Forward Deployed Engineer – Senior/Staff - Resilient Edge & Tactical Networking

Special Notice:

This position is not contingent upon awarding of a project or needing a funding source. This is direct, full-time employment with webAI.

About Us:

At webAI we firmly believe that the future of AI lies in distributed processing at the edge, bringing computation closer to the source of data generation. Our mission is to build a future where local and private is the default, servers and data centers are optional. Where valuable data and intellectual property remain entirely private, enabling the deployment of large-scale AI models directly on standard consumer hardware without compromising the information embedded within those models. We are developing an end-to-end platform that is secure, scalable, and fully under the control of our users, empowering enterprises with AI that understands their unique business.

About the Role

We are looking for Senior Engineers to drive webAI Public Sector initiatives focused on secure, resilient, and distributed data systems operating at the tactical edge.

In our world, network connectivity isn't guaranteed. Systems must thrive in Denied, Degraded, Intermittent, and Limited (DDIL) bandwidth environments. We are less concerned with formal peer-to-peer or blockchain dogmas and far more focused on practical, robust edge synchronization: building systems that can discover local nodes, store-and-forward critical data across ad-hoc transports (such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), and reconcile state once connectivity is restored.

This is real-world edge work built for dynamic field settings, rather than sterile cloud data centers or closed SCIF environments. You will architect software running across a hybrid footprint of edge nodes, mobile endpoints, and cloud sync services.

Responsibilities

• Architect Resilient Transport & Sync Layers: Design and implement store-and-forward transport and data-synchronization protocols tailored for low-bandwidth, high-latency, and DDIL field conditions.

• Ad-Hoc Networking & Discovery: Implement local peer discovery and async I/O transports operating over heterogeneous physical links, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth/BLE, and ad-hoc mesh networks.

• Field Ready Systems Engineering: Apply delay tolerant networking (DTN) principles and local conflict-free data synchronization (e.g., CRDTs and content-addressable storage) to ensure mission-critical applications function offline indefinitely.

• Hybrid Edge & Mobile Integration: Develop and maintain software components spanning hybrid architectures bridging field edge devices, mobile environments, and upstream cloud services.

• Performance & Resource Optimization: Lead tuning, memory management, and debugging for resource-constrained hardware operating in rugged, disconnected field deployments.

• Security & Cryptographic Primitives: Understand and implement various authorization and authentication security patterns, suitable for DDIL and contested environments.

• Cross Functional Collaboration: Partner with hardware, mobile, and backend teams to validate end-to-end functionality under simulated and live field constraints.

Qualifications

Core Requirements:

• Active US Security clearance

• 5-7+ years of software engineering experience building robust systems software or distributed networking services.

• Core Languages: Strong proficiency in Rust or other systems level languages (Go, C, or C++).

• Resilient Networking Expertise: Demonstrated experience with store-and-forward architectures, delay-tolerant networks (DTN), async I/O, or local device-to-device transport layers (e.g., BLE, TCP/IP, socket-level async networking).

• Edge & Offline First Mindset: Practical experience solving synchronization challenges under intermittent, contested, or low-throughput network constraints (DDIL).

Nice-to-Haves / Pluses:

• Experience with Android development (NDK, Kotlin, KMP, CMP, background sync services, or Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Direct stacks).

• Familiarity with hybrid mobile/cloud application architecture and state reconciliation.

• Hands-on experience testing and evaluating wireless networking hardware and software in physical field or operational testing environments (outside of traditional lab/SCIF environments).

• Background in content-addressable data structures, Merkle DAGs, or CRDTs.

• Expertise in embedded hardware or robotics orchestration.

Why webAI?

At webAI we do our best to live out our core values we have put in place as the foundation on which we operate as a team. We are looking for people who are interested in personifying the same:

• Truth - that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality; it’s not always easy, it’s not always pleasant, but we try to live by what reality is so we can accomplish something really cool

• Ownership - the act, state or right of possessing something; we want you to fully own your responsibilities in this company, and continue to help define what fits in that purview and how we can help you be your best

• Tenacity - persistent determination; we are really fired up about what we are trying to do here, and would love to have those who are fired up about what they do, to join us. If you really dig our mission, we certainly don’t mind that cherry on top

• Humility - the quality of having a modest view of one’s value or importance; do we hope webAI can change the world? Certainly, but we know the only way to accomplish that is to not worry so much about the company’s accomplishments or status, but instead put all of that importance on building a world class team and treating them as such. We believe that’s the ultimate formula for success

Benefits:

We strive to provide competitive benefits to all employees. The benefits listed in this posting generally apply to U.S.-based employees. For employees hired outside the United States, benefits may vary based on local law, country-specific requirements, and the employment platform or entity through which the employee is hired.

• Competitive salary and performance-based incentives

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits package

  • Including a high-deductible HSA option with $200/month company contribution

• 401k match (US-based only)

• Equity options

• Flexible PTO Policy

• Parental leave for eligible employees

• Continuing education support

• Basic, company-paid life insurance

• Supplemental life insurance

• Company-paid short and long term disability

• Free parking for in-office employees

webAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We adhere to these principles in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, promotion, benefits, social and recreational programs, and discipline. In addition, it is the policy of webAI to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified employees who have protected disabilities to the extent required by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances where a particular employee works.