Forward Deployed Software Engineer (TS/SCI)

TRM Labs • Full-time • Washington DC • $200k - $265k / year • 2m ago

Build to Protect Civilization

TRM is a blockchain intelligence company that’s on a mission to build a safer financial system for billions of people. We’re a lean, high-impact team tackling some of the world’s most critical challenges, ranging from human trafficking and financial fraud to terrorist financing. We are builders who power governments, financial institutions, and crypto companies when the clock is running and the consequences are real. This is why every TRMer is a bet on our future and has the power to change our trajectory.

About the Position

You will operate at the intersection of TRM’s technology and our government customers’ most critical missions. You will build, deploy, and iterate on systems in real operational environments, often with incomplete information and evolving requirements. Success in this role comes from adaptability, curiosity, strong execution, and the determination to solve hard problems that matter.

This role designed for individuals with exceptional aptitude, rapid learning ability, and a bias toward action. This role is not defined by a narrow technical specialty. Instead, it is centered on delivering mission impact by applying whatever technologies, tools, or engineering disciplines are required—whether AI, ML, full-stack software, data engineering, or platform infrastructure.

The impact you’ll have here:

Deliver mission outcomes by developing and deploying greenfield technical solutions—from prototypes to production systems—across diverse technology stacks.
Learn and apply new skills rapidly, whether building AI-powered applications, designing data pipelines, extending full-stack systems, or integrating with secure government environments.
Serve as a technical partner to mission stakeholders, translating ambiguous needs into actionable engineering work and working backward from mission impact.
Own end-to-end delivery: requirements gathering, architecture, implementation, testing, deployment, and ongoing support in production environments.
Create clarity and momentum in high-stakes settings, removing blockers, simplifying complexity, and driving solutions forward with urgency.
Capture ground-truth feedback from operators and incorporate it into TRM’s product direction, engineering practices, and long-term programs.

What we’re looking for:

Background in fullstack or backend engineering using technologies such as NodeJS, Python, Postgres/SQL and React
Strong fundamentals in software engineering, with proficiency in at least one programming language and the ability to pick up others quickly.
Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies rapidly (e.g., cloud platforms, AI/ML tools, distributed systems, data processing frameworks, or full-stack frameworks).
Evidence of high ownership: you set goals, execute with urgency, and reliably deliver outcomes even in ambiguous or constrained environments.
Ability to work directly with technical and non-technical stakeholders, communicate clearly, and build trust in mission-critical settings.
Comfort working across the stack—whether writing backend code, tuning an ML model, configuring cloud infrastructure, or debugging a data pipeline.
Desire to work on hard problems that have real consequences for national security and global financial integrity.

**Candidate must have an active TS/SCI clearance**

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 - $265,000.
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

We build to protect civilization. That promise shows up in how we work every day.

TRM runs fast. Really fast. We’re a high-velocity team that expects ownership, clarity, and follow-through. People who thrive here are inspired by hard problems, experimentation, direct feedback. If it takes months elsewhere, it often ships here in days. If you are optimizing primarily for consistent work-life balance, use the interview process to pressure-test fit. We want teammates who thrive here, not just survive here.

We coach directly, assume positive intent, and play for the front of the jersey.

Leadership Principles

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.

Want to learn more about how we interview at TRM Labs? Check out more about our leadership principles and hiring process here.

What You’ll Do Here

This work has teeth. At TRM, your week might include:

Driving critical investigations that can’t wait for typical business hours.
Shipping products in days when others would schedule quarters.
Partnering with teams across time zones to deliver insights while the story is still unfolding.
Building new solutions from first principles when the playbook doesn’t yet exist.
Protecting victims and customers by tracing illicit activity and disrupting criminal networks.

Join our Mission

We look for people who want their work to matter, who build with speed and rigor, and who take pride in protecting others through their craft. If you’re excited by TRM’s mission but don’t check every box, apply anyway. We hire for slope, judgment, and the will to learn fast.

Build to protect civilization. Let’s do it together.

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.

Privacy Policy

By submitting your application, you are agreeing to allow TRM to process your personal information in accordance with the TRM Privacy Policy

Learn More: Company Values | Interviewing | FAQs