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.
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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.
Palantir Year
We've had surging demand from undergrads who want to get into the arena faster. You've told us you can't sit in lectures while the biggest story of our lifetime is written around you. It's clearer every day, it's being written faster than ever. If that's your spirit, you'll feel right at home here. Come join us for a year. Do real, critical work with the engineers and customers building the future. Many of our interns find they want to stay — perhaps you will too.
The Role
Build software and deliver customer outcomes. You'll work on real problems: helping customers deploy AI-powered solutions, building the software platforms of the future, and transforming how organizations operate. You'll be held to the same performance standards as any Palantir engineer, and your career progression will be based purely on merit and impact. Every incentive we have points toward putting our best people in the highest-leverage positions, as fast as possible. 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 Intern, you’ll experience the autonomy of a startup, with the resources, mentorship, and stability of an established tech company. FDSE Interns are treated as full members of the engineering team, entrusted with significant freedom and ownership over meaningful projects. 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’re Looking For
Exceptional students who are willing to do work that matters. We care about how you think and what you can build, not just your resume.
What We Require
- Currently enrolled at a U.S. university as sophomore or junior year and looking to join us for 1 year
- Engineering degree, preferred in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, and Data Science
- Proficiency with one or more programming languages, such as Python, Java, C++, TypeScript/JavaScript, or similar
Salary
The estimated salary range for this position is estimated to be $10,000/month. 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 benefits offered; and the potential future value of any long-term incentives.
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.
Palantir Year
We've had surging demand from undergrads who want to get into the arena faster. You've told us you can't sit in lectures while the biggest story of our lifetime is written around you. It's clearer every day, it's being written faster than ever. If that's your spirit, you'll feel right at home here. Come join us for a year. Do real, critical work with the engineers and customers building the future. Many of our interns find they want to stay — perhaps you will too.
The Role
Build software and deliver customer outcomes. You'll work on real problems: helping customers deploy AI-powered solutions, building the software platforms of the future, and transforming how organizations operate. You'll be held to the same performance standards as any Palantir engineer, and your career progression will be based purely on merit and impact. Every incentive we have points toward putting our best people in the highest-leverage positions, as fast as possible. 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 Intern, you’ll experience the autonomy of a startup, with the resources, mentorship, and stability of an established tech company. FDSE Interns are treated as full members of the engineering team, entrusted with significant freedom and ownership over meaningful projects. 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’re Looking For
Exceptional students who are willing to do work that matters. We care about how you think and what you can build, not just your resume.
What We Require
- Currently enrolled at a U.S. university as sophomore or junior year and looking to join us for 1 year
- Engineering degree, preferred in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, and Data Science
- Proficiency with one or more programming languages, such as Python, Java, C++, TypeScript/JavaScript, or similar
Salary
The estimated salary range for this position is estimated to be $10,000/month. 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 benefits offered; and the potential future value of any long-term incentives.
See all 57+ Forward Deployed Software Engineer jobs
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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 petition is pending.
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Find Forward Deployed Software Engineer JobsFrequently 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.
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