Forward Deployment Strategist - Forward Ops

Who we are

Picogrid is a leading venture-backed defense technology company founded to bridge the decades-long gap between modern technology and the critical demands of national security. Today, we're building the essential infrastructure to unify sensors, autonomy, and operators with our technology deployed in active operations around the world. Our mission is to deliver an operational advantage to secure the United States and its allies.

About the Role

Some of Picogrid’s most important work happens at the operational edge, far from our offices, alongside people who need technology to perform when conditions are uncertain and the stakes are real. As a Forward Deployment Strategist - Forward Ops, you will own Picogrid’s outcomes in those environments. You will take our platform from a promising capability to something operators trust and rely on in the field.

You will not observe the mission from the sidelines. You will stand with customers and partners, understand what the environment demands, build the plan, align the people and equipment, and drive through the obstacles between a system and a working operational capability. You will act as the primary interface between our customers and Picogrid as they operate in some of the most demanding environments.

The commitment is real. This role requires approximately 50–75% international travel, including rotations that may last roughly three to six months at a time. Assignments may span multiple regions and may involve austere, remote, or rapidly changing environments with elevated operational and logistical constraints. This is a genuinely forward-deployed role, not a domestic position with occasional international trips.

This is a role for someone who wants responsibility for the result, not just proximity to the action. You will operate with significant autonomy, represent Picogrid in high-trust environments, and have a direct hand in shaping how our technology is built, deployed, and used where it matters most.

What You'll Do

• Own mission outcomes for assigned international engagements from the first planning conversation through fielding, operator adoption, stabilization, and after-action improvement

• Embed with operators and customer teams to understand the workflows, constraints, and opportunities that are impossible to see from a conference room

• Push the bounds of Picogrid’s technology by developing new concepts of employment, testing new integrations, and working with Engineering and Product to solve problems exposed by real operations

• Serve as Picogrid’s primary representative on the ground, earning trust through credibility, discretion, responsiveness, and consistent delivery

• Lead deployment readiness and field execution, including site access, personnel and equipment coordination, integration sequencing, operator training, communications, contingency planning, and sustainment handoff

• Make sound decisions under pressure, resolve problems within your authority, and escalate consequential risks with the context leaders need to act

• Coordinate across Forward Deployed Engineering, Product, Engineering, Logistics, Capture, external partners, and customer teams across locations and time zones

• Maintain a clear picture of mission status, decisions, commitments, deliverables, risks, and next steps so the broader Picogrid team can move with speed and purpose

• Turn operator feedback and field observations into product improvements, better deployment practices, stronger training, and new opportunities to expand Picogrid’s mission impact

Who You Are

• You want ownership of the outcome and are energized by being the person responsible for making the mission work

• You are at your best close to the action, where conditions are imperfect and progress depends on practical judgment rather than a complete playbook

• You establish credibility with serious operators by listening carefully, understanding their environment, and consistently doing what you said you would do

• You are technically curious and excited to discover what a system can do when it is pushed beyond the assumptions of the lab

• You can operate independently for extended periods while keeping the broader Picogrid team aligned and informed

• You remain calm, organized, and constructive when plans change, resources are constrained, or the operating environment becomes difficult

• You are collaborative and low-ego; you lead when the mission needs leadership, support technical experts when they own the answer, and never confuse credit with impact

Basic Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in deployments, military operations, technical program or project execution, field operations, customer-facing operations, or a related role

• Demonstrated experience independently coordinating complex, multi-stakeholder work in international, distributed, austere, or otherwise demanding field environments

• Experience working directly with customers or operators and translating operational needs into coordinated technical and logistical action

• Technical fluency and the ability to understand integrated hardware and software systems well enough to support planning, field troubleshooting, and communication with engineering teams

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including concise reporting to operational, technical, and leadership audiences

• Willingness and ability to travel internationally approximately 50–75%, including rotations of roughly three to six months overseas with relatively short return windows in the United States

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience serving with, supporting, or working alongside U.S. or allied special operations forces

• An active U.S. Government security clearance

• Prior operational, advisory, deployment, or field-service experience in OCONUS, forward, contested, or elevated-risk environments

• Experience coordinating multi-party efforts involving U.S. military, allied or coalition forces, government stakeholders, and commercial technology partners

• Background in defense technology, command and control, autonomy, robotics, sensors, communications, or other integrated mission systems

Why This Role Exists

Picogrid is building infrastructure to connect sensors, autonomy, and operators, however, the decisive measure of that technology is what it enables in the field. Our international customers operate in environments where remote support and occasional visits are not enough. They need a Picogrid owner beside them: someone who understands the mission, moves quickly when conditions change, and stays accountable until the capability works.

This role sits at the point where Picogrid’s technology meets its hardest problems and its greatest opportunities. The lessons learned there will shape what we build next, how we deploy it, and how far our platform can go. By owning outcomes at the operational edge, the Deployment Strategist - Forward Ops will help define Picogrid’s products, deepen the trust of the people who use them, and expand where the company can make a difference.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary range: $125,000–$170,000 per year. Base salary is just one part of your total compensation package at Picogrid.

• Significant stock options with a high potential upside as an early-stage company

• 401(k) with employer matching

• Health coverage for you and your family (medical, dental, and vision insurance)

• Relocation assistance provided (if applicable)

• Unlimited PTO (two-week minimum) and 13 paid holidays per year

• Paid parental leave for both parents

• Lunch provided when working in-office and a fully stocked kitchenette

• Free EV charging at the HQ

• Unique office in El Segundo, CA stocked with quality coffee, snacks, and craft beer

Export Control Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

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Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy

Picogrid is committed to providing a professional work environment free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. We are an equal opportunity employer and make all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and business needs.