STEM OPT Forward Deployed Software Engineer Jobs
Forward Deployed Software Engineer roles sit at the intersection of software development and on-site client work, making them a strong fit for STEM OPT students with computer science, engineering, or related degrees. Your 24-month STEM OPT extension applies as long as your employer is enrolled in E-Verify and your role directly uses your STEM degree.
Find STEM OPT Forward Deployed Software Engineer JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 52+ Forward Deployed Software Engineer jobs
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
See all 52+ Forward Deployed Software Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Forward Deployed Software Engineer roles.
Get Access To All JobsA World-Changing Company
Palantir builds the world’s leading software for data-driven decisions and operations. By bringing the right data to the people who need it, our platforms empower our partners to develop lifesaving drugs, forecast supply chain disruptions, locate missing children, and more.
The Role
The Original Forward Deployed Software Engineer
At Palantir, the Forward Deployed Software Engineer (FDSE) role isn’t just a job title: it’s the blueprint. We pioneered this unique position, embedding talented engineers directly with our customers to tackle their most pressing challenges head-on. As an FDSE, you’ll be at the intersection of world-changing problems and impactful technology, shaping solutions where they matter most. FDSEs work side by side with our customers, rapidly understanding their toughest issues; architecting and building solutions that leverage business-critical data and the latest advancements in AI to solve them. Whether it’s “How do we predict and mitigate wildfire risks to optimize power grids?” or “How can we analyze and adapt a global food supply chain to deliver life-saving aid on time?”, you’ll use your technical expertise, creativity, and problem-solving skills to drive real-world impact. You’ll have the rare opportunity to gain deep insight into and directly influence some of the world’s most critical industries and institutions. By building on Palantir’s powerful platforms leveraging integrated cutting-edge AI, you’ll help organizations unlock the full potential of their data to make smarter, faster decisions.
Core Responsibilities
As an FDSE, you’ll experience the autonomy of a startup, with the resources, mentorship, and stability of an established tech company. Your contributions will have a direct impact on our customers’ missions and the real world. You’ll work in small, agile teams and own the end-to-end execution and implementation of high-stakes projects, including:
- Collaborating with fellow engineers on architecture and design decisions
- Wrangling massive-scale data and using AI to accelerate and enhance critical operations
- Developing custom applications tailored to customer needs
- Engaging directly with customer stakeholders, from technical teams to executives
- Shaping team strategy and driving projects from ideation to deployment, increasing your pain threshold to deliver real value
What We Value
- A highly analytical approach and eagerness to solve technical problems with data structures, storage systems, cloud infrastructure, front-end frameworks, and other technical tools.
- Experience or curiosity about working with and using large scale data to take on valuable business problems.
- Ability to collaborate efficiently in teams of technical and non-technical individuals, and comfortable working in a dynamic environment with evolving objectives and iteration with users.
What We Require
- 1+ years of relevant, post-college work experience.
- Strong engineering background, preferred in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, and Data Science.
- Strong coder with shown proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, C++, TypeScript/JavaScript, or similar.
- Ability and interest to travel up to 25%, as needed to client sites, but flexible based on personal preferences.
Salary
The estimated salary range for this position is estimated to be $135,000 - $200,000/year. Total compensation for this position may also include Restricted Stock units, sign-on bonus and other potential future incentives. Further note that total compensation for this position will be determined by each individual’s relevant qualifications, work experience, skills, and other factors. This estimate excludes the value of any potential sign-on bonus; the value of any benefits offered; and the potential future value of any long-term incentives.
Our benefits aim to promote health and wellbeing across all areas of Palantirians’ lives. We work to continuously improve our offerings and listen to our community as we design and update them. The list below details our available benefits and some of the perks that can be enjoyed as an employee of Palantir Technologies.
Benefits
- Employees (and their eligible dependents) can enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as voluntary life insurance
- Employees are automatically covered by Palantir’s basic life, AD&D and disability insurance
- Commuter benefits
- Relocation assistance
- Take what you need paid time off, not accrual based
- 2 weeks paid time off built into the end of each year (subject to team and business needs)
- 10 paid holidays throughout the calendar year
- Supportive leave of absence program including time off for military service and medical events
- Paid leave for new parents and subsidized back-up care for all parents
- Fertility and family building benefits including but not limited to adoption, surrogacy, and preservation
- Stipend to help with expenses that come with a new child
- Employees can enroll in Palantir’s 401k plan
Life at Palantir
We want every Palantirian to achieve their best outcomes, that’s why we celebrate individuals’ strengths, skills, and interests, from your first interview to your longterm growth, rather than rely on traditional career ladders. Paying attention to the needs of our community enables us to optimize our opportunities to grow and helps ensure many pathways to success at Palantir. Promoting health and well-being across all areas of Palantirians’ lives is just one of the ways we’re investing in our community. Learn more at Life at Palantir and note that our offerings may vary by region.
In keeping consistent with Palantir’s values and culture, we believe employees are “better together” and in-person work affords the opportunity for more creative outcomes. Therefore, we encourage employees to work from our offices to foster connectivity and innovation. Many teams do offer hybrid options (WFH a day or two a week), allowing our employees to strike the right trade-off for their personal productivity. Based on business need, there are a few roles that allow for “Remote” work on an exceptional basis. If you are applying for one of these roles, you must work from the state in which you are employed. If the posting is specified as Onsite, you are required to work from an office.
If you want to empower the world's most important institutions, you belong here. Palantir values excellence regardless of background. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer for all, including but not limited to Veterans and those with disabilities. Palantir is committed to making the application and hiring process accessible to everyone and will provide a reasonable accommodation for those living with a disability. If you need an accommodation for the application or hiring process, please reach out and let us know how we can help. If you would like to understand more about how your personal data will be processed by Palantir, please see our Privacy Policy.
A World-Changing Company
Palantir builds the world’s leading software for data-driven decisions and operations. By bringing the right data to the people who need it, our platforms empower our partners to develop lifesaving drugs, forecast supply chain disruptions, locate missing children, and more.
The Role
The Original Forward Deployed Software Engineer
At Palantir, the Forward Deployed Software Engineer (FDSE) role isn’t just a job title: it’s the blueprint. We pioneered this unique position, embedding talented engineers directly with our customers to tackle their most pressing challenges head-on. As an FDSE, you’ll be at the intersection of world-changing problems and impactful technology, shaping solutions where they matter most. FDSEs work side by side with our customers, rapidly understanding their toughest issues; architecting and building solutions that leverage business-critical data and the latest advancements in AI to solve them. Whether it’s “How do we predict and mitigate wildfire risks to optimize power grids?” or “How can we analyze and adapt a global food supply chain to deliver life-saving aid on time?”, you’ll use your technical expertise, creativity, and problem-solving skills to drive real-world impact. You’ll have the rare opportunity to gain deep insight into and directly influence some of the world’s most critical industries and institutions. By building on Palantir’s powerful platforms leveraging integrated cutting-edge AI, you’ll help organizations unlock the full potential of their data to make smarter, faster decisions.
Core Responsibilities
As an FDSE, you’ll experience the autonomy of a startup, with the resources, mentorship, and stability of an established tech company. Your contributions will have a direct impact on our customers’ missions and the real world. You’ll work in small, agile teams and own the end-to-end execution and implementation of high-stakes projects, including:
- Collaborating with fellow engineers on architecture and design decisions
- Wrangling massive-scale data and using AI to accelerate and enhance critical operations
- Developing custom applications tailored to customer needs
- Engaging directly with customer stakeholders, from technical teams to executives
- Shaping team strategy and driving projects from ideation to deployment, increasing your pain threshold to deliver real value
What We Value
- A highly analytical approach and eagerness to solve technical problems with data structures, storage systems, cloud infrastructure, front-end frameworks, and other technical tools.
- Experience or curiosity about working with and using large scale data to take on valuable business problems.
- Ability to collaborate efficiently in teams of technical and non-technical individuals, and comfortable working in a dynamic environment with evolving objectives and iteration with users.
What We Require
- 1+ years of relevant, post-college work experience.
- Strong engineering background, preferred in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, and Data Science.
- Strong coder with shown proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, C++, TypeScript/JavaScript, or similar.
- Ability and interest to travel up to 25%, as needed to client sites, but flexible based on personal preferences.
Salary
The estimated salary range for this position is estimated to be $135,000 - $200,000/year. Total compensation for this position may also include Restricted Stock units, sign-on bonus and other potential future incentives. Further note that total compensation for this position will be determined by each individual’s relevant qualifications, work experience, skills, and other factors. This estimate excludes the value of any potential sign-on bonus; the value of any benefits offered; and the potential future value of any long-term incentives.
Our benefits aim to promote health and wellbeing across all areas of Palantirians’ lives. We work to continuously improve our offerings and listen to our community as we design and update them. The list below details our available benefits and some of the perks that can be enjoyed as an employee of Palantir Technologies.
Benefits
- Employees (and their eligible dependents) can enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as voluntary life insurance
- Employees are automatically covered by Palantir’s basic life, AD&D and disability insurance
- Commuter benefits
- Relocation assistance
- Take what you need paid time off, not accrual based
- 2 weeks paid time off built into the end of each year (subject to team and business needs)
- 10 paid holidays throughout the calendar year
- Supportive leave of absence program including time off for military service and medical events
- Paid leave for new parents and subsidized back-up care for all parents
- Fertility and family building benefits including but not limited to adoption, surrogacy, and preservation
- Stipend to help with expenses that come with a new child
- Employees can enroll in Palantir’s 401k plan
Life at Palantir
We want every Palantirian to achieve their best outcomes, that’s why we celebrate individuals’ strengths, skills, and interests, from your first interview to your longterm growth, rather than rely on traditional career ladders. Paying attention to the needs of our community enables us to optimize our opportunities to grow and helps ensure many pathways to success at Palantir. Promoting health and well-being across all areas of Palantirians’ lives is just one of the ways we’re investing in our community. Learn more at Life at Palantir and note that our offerings may vary by region.
In keeping consistent with Palantir’s values and culture, we believe employees are “better together” and in-person work affords the opportunity for more creative outcomes. Therefore, we encourage employees to work from our offices to foster connectivity and innovation. Many teams do offer hybrid options (WFH a day or two a week), allowing our employees to strike the right trade-off for their personal productivity. Based on business need, there are a few roles that allow for “Remote” work on an exceptional basis. If you are applying for one of these roles, you must work from the state in which you are employed. If the posting is specified as Onsite, you are required to work from an office.
If you want to empower the world's most important institutions, you belong here. Palantir values excellence regardless of background. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer for all, including but not limited to Veterans and those with disabilities. Palantir is committed to making the application and hiring process accessible to everyone and will provide a reasonable accommodation for those living with a disability. If you need an accommodation for the application or hiring process, please reach out and let us know how we can help. If you would like to understand more about how your personal data will be processed by Palantir, please see our Privacy Policy.
See all 52+ STEM OPT Forward Deployed Software Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new STEM OPT Forward Deployed Software Engineer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Forward Deployed Software Engineer
Verify your degree qualifies under CIP codes
STEM OPT eligibility depends on your degree's Classification of Instructional Programs code, not just the field name. Cross-check your degree against the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List before applying to confirm your extension is valid.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Your employer must be actively enrolled in E-Verify to sponsor your STEM OPT extension. Ask HR for their E-Verify Company ID or check enrollment status through the E-Verify employer search before signing any offer letter.
Frame your deployment experience as direct STEM application
The I-983 training plan requires your role to directly apply your STEM degree. Document how your on-site client work uses software engineering skills, not just customer support tasks, so your DSO can certify the training plan without issues.
Target companies with established federal contract work
Forward deployed roles at companies holding federal contracts almost always require E-Verify enrollment by law, which removes a common STEM OPT barrier. Filter your search toward defense, government tech, and regulated-industry employers for this reason.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers with verified E-Verify status
Search Forward Deployed Software Engineer roles on Migrate Mate, where employer E-Verify enrollment is surfaced alongside job listings so you're not spending time vetting employers manually before applying.
File your STEM OPT extension application 90 days early
USCIS requires your I-765 STEM OPT application to be filed no earlier than 90 days before your initial OPT expires. Missing this window means a gap in work authorization, which disqualifies you from the cap-gap protection if an H-1B visa petition is pending.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Forward Deployed Software Engineer role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your degree is on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List and your day-to-day work directly applies STEM knowledge. Forward deployed roles that involve software development, systems integration, or technical problem-solving at client sites generally qualify. Roles that are primarily relationship management or account support without substantive engineering work may not satisfy the direct-application requirement your DSO must certify on the I-983.
What E-Verify requirement applies to my STEM OPT employer?
Any employer hiring you on a STEM OPT extension must be enrolled in E-Verify at the specific work site where you'll be employed. If you're deployed to a client site, your direct employer, not the client, must be E-Verify enrolled. Verify enrollment before your start date because USCIS can revoke an approved STEM OPT extension if the employer falls out of compliance after hiring you.
How do I complete the I-983 training plan for a forward deployed role?
Your I-983 must describe the specific STEM learning objectives tied to your forward deployment assignments. List the technical skills you'll develop, the engineering methodologies you'll apply on-site, and how those activities connect to your degree field. Your employer signs the plan, your DSO certifies it, and you resubmit an updated version every 12 months. Vague job descriptions that don't reference STEM competencies are the most common reason DSOs push back on I-983 approvals.
What happens to my STEM OPT authorization if an H-1B is filed while I'm in this role?
If your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf before your STEM OPT expires, cap-gap protection automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of that fiscal year while USCIS adjudicates the petition. You can continue working in your Forward Deployed Software Engineer role throughout the cap-gap period without interruption, as long as the petition remains pending and your employer stays E-Verify enrolled.
Where can I find Forward Deployed Software Engineer jobs that accept STEM OPT students?
Migrate Mate lists Forward Deployed Software Engineer roles filtered for employers who hire STEM OPT students, so you can identify E-Verify enrolled companies without manually vetting each one. You can also cross-reference open roles against DOL Labor Condition Application disclosure data to confirm an employer has a history of sponsoring work authorization in software engineering occupations before you apply.