Forward Deployed Engineer Lead (Mid-Career, Level 4)

Description:Serves as a Staff-level Forward Deployed Engineer for AI Factory (an internal AI/ML Ops Platform), leading the use of Lockheed Martin's AI Factory platform to solve customer MLOps and GenAI problems. Owns customer solution discovery, architecture, implementation strategy, deployment, and adoption for high-value AI/ML workflows while ensuring the platform is used effectively, consistently, and with maximum reuse. Uses this deployment work to identify weaknesses in AI Factory's foundational products and platform, such as design flaws, performance gaps, reliability risks, and integration friction, and drives actionable remediation suggestions back to core platform engineering team.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead customer-facing technical discovery to translate mission, user, and program needs into deployable AI Factory solutions spanning MLOps pipelines, GenAI applications, and agentic workflows.
• Own end-to-end delivery across solution design, integration planning, deployment strategy, rollout, and adoption in close coordination with customer stakeholders and internal platform teams.
• Design and oversee deployment of Kubernetes-based MLOps and agentic pipelines across cloud and on-prem GPU-backed environments, including data processing workflows, model training pipelines, and GenAI application backends.
• Act as a senior advocate for AI Factory's MLOps and GenAI platforms by guiding customers toward the best use of platform capabilities before bespoke solutions are introduced.
• Discover design flaws, performance gaps, reliability risks, and integration friction in foundational products during deployment work, and translate those findings into actionable design change proposals for AI Factory product and engineering teams.
• Provide technical direction to other FDEs through design reviews, implementation guidance, deployment standards, and reusable playbooks or reference architectures.
• Stay hands-on on the highest-leverage technical work, including debugging deployment blockers, shaping interfaces, and guiding integrations across Kubernetes, data, model, and security boundaries.
• Embed responsible AI, security, traceability, and operational guardrails into deployed solutions so they are supportable in production and defensible in regulated environments.
• Maintain clear documentation and versioned artifacts to support certification, auditability, and long-term operational support in regulated environments.
• Operates with a mixed model with remote work and direct support in customer environments. Success in the role requires balancing customer outcomes, strong platform advocacy, and long-term maintainability of the AI Factory ecosystem.

Travel will be approx. 10-20%, Preferred candidate will live in close proximity to any major LM facility.

#LMLAIC

Basic Qualifications:

• 5+ years of related experience in software engineering, platform engineering, MLOps, ML infrastructure, and/or GenAI systems.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work directly with customers, platform teams, and program stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience delivering production AI/ML systems or platform capabilities with ambiguous requirements and multiple stakeholders.
• Experience designing, deploying, or operating MLOps pipelines, model deployment workflows, data and artifact lineage, or GenAI application backends.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical direction for other engineers through architecture, decomposition, code review, or deployment standards.
• Hands-on familiarity with Kubernetes-based deployment patterns, GPU-backed environments, and secure software delivery practices.
• 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 / Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or related field.
• Experience with enterprise AI/ML platforms such as Amazon SageMaker, Databricks Mosaic AI, Google Cloud Vertex AI / Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, Microsoft Foundry, Domino Data Lab, Dataiku, IBM watsonx, or DataRobot.
• Experience with LLM and GenAI systems, evaluation workflows, prompt or context engineering, or agentic application patterns.
• Familiarity with Python and at least one backend or systems language such as Go or Rust.
• Experience working across cloud and on-prem GPU environments.
• Ability to communicate technical tradeoffs clearly to senior stakeholders while maintaining delivery momentum across customer and internal teams.

Security Clearance Statement: This position requires a government security clearance, you must be a US Citizen for consideration.

Clearance Level: Top 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 $152,900 - $264,960. 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 $132,900 - $234,370. 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