Forward Deployed Engineer - Federal, New Grad 2027

C3 AI
Tysons, VA
On-siteCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

Best suited to recent graduates with technical versatility working in the U.S. federal sector.

Best fit for

  • Recent graduates with a strong foundation in AI and cloud technologies who are comfortable with direct customer engagement
    — “working directly with U.S. federal customers through hands-on engagements”
  • Individuals with experience in developing scalable applications and a keen interest in agentic AI systems
    — “Design, develop, and deploy AI-based enterprise applications at scale on the C3 Agentic AI Platform”

Things to consider

  • U.S. citizenship is mandatory, as the role requires a security clearance for federal clients
    — “requires U.S. citizenship. Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance is required”
  • Travel is expected as the role involves direct customer engagement and on-site work
    — “Ability to travel as needed.”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with cloud computing and large-scale data analysis in your resume and interviews
    — “Build and improve tools that help users understand and analyze large-scale data.”
  • Demonstrate your ability to work independently and deliver results in dynamic environments
    — “Ability to operate with high autonomy in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.”
  • Showcase your familiarity with agentic AI and LLM tool calling in your technical projects or coursework
    — “Familiarity with agentic AI architectures, prompt engineering, or the fundamentals of LLM tool calling and function execution.”
  • Emphasize communication skills and your ability to support customer demonstrations and training
    — “Support technical demonstrations, proofs-of-technology, and customer training sessions alongside senior engineers.”
  • Include any prior experience with version control tools like Git in your application materials
    — “Experience with Git or other version control software.”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • design, develop, and maintain performant and scalable applications
  • build and improve tools for understanding and analyzing large-scale data
  • perform debugging, troubleshooting, modifications, and unit testing
  • assess technical risks and formulate mitigation strategies
  • develop specifications, technical documentation, and user support guides
Typical background
Bachelor of Science or Master of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field

Skills & requirements

Required

PythonJavaScriptJavaData StructuresAlgorithmsCloud ComputingRelational Or Nosql DatabasesProfiling & OptimizationAgentic AI ArchitecturesPrompt EngineeringLLM Tool Calling And Function ExecutionCommunication Skills

Preferred

ReactReduxVueBackboneAngularGitPrior Internship Or Project Experience Deploying Applications At ScaleModern Developer AI Workflows

Stack & domain

PythonJavaScriptJavaAIEnterprise Software

About the role

Original posting from C3 AI

C3 AI (NYSE: AI), is the Enterprise AI application software company. C3 AI delivers a family of fully integrated products including the C3 Agentic AI Platform, an end-to-end platform for developing, deploying, and operating enterprise AI applications, C3 AI applications, a portfolio of industry-specific SaaS enterprise AI applications that enable the digital transformation of organizations globally, and C3 Generative AI, a suite of domain-specific generative AI offerings for the enterprise. Learn more at: C3 AI

C3 AI is seeking early professional Forward Deployed Engineers to join the Federal team. As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will design, develop, and deploy AI-based enterprise applications at scale on the C3 Agentic AI Platform, working directly with U.S. federal customers through hands-on engagements, including demonstrations, proofs-of-technology, trials, and production applications. This is a full-stack software engineering role with direct customer exposure.

This role is open to candidates graduating in December 2026 or Summer/Fall 2027.

This role requires U.S. citizenship. Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance is required; an active clearance is preferred.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain performant and scalable applications on the C3 Agentic AI Platform.

Build and improve tools that help users understand and analyze large-scale data.

Perform debugging, troubleshooting, modifications, and unit testing of customer applications and solutions.

Assess technical risks and formulate mitigation strategies.

Develop specifications, technical documentation, and user support guides.

Support technical demonstrations, proofs-of-technology, and customer training sessions alongside senior engineers.

Qualifications

Pursuing or recently completed a Bachelor of Science or Master of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain a U.S. Government security clearance.

Experience with Python, JavaScript, Java, or other object-oriented programming languages.

Hands-on experience with data structures, algorithms, cloud computing, relational or NoSQL databases, and profiling & optimization.

Familiarity with agentic AI architectures, prompt engineering, or the fundamentals of LLM tool calling and function execution.

Analytical and problem-solving mindset, with a passion for solving complex engineering problems in collaboration with a team.

Ability to operate with high autonomy in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.

Strong verbal and written communication skills to collaborate effectively and scale your impact across teams.

Thrives in a fun, friendly, and intellectually stimulating team culture.

Ability to travel as needed.

Preferred qualifications

Current, active U.S. Government security clearance (TS/SCI with CI Polygraph or greater).

Experience with the Federal government, especially DoD.

Experience with JavaScript frameworks such as React, Redux, Vue, Backbone, or Angular.

Experience with Git or other version control software.

Prior internship or project experience deploying applications at scale.

Experience using modern developer AI workflows (e.g., Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code) and understanding how they interact with underlying execution environments.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future company sponsorship.

C3 AI provides excellent benefits, a competitive compensation package and generous equity plan. 

Virginia Base Pay Range$120,000—$150,000 USDC3 AI is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected characteristics, including disabled and veteran status. 

Source: C3 AI careers

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