Forward Deployed Engineer

Bland•San Francisco, CA

27d•$120,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Bland AI is a Series B startup that has raised $65 million from prominent investors. We build AI voice agents that handle real phone calls for major companies. Our software is integrated into critical workflows for clients such as Samsara, Gallup, TripAdvisor, Snapchat, Signant Health, and Better.com. This role exists because every customer has unique challenges, data, and desired outcomes with AI. We are seeking an individual who excels in ambiguous environments, capable of transforming vague objectives into functional, production-ready agents that deliver tangible value. The role involves direct customer engagement to understand their workflows, build customized agents, and influence the adoption of Bland AI across their organizations.

Requirements

3–10 years of experience in full-stack, AI, or solutions engineering roles with a proven track record of owning builds from concept to production.
Proven experience building and integrating AI or automation features into real-world applications.
Hands-on experience integrating LLMs or AI SDKs into web applications.
Strong comfort working with REST/JSON, scripting languages (Python or JavaScript), and modern dev tools (Git, NPM/PNPM).
Track record of ownership and grit, demonstrated by building something from scratch, solving hard problems, or exceeding expectations.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain complex AI concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, high-intensity environment, motivated by challenge, curiosity, and the pursuit of great work.
Willingness to work in-person frequently at the SF HQ and customer sites to collaborate and accelerate learning.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience experimenting with or deploying LLM-powered tools or agents.
Prior startup or founder experience, indicating an understanding of building without a predefined playbook.
Curiosity about AI agent design, orchestration, and automation systems.
Experience working directly with customers to identify pain points and develop solutions.
A portfolio of personal or side projects showcasing creativity, technical depth, and persistence.
Exceptional new graduates with strong ownership and ambition are welcome to apply.

Responsibilities

Design and deploy AI solutions, working closely with customers to translate their challenges into functional agents, integrating APIs and data sources to automate real business processes.
Prototype quickly and iterate rapidly, building the initial version swiftly, deploying it to production, and refining it based on real-world feedback.
Collaborate deeply with customer teams across engineering, product, and operations to ensure the agent performs, scales, and delivers measurable outcomes.
Own end-to-end delivery, from discovery calls to deployment, leading the technical build, testing, and iteration to ensure a natural, human, and on-brand experience.
Drive adoption and expansion by sharing results, training teams, and embedding within the customer organization to identify new automation opportunities and scale.
Act as the face of Bland, serving as the customer's champion and best employee, treating them with unreasonable hospitality. This includes traveling on-site, building human-level relationships with customers and stakeholders, and going above and beyond to host training sessions and dinners.