Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)

Olive Systems Group Inc•Austin, TX

About The Position

Olive Systems is building a network of experienced Forward Deployed Engineers to connect with opportunities at partner AI and technology companies across the United States. This is not an internal engineering position at Olive Systems. Engineers are matched to relevant opportunities based on their technical background, experience, and career preferences; location, compensation, employment arrangements, and work authorization or sponsorship requirements vary by opportunity. Forward Deployed Engineers work closely with customers and engineering teams to solve complex technical challenges, often without predefined requirements. They take technical solutions from initial discovery through production deployment, combining hands-on engineering, product thinking, independent problem-solving, and customer collaboration. The hiring process includes an AI-powered technical evaluation focused on real engineering experience, a conversation with Olive Systems about background and preferences, and introductions to relevant opportunities. Partner companies may require additional interviews or assessments. Opportunities may be fully remote, hybrid, or onsite.

Requirements

Strong hands-on software engineering experience.
A proven track record of building and shipping production systems.
Ability to take ownership of complex technical challenges from start to finish.
Experience designing software architecture and making technical trade-offs.
Confidence working with ambiguous or evolving requirements.
Strong communication skills and experience collaborating with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Ability to move quickly from problem discovery to implementation.

Nice To Haves

Experience building AI-powered applications using LLMs, RAG, or AI agents.
Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
Background in early-stage startups or fast-paced product environments.
Previous experience working directly with enterprise customers.
Experience developing MVPs, prototypes, or custom integrations.

Responsibilities

Work directly with customers to understand business challenges and translate them into technical solutions.
Design, develop, and deploy production-ready applications and systems.
Build prototypes and turn successful concepts into scalable products.
Work across backend, frontend, APIs, cloud infrastructure, data, and AI technologies.
Make architectural and technical decisions independently.
Collaborate with founders, product managers, and engineering teams.
Identify opportunities to turn custom solutions into reusable product capabilities.
Take ownership of technical solutions from initial discovery through production deployment.