Senior Software Engineer, Networking FDE

About Ditto:

Ditto is redefining how data moves at the edge. Our mission is to make it seamless for developers to build resilient, real-time applications, regardless of network conditions. Whether you're in a stadium, airplane, or remote military base, Ditto's peer-to-peer sync engine ensures devices stay connected and data stays consistent, even without internet. With more than $145 million in funding and trusted by organizations like Chick-fil-A, Delta Airlines, and the U.S. military, Ditto powers mission-critical experiences across aviation, retail, travel, hospitality, defense, and more. As a globally distributed, fast-growing startup, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the wide range of perspectives needed to solve the world’s hardest connectivity problems.

About the Position

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you are the technical tip of the spear. FDEs are elite, versatile engineers who work shoulder-to-shoulder with our most critical users to solve complex challenges in real time. Your primary mission is to radically decrease the time-to-value of our software by integrating it directly into the user's operational environment.

Because you see firsthand how our technology performs in the wild, you will also act as a crucial conduit, feeding technical insights and feature requirements back to our core product engineering team. This role requires a highly adaptable problem-solver who is comfortable moving fast, navigating ambiguity, and figuring things out quickly in high-stakes environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect Tactical Network Infrastructure: Design, deploy, and maintain the network transport layer that connects our software across SOCOM's operational environments, from garrison to the tactical edge, including configuration of routers, switches, and subnetting for segmented, multi-enclave networks.

• Integrate and Optimize Tactical Radio Networks: Configure and troubleshoot data flows across tactical radio systems (e.g., AN/PRC-117G, AN/PRC-163, MPU5), ensuring reliable IP transport over constrained, intermittent, and low-bandwidth RF links.

• Implement Multi-Bridging and Cross-Network Routing: Engineer multi-bridge configurations that enable data to traverse heterogeneous network segments — including tactical radios, local Wi-Fi, LTE, and SATCOM — with optimized routing, QoS, and payload compression for bandwidth-constrained environments.

• Solve Problems in Real-Time: Act as the first line of technical defense for network-layer issues, rapidly diagnosing and resolving connectivity failures, routing loops, radio interoperability problems, and throughput degradation as they arise.

• Bridge the Gap: Translate the unique, edge-case operational realities you observe (e.g., waveform-specific throughput limitations, MANET topology instability, multi-enclave routing conflicts) into actionable technical requirements for the core product development team.

What You'll Need

• Clearance Requirement: Must hold an active Secret clearance (Due to federal security clearance requirements, U.S. Citizenship is strictly required for this role).

• 5+ years of experience in network engineering, tactical communications, or IT infrastructure in military or high-security environments. This includes hands-on experience designing, deploying, and troubleshooting IP networks in live production or operational settings.

• 2+ years of technical experience with tactical radio systems and their IP networking capabilities, including configuring waveforms, managing MANET topologies, and troubleshooting RF-to-IP data paths.

• Strong proficiency in network fundamentals including subnetting, VLANs, static and dynamic routing (OSPF, BGP), NAT, firewall ACLs, and packet-level troubleshooting with tools like Wireshark, tcpdump, and traceroute.

• A highly adaptable, problem-solving mindset, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, move fast, and balance immediate operational fixes with long-term technical fidelity.

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal. As the crucial bridge between the operational edge and our core development team, you must be able to translate complex, edge-case technical realities and user workflows into clear, actionable requirements for product engineers.

Nice to Haves

• Experience with multi-bridge networking solutions (e.g., Persistent Systems MPU5 Wave Relay, Tr