Forward Deployed Engineer

Recruiting From Scratch•San Francisco, CA

46d•Hybrid

About The Position

The company is pioneering a new model for applying frontier AI and software engineering to transform real businesses. Rather than simply selling software, the company partners deeply with founder-led businesses to design, build, and deploy technology that fundamentally improves operations, decision-making, and long-term enterprise value. Founded by the former Head of Engineering for Palantir Commercial alongside senior leaders who helped create Palantir's Forward Deployed Engineering model, the company combines elite engineering talent with business transformation expertise. As one of the earliest Forward Deployed Engineers, you'll work directly with founders, executives, and partner companies to solve complex business problems using AI, software systems, automation, and emerging technologies. This is a rare opportunity to learn directly from the people who pioneered the modern Forward Deployed Engineering model while helping deploy frontier technology into real operating businesses.

Requirements

1.5–5 years of experience in Forward Deployed Engineering, Full-Stack Software Engineering, or customer-facing engineering roles
Experience building and deploying production software into real business environments
Experience delivering AI, automation, workflow, or operational software solutions
Strong proficiency in at least one major programming language (Python, TypeScript, Java, C, or similar)
Hands-on experience building software products used in production
Experience with AI, LLMs, generative AI tools, or modern developer AI workflows
Strong software engineering fundamentals across backend or full-stack development
Experience designing technical solutions for ambiguous business problems
Familiarity with cloud infrastructure and modern software deployment practices
Strong debugging, systems thinking, and architectural reasoning skills
Ability to quickly learn new technologies as the AI landscape evolves
Excellent communication with both technical and business stakeholders
High ownership mentality
Exceptional curiosity beyond pure software engineering
Strong business judgment
Comfortable operating with ambiguity
Empathetic and collaborative working style
Ability to influence technical and non-technical audiences
Startup mindset with a bias toward execution
Passion for solving meaningful business problems using technology

Nice To Haves

Experience working at startups or in highly ambiguous engineering environments preferred
Experience working directly with customers, executives, or cross-functional stakeholders preferred
Founding Engineer, early startup engineer, or technical leadership experience is highly valued
Interest in business strategy, investing, or value creation is a strong plus
Experience with automation, APIs, integrations, or workflow systems preferred
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or another technical discipline preferred
Strong academic background from a highly regarded engineering program is a plus
Forward Deployed Engineering teams
Early-stage startups
Founding Engineer roles
Full-stack product engineering
AI application engineering
Enterprise software companies
Technical consulting with strong engineering depth
Developer tools startups
AI infrastructure startups
Engineers with exposure to business strategy or investing

Responsibilities

Own customer and partner engagements from discovery through deployment
Work directly with founders, executives, and business leaders to identify high-impact technical opportunities
Design, build, and deploy AI-powered software systems that solve real business problems
Develop production applications, workflows, automations, and internal platforms
Apply LLMs, AI tools, and frontier technologies to operational transformation initiatives
Translate ambiguous business problems into scalable engineering solutions
Serve as the bridge between engineering teams and business stakeholders
Participate in technical discovery, solution architecture, implementation, and rollout
Help shape product strategy and long-term technology direction across partner organizations
Collaborate closely with leadership on transformation initiatives beyond pure software engineering
Travel to customer sites when needed to support deployments and strategic initiatives
Continuously evaluate emerging technologies and apply them where they create measurable business value