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Forward Deployed Data Engineer (TS/SCI)

Washington DC

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

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will work directly with TRM’s government customers. This includes bridging our SaaS offering with federated capabilities and cloud architectures from the initial setup and implementation to configuration and maintenance.

A successful mission will enable TRM’s government customers to securely leverage TRM in regulated industries and also scale with maturity. As an early member of the Forward Deployed Engineering team, you will be deeply involved in the technical details and ultimately champion your team to build a safer financial system for billions of people.

The impact you’ll have here:

  • Partner directly with mission-focused customers to design and deploy secure, scalable cloud-based data lakehouse solutions on AWS (e.g., S3, EMR/EKS, Iceberg or Delta Lake).
  • Own and deliver production-ready ETL/ELT pipelines using Python, Apache Airflow, Spark, and SQL—optimized for petabyte-scale workloads.
  • Containerize and deploy services on Kubernetes (EKS), using Terraform or CloudFormation for Infrastructure-as-Code and repeatable environments.
  • Design integrations that ingest data from message buses, APIs, and relational databases, embedding real-time analytics capabilities into client workflows.
  • Actively participate in all phases of the software development lifecycle: requirements gathering, architecture, implementation, testing, and secure deployment.
  • Implement observability solutions (e.g., Prometheus, Datadog, NewRelic) to uphold SLAs and drive continuous improvement.
  • Support mission-critical systems in production environments—resolving incidents alongside customer operations teams.

What we’re looking for:

  • Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
  • 4+ years of hands-on experience building and deploying data pipelines in Python.
  • Proven expertise with Apache Airflow (DAG development, scheduler tuning, custom operators).
  • Strong knowledge of Apache Spark (Spark SQL, DataFrames, performance tuning).
  • Deep SQL skills—able to optimize queries with window functions, CTEs, and large datasets.
  • Professional experience deploying cloud-native architectures on AWS, including services like S3, EMR, EKS, IAM, and Redshift.
  • Familiarity with secure cloud environments and experience implementing FedRAMP/FISMA controls.
  • Experience deploying applications and data workflows on Kubernetes, preferably EKS.
  • Infrastructure-as-Code proficiency with Terraform or CloudFormation.
  • Skilled in GitOps and CI/CD practices using Jenkins, GitLab CI, or similar tools.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills—able to interface confidently with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% to client sites as needed.
  • Active TS/SCI clearance required (Polygraph strongly preferred).

About the Team:

  • The FDE team is made up of experienced professionals with direct customer knowledge and deep experience with technology, we leverage this to provide impactful outcomes and clear communication both internally and externally.
  • The FDE team aligns to the US-eastern timezone, both onsite and remotely. Wee communicate across numerous channels (highside chat, highside/lowside email, slack, phone calls, signal, google meets) and ensure we are able to rapidly switch between appropriate channels as necessary.
  • We have weekly team syncs as well as project check-ins, we keep project tracking tools up to date and directly communicate issues as they arise.
  • We always put the customer first – The FDE team is uniquely close among other teams at TRM to our customers and will develop close relationships with them. We do whatever it takes to ensure their mission success.

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 - $260,000.
  • 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.

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