you’ll be joining a team that’s highly engaged, mission-driven, and constantly evolving.

To support this intensity, we’re also intentional about rest and recharge. We offer generous benefits, including PTO, Holidays, and Parental Leave for full time employees.

That said, TRM may not be the right fit for everyone. If you're optimizing for work life balance, we encourage you to:

Ask your interviewers how they personally approach balance within their teams, and
Reflect on whether this is the right season in your life to join a high-velocity environment.
Be honest with yourself about what energizes you—and what drains you

We’re upfront about this because we want every new team member to thrive—not just survive.

Thrive as a Global Team

As a remote-first company, TRM Labs is built for global collaboration.

We cultivate a strong remote culture through clear communication, thorough documentation, and meaningful relationships.
We invest in offsites, regional meetups, virtual coffee chats, and onboarding buddies to foster collaboration.
By prioritizing trust and belonging, we harness the strengths of a global team while staying aligned with our mission and values.

Join our mission!

We’re looking for team members who thrive in fast-paced, high-impact environments and love building from the ground up. TRM is remote-first, with an exceptionally talented global team. If you enjoy solving tough problems and seeing your work make a difference for billions of people, we want you here. Don’t worry if your experience doesn’t perfectly match a job description— we value passion, problem-solving, and unique career paths. If you’re excited about TRM’s mission, we want to hear from you.

Recruitment agencies

TRM Labs does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to TRM employees. TRM Labs is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes and will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company without a signed agreement.

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