Forward Deployed Engineer

About Virtru:

While the rest of the security industry obsesses over locking data down to prevent it from being lost or stolen, we're doing something fundamentally different at Virtru. We're setting data free so that you can intentionally share it with others, but without sacrificing security, privacy, or control.

We've created both a suite of powerful data protection applications and an open platform that's sparking an ecosystem of innovation. Through the Trusted Data Format (TDF) open standard, we're not just protecting data; we're creating a new paradigm where security enables sharing rather than preventing it.

Think of us as the Android of data protection: a robust platform with an open core that developers and partners can build upon, coupled with our own best-in-class applications that showcase what's possible when you reimagine security from the ground up.

Backed by Iconiq Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Foundry Capital, and Tiger Global, we're helping Fortune 500 companies and government agencies discover that true data security means having the freedom to share, collaborate, and innovate — without compromise.

Compensation: $170,000 - 200,000/year

Team & Position Details:

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) at Virtru, you will be a solid, independent contributor on Virtru's Forward Deployed Engineering team. You will own the technical execution of customer deployments end-to-end — installing, configuring, and integrating the Virtru Data Security Platform in customer and partner environments — and serve as the on-the-ground engineering presence that turns a signed deal into a working production system.

The Forward Deployed Engineering team enables customers to realize the full value of Virtru by meeting them in their environment, deploying and integrating the Data Security Platform into their existing infrastructure, and delivering configurations that perform reliably at scale. FDEs work shoulder-to-shoulder with customer technical teams, partner with Solutions Architecture, and Customer Success counterparts, and bring back the field intelligence that makes Virtru's product better.

At the Mastery level, you will be expected to execute the majority of deployment scenarios encountered in the role and to begin contributing to the team's collective capability through documentation, peer support, and field-informed product feedback.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deploying, configuring, and integrating the Virtru Data Security Platform in customer and partner environments across the full range of standard deployment scenarios
• Leading technical integration workstreams with customer engineering, IT, and security teams; customizing and optimizing deployments to fit specific customer use cases and architectural constraints
• Manage stakeholder engagement across the deployment lifecycle with customer technical contacts and internal partners including PMs, CSMs, and Solutions Architects
• Troubleshooting integration challenges in real customer environments where conditions rarely match reference architecture, applying experience-informed judgment to keep deployments on track
• Contributing to team assets including deployment runbooks, configuration references, integration playbooks, and customer-facing technical documentation
• Applying solid working knowledge of Public Sector customer environments, operating constraints, and regulatory requirements to deployment decisions and customer conversations
• Relaying deployment-informed product feedback to internal Product, Engineering, and SA teams with sufficient context to be actionable
• Supporting and informally mentoring more junior colleagues through peer feedback, knowledge sharing, and collaborative deployment support
• Required Skills: Active U.S. TS Clearance required; CI Poly preferred
• Solid engineering foundation across software, systems, and infrastructure, with demonstrated ability to deploy and configure complex software in real customer or production environments
• Reliable troubleshooting and problem-solving ability in environments where the architecture rarely matches the documentation
• Proven ability to manage stakeholder engagement independently across technical and project-level contacts in customer environments
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear deployment documentation and to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences
• A collaborative mindset with demonstrated interest in contributing to team quality and supporting colleagues
• Willingness to work onsite at customer sites
• Hands-on experience deploying and operating Kubernetes (K3s or K8s) in production or test environments, including Helm-based deployments
• Comfort working in Windows Server environments
• Working knowledge of core infrastructure concepts including DNS, PKI/TLS certificates, authentication protocols (OIDC, LDAP), storage configuration, and network troubleshooting
• Desired Skills: Solid familiarity with DoW and/or IC organizations, customer missions, and operating environments
• Prior experience as a deployment engineer, forward deployed engineer, solutions engineer, or implementation consultant in a customer-facing technical role
• Hands-on experience integrating enterprise identity providers (Ping, Entra, Okta, F5, ADFS, or Keycloak) in complex environments; familiarity with SAML, OIDC, and federation configurations
• Experience deploying containerized software in air-gapped or disconnected environments, including offline image transfer and registry management
• Experience with OpenShift or other opinionated Kubernetes platforms
• Virtruvian qualities that will set you up for success: Thinking outside of the box to respectfully challenge your teammates and managers in the pursuit of excellence
• Strong sense of urgency with an action-oriented mindset
• Able to collaborate and adapt to shifting priorities as business needs evolve
• Comfortable with asynchronous communication including slack, email, zoom, etc.