Forward Deployed Engineer

Recruiting From Scratch•San Francisco, CA

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you'll work directly with partner companies, executives, operators, and frontline users to identify high-impact opportunities and build technology that produces measurable business outcomes. This is not a traditional software engineering role. You'll operate at the intersection of engineering, product, business strategy, and customer engagement — owning problems from initial discovery through deployment and adoption. You'll have significant autonomy and will be expected to create structure where there is no predefined roadmap, translate ambiguous business problems into technical systems, and take responsibility for the outcome.

Requirements

2–5 years of relevant post-college experience in software engineering, full-stack engineering, or Forward Deployed Engineering
Experience building and deploying production software
Experience working at early-stage or growth-stage technology companies
Strong core software engineering background
Experience owning projects from concept through production
Experience solving ambiguous technical problems without a predefined roadmap
Experience working in fast-moving environments with high ownership
Demonstrated ability to understand business problems and translate them into technical solutions
Experience working across multiple technical domains
Strong track record of increasing scope and ownership
Stable employment history with meaningful tenure in previous roles
Strong curiosity about business operations and technology
Ability to operate independently without extensive management or structure
Deep proficiency in at least one programming language or framework
Strong Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, C, Java, or comparable programming experience
Strong software engineering fundamentals
Ability to write high-quality production code
Experience building and deploying software into real production environments
Experience working with APIs and backend systems
Experience with databases and data workflows
Experience building automation or operational tools
Familiarity with AI/LLM tools and modern AI development workflows
Ability to use AI tools to accelerate coding, analysis, and automation
Strong debugging and technical problem-solving ability
Ability to rapidly prototype technical solutions
Ability to take prototypes through productionization
Understanding of software architecture and system design
Ability to work across unfamiliar technical domains
Strong ability to learn new technologies quickly
Ability to reason about technical tradeoffs and business impact
Strong understanding of production reliability and deployment practices
Exceptional ownership and execution ability
Strong user and customer empathy
High intellectual curiosity
Ability to understand complex business environments quickly
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Clear and concise communication
Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Comfortable working directly with executives and business leaders
Comfortable operating in ambiguous environments
Strong bias toward action
High execution velocity
Ability to create structure where none exists
Strong business judgment
Strong technical judgment
Comfortable making independent decisions
Ability to prioritize based on business impact
Strong collaboration skills
High emotional intelligence
Low-ego working style
Comfortable challenging assumptions
Strong interest in how businesses operate
Strong desire to understand the "why" behind technical problems
Comfortable learning new technologies quickly
Excited about AI and frontier technology
Comfortable working directly with customers
Comfortable traveling to customer sites in concentrated bursts
Comfortable operating in a small, high-talent-density startup environment
Willing to work across engineering, product, business, and strategy
Strong desire to own outcomes rather than simply deliver features

Nice To Haves

Experience working directly with users, customers, or business stakeholders preferred
Experience working closely with founders, executives, or senior stakeholders preferred
Experience with full-stack development preferred
Experience working with cloud infrastructure preferred
Experience with data engineering or analytics workflows preferred
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or related technical field preferred
Strong technical education from a rigorous university environment preferred for early-career candidates
Equivalent practical engineering experience accepted
Demonstrated technical ability and strong work experience can outweigh educational pedigree

Responsibilities

Build and deploy production software that solves real business problems
Build AI-powered systems, data workflows, automation tools, and operational applications
Work directly with executives, operators, and frontline users at partner companies
Understand how businesses operate and identify opportunities where technology can create meaningful impact
Translate ambiguous business problems into technical solutions
Own projects end-to-end from discovery through deployment and adoption
Develop full-stack software applications and internal operational tools
Build AI-native workflows using modern AI and LLM tools
Analyze business processes and identify opportunities for automation
Develop data workflows and systems that improve operational efficiency
Work directly with customers to understand their needs and technical challenges
Co-author transformation roadmaps with business and technical stakeholders
Help determine what technology should be built, scaled, automated, or redesigned
Make architecture and implementation decisions independently
Rapidly prototype and productionize solutions
Deploy software directly into real business environments
Iterate quickly based on user feedback and measurable outcomes
Work across multiple technical domains depending on the business problem
Collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders throughout engagements
Create structure and clarity in ambiguous environments
Take ownership of business outcomes rather than simply completing technical tasks
Travel to partner/customer sites and work directly with teams on the ground
Work in concentrated bursts at customer locations when required
Help identify organizational and operational changes enabled by new technology
Use AI tools daily to accelerate software development, analysis, and automation
Stay current with emerging AI and frontier technology capabilities
Operate with high autonomy and strong execution velocity
Balance technical quality with business impact and speed
Help shape the company's approach to technology transformation