Forward Deployed Team Lead, Federal

About this role

C3 AI (NYSE: AI), is the Enterprise AI application software company. C3 AI delivers a family of fully integrated products including the C3 Agentic AI Platform, an end-to-end platform for developing, deploying, and operating enterprise AI applications, C3 AI applications, a portfolio of industry-specific SaaS enterprise AI applications that enable the digital transformation of organizations globally, and C3 Generative AI, a suite of domain-specific generative AI offerings for the enterprise. Learn more at: C3 AI

Forward Deployed Team Leads are senior tech leads who own a federal customer end-to-end. You'll combine strong technical architecture, hands-on coding, product ownership, project management, and stakeholder communication — embedding directly with civilian agency and Department of War (DoW) / DoD customers to take our product from "design" to "in production."

You'll own one account at a time: scope the workflow with operators, design the architecture, write the code that closes the gaps, drive ATO / cATO, and deploy into the environments the mission actually runs on — including high-side.

This role requires US Citizenship. Active Department of Defense (DoD) security clearance (Secret or higher) is preferred.

Responsibilities:

• Technical architecture. Own data flow, integration topology, identity model, and deployment topology across IL boundaries.

• Hands-on coding. Write production code yourself — backend services, data pipelines, APIs, integrations.

• Product ownership. Own the deployment's roadmap. Execute on the Statement of work. Decide what's in scope, what's a one-off, and what should become product.

• Project management. Own the plan, milestones, risks, and dependencies. When something slips, know first and flag first.

• Stakeholder communication. Run customer working sessions, brief program offices, and write clean status updates senior stakeholders will actually read.

• Ship into production, including high-side. Deploy across IL2 → IL5 → IL6 as the mission requires. Work hands-on inside SIPR/JWICS and air-gapped networks. Land workloads on Advana and other CDAO-managed environments.

• Drive ATO / cATO. Partner with security, ISSMs, and AOs to get authorization. Own the SSPs, POA&Ms, and accreditation artifacts.

• Bridge field back to product. Push field learnings into the core platform so the next deployment is faster.

Qualifications:

• BS/MS in CS, Software Engineering, or equivalent.

• 6+ years shipping production software, with 2+ years as a tech lead.

• Strong proficiency in Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, Java, Go, or C++.

• Demonstrated ownership of systems taken from zero to production.

• Prior delivery into a U.S. federal customer (civilian and/or DoW/DoD). Working knowledge of PMOs, ATOs, AOs, ISSMs, RMF, FedRAMP, and contract vehicles.

• Hands-on deployment experience inside accredited environments — IL5 minimum; IL6 / SIPR / JWICS preferred. Familiarity with Advana, cATO, and CDAO-managed environments is a strong plus.

• U.S. citizen, Active TS/SCI strongly preferred or willing to pursue a security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications: