New

Associate Forward Deployed Engineer

Honolulu, HI

This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.

New & Recent Graduates — This role was designed with you in mind. If you have a strong technical foundation, thrive on a team, and are excited to relocate to Hawaii for a mission-driven career, we want to hear from you.

Who We Are

Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional defense tech company dedicated to empowering U.S. military and government agencies with cutting-edge AI/ML and data solutions. We are a leader in autonomous data fusion and Agentic AI, with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development. With headquarters in McLean, VA, our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.

About the Role

We're seeking a motivated Associate Forward Deployed Engineer to serve as a technical face to our users at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. This is a customer-facing position where your communication skills matter just as much as your technical chops. You'll be an on-the-ground technical expert for our customers; troubleshooting system issues, supporting production deployments, and building trusted relationships with the people who depend on our technology every day.

This is an ideal launchpad for a recent graduate who wants to grow fast in a real-world engineering environment, work closely with senior engineers, and make an immediate impact on mission-critical systems.

What You'll Do

  • Deploy, maintain, and support containerized applications in Kubernetes environments
  • Provide technical support for CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration platforms
  • Diagnose and resolve technical issues across diverse technology stacks by troubleshooting and debugging production systems at the system level, ensuring maximum uptime and performance
  • Collaborate with backend engineering teams to implement solutions and improvements
  • Support operational deployments and maintain system reliability in production environments
  • Interface directly with customer stakeholders in secure environments making strong interpersonal and communication skills essential

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field (completed within the last year, or graduating by summer 2026)
  • Foundational understanding of software engineering principles and practices gained through coursework, internships, capstone projects, or personal projects
  • Comfortable using AI tools as a force multiplier, including for debugging, documentation, and rapid prototyping, while maintaining critical evaluation of AI-generated outputs 
  • Foundational understanding of machine learning concepts including supervised/unsupervised learning, model training and evaluation, and common algorithms (regression, classification, clustering) 
  • Exposure to containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) through coursework, labs, internships, or self-directed learning
  • Familiarity with CI/CD concepts and tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)
  • Demonstrated experience working on a team — whether through collegiate sports, internships, academic group projects, hackathons, open-source contributions, or extracurricular technical teams
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a natural ability to interface with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Outgoing, personable demeanor with a genuine interest in customer-facing work
  • Willingness to relocate to Oahu, Hawaii for full-time onsite work at Schofield Barracks and Hickam AFB

Desired Qualifications

  • Experience in software engineering and DevOps through coursework, internships, capstone projects, or personal projects
  • Coursework or project experience with Linux environments
  • Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) through coursework, personal projects, or certification
  • Experience working with common AI/ML frameworks and libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, or Hugging Face 
  • Hands-on experience integrating AI/ML APIs or third-party model services (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, Azure AI) into software applications 
  • Familiarity with large language model (LLM) concepts such as prompt engineering, context windows, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) 
  • Interest in serving the Department of Defense (DoD) or federal government mission
  • Familiarity with networking fundamentals, scripting, or automation tools
  • Involvement in technical clubs, competition teams, or veteran/military-affiliated student organizations

Clearance Requirements

  • Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance

Application Requirements — Video Introduction

🎥  A 1-minute introductory video is required as part of your application.

Because this is a forward-deployed, customer-facing role, we want to get a sense of who you are beyond your resume. Please submit a brief video (approximately 1 minute) alongside your application that covers:

  • Your Education: What you studied, where, and what excited you most about your program.
  • Your Work Experience: Any internships, co-ops, part-time roles, or meaningful projects - and what you learned.
  • Your Team Experience: A specific example of working on a team, your role, and how you contributed to a successful outcome.

This video does not need to be professionally produced - a smartphone recording is perfectly fine. We are looking for authenticity, communication skills, and enthusiasm.

Work Type

  • Onsite at Schofield Barracks and Hickam AFB, Oahu, Hawaii; daily attendance required
  • May require up to 25% travel to both CONUS and OCONUS locations (must possess a valid, active US passport with at least six months validity beyond intended period of employment to facilitate international travel and meet security requirements for government contracts)

Relocation: Candidates from outside Hawaii are encouraged to apply. Raft is committed to relocating and supporting your transition to island life.

Salary Range

  • $100,000 – $120,000

The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities.

What We Will Offer You

  • Highly competitive salary
  • Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
  • 401(k) and company match
  • Take-as-you-need PTO + 11 paid holidays
  • Education & training benefits
  • Generous referral bonuses
  • And more!

Our Vision Statement

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission.

Our Customer Obsession

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How Do We Get There?

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm.

Raft's core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We Are. We support our "nadi" by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.

We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

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