Job ID: 731806BR Date posted: Jun. 11, 2026
Description:The Senior Forward‑Deployed Engineer (FDE) works as a hands‑on technical specialist for Lockheed Martin's AI Factory platform – the internal AI/ML‑Ops foundation that backs our users' MLOps, GenAI, and agentic workflows. In this role you will partner with senior staff and end users to translate solution concepts into working deployments, implement and tune Kubernetes‑based pipelines, and platform‑level improvement opportunities.
- Own assigned customer deployment workstreams end to end, from technical discovery and solution shaping through implementation, rollout, and handoff to sustained use.
- Translate customer and user requirements into deployable AI Factory solutions spanning MLOps pipelines, GenAI backends, data-processing workflows, and agentic applications.
- Design, deploy, configure, and maintain Kubernetes-based MLOps pipelines across AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-prem GPU-backed environments, including training, inference, and data-processing workflows.
- Adapt platform architecture and integration plans to customer-specific infrastructure, security constraints, runtime requirements, and operational standards.
- Act as a technical advocate for AI Factory during implementation by steering customers toward out-of-the-box platform capabilities before custom work is introduced.
- Capture platform bugs, performance gaps, reliability risks, and integration friction discovered during deployments, and document actionable remediation suggestions for AI Factory product and engineering teams.
- Turn repeated deployment pain points into reusable templates, guardrails, configuration patterns, or implementation guidance that improve future delivery.
- Embed traceability, auditability, security, and responsible AI guardrails, including model lineage, data provenance, and access controls, into deployed solutions for regulated environments.
- Produce clear, versioned deployment artifacts and operational documentation that support certification, audit readiness, and reliable production support.
- Own design decisions for assigned workstreams and contribute substantive feedback in design and code reviews.
- Mentor less-experienced engineers on deployment best practices such as Kubernetes debugging, CI/CD for ML, and operating production AI systems.
- Evaluate emerging MLOps, GenAI, and agentic capabilities for fit with customer delivery needs and Lockheed Martin's AI Factory platform direction.
What's In It For You
From onsite to remote, we offer flexible work schedules to comprehensive benefits investing in your future and security, Learn more about Lockheed Martin's comprehensive benefits package here.
Do you want to be part of a company culture that empowers employees to think big, lead with a growth mindset, and make the impossible a reality? We provide the resources and give you the flexibility to enable inspiration and focus -if you have the passion and courage to dream big, work hard, and have fun doing what you love then we want to build a better tomorrow with you.
Travel will be approx. 10-20%, Preferred candidate will live in close proximity to any major LM facility.
#LMLAIC
Basic Qualifications:
- 3+ years of hands-on experience in software engineering, platform engineering, MLOps, ML infrastructure, or GenAI systems.
- Demonstrated experience owning delivery of production AI/ML systems, platform capabilities, or deployment workstreams across ambiguous requirements and multiple stakeholders.
- Experience designing, deploying, or operating Kubernetes-based MLOps pipelines, model training and inference workflows, or data-processing systems in GPU-backed environments.
- Demonstrated ability to debug complex deployment issues across infrastructure, containers, networking, security controls, and application runtime behavior.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with customer engineering teams, internal product groups, and peer engineers.
- U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a Secret or Top Secret clearance.
Desired Skills:
- B.S. (or higher) in Computer Science, Electrical or Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related discipline.
- Working knowledge of platforms such as Amazon SageMaker, Google Vertex AI, Azure ML, Databricks Mosaic AI, IBM watsonx, Dataiku, Domino, or DataRobot.
- Familiarity with LLM deployment, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation, or agentic application patterns.
- Proficiency in Python plus at least one systems or backend language such as Go, Rust, Java, or C++.
- Experience navigating both public-cloud and on-prem GPU-accelerated environments.
- Understanding of model and data provenance, bias mitigation, and compliance documentation.
Security Clearance Statement: This position requires a government security clearance, you must be a US Citizen for consideration.
Clearance Level: Secret
Other Important Information You Should Know
Expression of Interest: By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities where similar skills and requirements have been identified as a match. Should this match be identified you may be contacted for this and future openings.
Ability to Work Remotely: Full-time Remote Telework: The employee selected for this position will work remotely full time at a location other than a Lockheed Martin designated office/job site. Employees may travel to a Lockheed Martin office for periodic meetings.
Work Schedules: Lockheed Martin supports a variety of alternate work schedules that provide additional flexibility to our employees. Schedules range from standard 40 hours over a five day work week while others may be condensed. These condensed schedules provide employees with additional time away from the office and are in addition to our Paid Time off benefits.
Schedule for this Position: 4x10 hour day, 3 days off per week
Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in most major metropolitan areas in California, Massachusetts, and New York is $125,100 - $216,890. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate's final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.
Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays.
This position is incentive plan eligible.
Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in California, Massachusetts, and New York (excluding most major metropolitan areas), Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington or Washington DC is $108,800 - $191,820. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate's final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.
Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays.
(Washington state applicants only) Non-represented full-time employees: accrue at least 10 hours per month of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used for incidental absences and other reasons; receive at least 90 hours for holidays. Represented full time employees accrue 6.67 hours of Vacation per month; accrue up to 52 hours of sick leave annually; receive at least 96 hours for holidays. PTO, Vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are prorated based on start date during the calendar year.
This position is incentive plan eligible.
Lockheed Martin is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified candidates will be considered without regard to legally protected characteristics.
The application window will close in 90 days; applicants are encouraged to apply within 5 - 30 days of the requisition posting date in order to receive optimal consideration.
At Lockheed Martin, we use our passion for purposeful innovation to help keep people safe and solve the world's most complex challenges. Our people are some of the greatest minds in the industry and truly make Lockheed Martin a great place to work.
With our employees as our priority, we provide diverse career opportunities designed to propel, develop, and boost agility. Our flexible schedules, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits enable our employees to live a healthy, fulfilling life at and outside of work. We place an emphasis on empowering our employees by fostering an inclusive environment built upon integrity and corporate responsibility.
If this sounds like a culture you connect with, you're invited to apply for this role. Or, if you are unsure whether your experience aligns with the requirements of this position, we encourage you to search on Lockheed Martin Jobs, and apply for roles that align with your qualifications.
Experience Level: Experienced Professional
Business Unit: ENTERPRISE BUSINESS SERVICES
Relocation Available: No
Career Area: Artificial Intelligence
Type: Full-Time
Shift: First