Forward Deployed Engineer, East Asia

About the role

Cape is building a new model for secure mobility where privacy is the default condition of service rather than an upsell. As a Forward Deployed Engineer in East Asia, you will be the hands-on technical operator who ensures Cape's privacy-first mobile network functions reliably in demanding field environments. You will live at the intersection of customer needs, product strategy, and engineering execution, turning ambiguous operational requirements into working systems. This role demands a builder who thrives on ownership, who can move fluidly between writing code, configuring networks, and explaining technical tradeoffs to diverse stakeholders. You will be responsible for validating that Cape's platform meets the stringent security and reliability expectations of federal and enterprise customers in the region. You will use direct operational experience to drive product improvements and ensure that the roadmap reflects real-world mission needs. Ultimately, you will act as the trusted technical authority that makes Cape's abstract privacy guarantees tangible and operational for the customers who depend on them most.

Key facts

What you'll do

Own the technical delivery of Cape's products into federal, national security, and enterprise customer environments, guiding them from initial prototype through operational acceptance and long-term sustainment.

Embed with customer teams on the ground in East Asia to observe workflows, map threat models, and uncover operational constraints that are never documented in standard requirement forms.

Configure, integrate, and fine-tune Cape's mobile core capabilities to align precisely with the specific mission profiles and risk tolerances of each deployment.

Design and lead complex customer exercises, pilots, and demonstrations that generate decision-quality evidence rather than superficial showcases of capability.

Provide deep technical support during live network incidents, performing root-cause analysis and driving corrective actions that prevent recurrence across the platform.

Write production-grade code, scripts, and integrations that connect Cape's systems with customer environments and fill the gaps where existing tools fall short.

Prototype new product features in real operational settings, validate their effectiveness with actual mission workflows, and partner with engineering to scale successful experiments.

Continuously evaluate the tradeoffs between bespoke customer solutions and reusable platform investments, defaulting to platform patterns whenever the same need appears repeatedly.

Serve as the primary bridge between customer mission requirements and engineering priorities, translating operational needs into clear, actionable technical specifications.

Advocate internally for customer success by presenting concrete evidence such as deployment metrics, operator feedback, and blocked use cases to drive product and roadmap decisions.

Collaborate closely with Product and Engineering leadership to identify cross-customer patterns that justify platform investment versus one-off, custom integrations.

Partner with Business Development and Solutions teams on captures, pilots, and follow-on programs, supplying the technical credibility that turns proofs of concept into long-term programs of record.

Engage with the broader engineering organization to design, review, and refine the architecture that underpins Cape's privacy and security guarantees in East Asia.

Maintain a hands-on presence in the field when necessary, demonstrating Cape tools directly in customer environments to build trust and validate performance.

Document outcomes, decisions, and architectural rationales in a durable format that enables other teams to understand and build upon your work without loss of context.

Requirements

You are legally authorized to work in the country or region where this role is based without requiring sponsorship at the time of hire.

You hold the right to live and work in East Asia on a long-term basis, ensuring uninterrupted engagement with customers who rely on Cape's services.

You are able to obtain and maintain any required security clearances or background checks mandated for access to classified or sensitive government information.

You have a proven track record of operating in sensitive government or national security environments where mission timelines and reliability are non-negotiable.

You bring experience translating complex operational requirements into technical specifications that engineering teams can implement without ambiguity.

You have hands-on experience with mobile network technologies, including cellular standards, core network elements, and secure connectivity mechanisms.

You are comfortable working with distributed engineering teams across time zones, communicating clearly through written documentation and structured discussions.

You can manage multiple concurrent priorities in a fast-paced environment, maintaining focus on high-risk incidents and delivery commitments.

You are willing to travel within East Asia as needed for customer deployments, on-site investigations, and joint problem-solving sessions.

Nice to have

Experience with federal or national security programs, including familiarity with relevant compliance frameworks and acquisition terminology.

Demonstrated success deploying communication systems in remote or contested connectivity environments.

Strong familiarity with privacy-enhancing technologies and cryptographic protocols used in secure communication systems.

Practical notes

This role may require travel within East Asia.

Applicants must meet all eligibility and hard requirements listed in the Requirements section without exception.

Time-sensitive roles may have early closing dates, and late applications may not receive full consideration.