AI Native Forward Deployed Engineer

Tread

About The Position

Tread is an AI-native vertical SaaS platform transforming construction materials logistics—a massive, essential industry that moves the aggregate, asphalt, and concrete behind every road, bridge, and building. In March 2026, we crossed $1Bn in monthly delivered load value on the platform, and we’re at ~$XM ARR and growing fast. Our AI-powered platform serves Haulers, Producers, and Contractors—optimizing truck routing, loaded-mile delivery, and project planning while delivering exceptional customer service through personalized AI agents. We’re a Series A company backed by Mucker Capital, and we’re building the team that will take us from $XM to $XXM+ ARR. Tread's customers are construction companies, materials producers, and hauling fleets. Their operations are complex, messy, and high-stakes. Dispatchers are moving hundreds of trucks a day. Scale operators are weighing thousands of loads. Back-office teams are reconciling millions of dollars in freight. We can't build the right product from a desk. This role exists to close the gap between our customers and our codebase. You'll be in the field learning how these operations actually work, then back at your machine shipping solutions the same day. The feedback loop is measured in hours, not sprints. Today, technical implementation and field-driven product development is run by the founding team and a small engineering group. To scale from $XM to $XXM+ ARR, we need Forward Deployed Engineers who can live at the intersection of customer operations and our codebase—turning what they see in the field into shipped software before the next site visit.

Requirements

2+ years of software engineering experience. You can write production code in at least one of: Ruby/Rails, JavaScript/React, Python, or equivalent.
Comfort with APIs, databases, and data pipelines. You can read a GraphQL schema, debug an integration, and write a migration.
Customer-facing instincts. You can sit in a room with a VP of Operations at a trucking company and earn their trust.
Bias toward action. You see a problem, you fix it. You don't wait for a ticket.
Strong written and verbal communication. You can translate a messy customer conversation into a clear problem statement and a proposed solution.
Willingness to travel. You'll be on-site with customers regularly, especially early on.
High ownership, low ego. You'll do support tickets, write docs, build features, and present at QBRs. Whatever the customer needs.
Analytical mindset. You instrument what you ship, track adoption, and use data to decide what to build next.
Builder mentality. You'll personally debug a scale house integration in the morning and prototype a new dispatcher workflow in the afternoon.

Nice To Haves

Experience in construction technology, heavy civil, logistics, supply chain, or field services.
Familiarity with our stack: Rails, GraphQL, React, Intercom, Linear, PostHog, Omni.
Experience with AI/ML product development or leveraging LLMs in customer-facing workflows (AI-assisted integrations, automated onboarding, intelligent ticket deflection).
You've worked at a Series A–C company with under 50 people and thrived in the ambiguity.
Experience with e-ticketing, scale house systems, ERP integrations, or DOT compliance.
You've shipped a feature that originated from a single customer conversation and watched it scale across an entire book of business.

Responsibilities

Customer Implementation & Technical Delivery Lead technical implementation for new customers: API integrations, data mapping, workflow configuration, and scale house connectivity.
Build custom integrations, data pipelines, and automation for customers with complex requirements.
Debug and resolve technical issues in the field, often on the same day they surface.
Own the technical relationship with assigned accounts—you are their go-to when something is broken or needs to be built.
Turn customer pain points into shipped features. You have the context and the ability to build.
Contribute directly to Tread's codebase (Rails API, GraphQL, React) based on what you learn in the field.
Prototype and validate solutions with customers before they become full product investments.
Feed structured, prioritized insights to Product and Engineering. Our model: 45 minutes with the customer, 45 minutes building.
Build technical onboarding materials, API documentation, and integration guides for customers.
Develop self-serve tools and content that reduce the need for hands-on support as we scale.
Plan and facilitate QBRs with strategic accounts. Bring data. Bring insights. Bring the roadmap.
Identify what makes Tread sticky and execute relentlessly to deliver that value.
Expand revenue with existing customers by uncovering problems and solving them before they're asked.
Help turn our data moat into self-reinforcing product loops that get smarter the longer a customer is on the platform.
Own the technical health of your portfolio.