Forward Deployed AI Engineer

Role highlights:

• Role: Forward Deployed AI Engineer
• Department: Forward Deployed Engineering
• Location: Portugal (Must be based in-country)
• Reports to: VP, Forward Deployed Engineering
• Working type: Hybrid (On-site at customer locations approx. 50% of time)
• Must be eligible and able to attain relevant national and NATO security clearances at the highest level.

The Mission of the Forward Deployed AI Engineer

In this role, you'll be the hands-on AI builder defense and intelligence customers rely on. You’ll deploy ICEYE’s intelligence platform into secure (often air-gapped) environments and rapidly ship AI-powered workflows on top of it—everything from Docker-based deployments to RAG systems fusing SAR imagery with intelligence reports. This is a ship-code-daily role: turning raw satellite data into mission-critical tools analysts use to protect nations.

Who are we?

ICEYE delivers space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to governments and allied nations. This includes sovereign and turnkey ISR missions leveraging ICEYE's world-leading synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology, as well as access to data from the world's largest SAR satellite constellation. These capabilities enable partners to detect and respond to critical changes anywhere on Earth with unprecedented speed and accuracy – day or night and in any weather, supported by ultra high-resolution imagery and high-frequency revisits.

As a trusted partner for defense, intelligence, security, and maritime domain awareness, ICEYE's near real-time data creates a tactical advantage for mission-critical operations. ICEYE operates internationally with offices in Finland, Poland, Spain, Japan, the UAE, Greece, Germany, and the US. The company has more than 900 employees, inspired by the shared vision of improving life on Earth by becoming the global source of truth in Earth Observation

Day to day responsibilities:

Platform Deployment & Integration

• Deploy ICEYE's intelligence platform into customer secure environments (on-premise, air-gapped networks, classified data centers).
• Build and maintain containerized applications (Docker) and manage deployments in customer Kubernetes clusters.
• Develop APIs and data pipelines connecting ICEYE systems to customer C4ISR infrastructure and intelligence tools.
• Troubleshoot deployment issues in disconnected environments without external internet access.
  

AI Solution Development & Customization

• Build Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems that combine ICEYE SAR data with customer intelligence documents for context-aware analysis.
• Develop AI agents and workflows using frameworks like LangChain, LangGraph, or similar tools to automate analytical tasks.
• Implement prompt engineering strategies and conversational AI interfaces that enable analysts to query satellite data using natural language.
• Create Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations connecting AI systems with customer data sources.

Data Fusion & Intelligence Workflows

• Build data fusion pipelines combining SAR imagery with additional intelligence sources (AIS, RF signals, optical imagery, SIGINT).
• Develop automated workflows that correlate and cross-reference information across different data modalities.
• Create lightweight tools, dashboards, and alerting systems tailored to customer operational needs.

Customer Engagement & Rapid Prototyping

• Work embedded with intelligence analysts, data scientists, and military operators to understand mission-critical problems.
• Rapidly prototype AI-powered solutions (code first, polish later) that address immediate operational requirements.
• Conduct hands-on training sessions on platform capabilities and AI workflow usage.
• Gather customer feedback and translate it into technical requirements for ICEYE's product and engineering teams.

Requirements

Must have skills:

• 3+ years hands-on software engineering building and deploying production systems.
• Strong Python programming skills (required) plus one of: Go, TypeScript, or Rust.
• Hands-on experience with LLMs, prompt engineering, and RAG systems.
• Working knowledge of agent frameworks (LangChain, LangGraph, pydantic-ai) and vector databases.
• Experience with Docker and deploying in secure / isolated / air-gapped environments.
• Practical experience with APIs, data pipelines, and integrating systems in production,
• Familiarity with Linux and basic Kubernetes operations.
• Builder mindset: ship fast, iterate with feedback, and prioritize working solutions over perfect architecture.
• Strong communication + customer engagement, able to work embedded with intelligence analysts / military operators.
• Strong spoken and written English, able to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel 40–60% to customer sites within the region.
  

Nice to have skills:

• Experience in defense, intelligence, or government operational environments.
• Deploying to on-prem data centers and/or air-gapped networks.
• Familiarity with geospatial data, satellite imagery, or remote sensing.
• Experience with MCP integrations, multi-agent systems, or agentic workflows.
• Deeper Kubernetes, IaC (Terraform/Ansible), and/or offline CI/CD.
• Understanding of intelligence analysis workflows and defense/government requirements.
• Experience with data fusion, multi-source intelligence integration, or GIS tools (ArcGIS, QGIS).
• Background in solution engineering, technical consulting, or customer success.
• Experience in defense tech (e.g., Palantir, Anduril, Scale AI, similar startups).

Application process

• Talent Acquisition Interview
• Hiring Manager Interview
• Technical Interview (onsite or virtual), including a Technical Challenge
• Hiring Team Interview
• Offer Decision

Benefits

How We Work (Our Values)

Make the impossible possible: We set ambitious goals and stay calm under pressure. We bring grit, optimism, and ownership when things get hard, and we keep moving until we find a way.

• Be curious: Go deep, ask questions, listen carefully, and think critically. Understand the “why” behind decisions.
• See the big picture: Stay close to what’s happening across the company so you can make better decisions. Consider how your work affects others.
• Drive effective teamwork: Create psychological safety, invite different perspectives, and build inclusive teams. There are no bad questions.
• Act as one team: We win together. We match tasks to the right owner and stay agile as priorities shift.
• Have fun:  What we do matters—and it should be enjoyable. Celebrate progress, take pride in results, and share the wins.
  

Benefits:

Our benefits are designed to support your health and wellbeing—at work and beyond. We keep improving them based on employee feedback, and offerings vary by location. Talent Acquisition will confirm what applies for this role and location during the process.

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We want ICEYE to be a place where people can be themselves and do great work. Different backgrounds and perspectives make us stronger, which is why we work to create an environment where people feel included, respected, and able to speak up. Whatever your background, we want you to bring your authentic self to the table.

We’re committed to fair, inclusive hiring and equal opportunity. Everyone is welcome to apply. If you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, tell us—we’ll do our best to help.

Apply now to start your ICEYE journey, and help us continue to make the impossible possible together. Read more about ICEYE and working with us at iceye.com