Forward-deployed Software Engineer

Tractorbeam•Chicago, IL

160d•Onsite

About The Position

Companies know AI is reshaping their industries but don't know what to do about it. We help them figure it out. Our work spans strategy and implementation: sometimes we're building decks that explain what's possible, sometimes we're deploying the systems we proposed. Often both in the same engagement. Recent work includes building a vision model pipeline for financial statement review at a PE firm, developing a document processing system to extract terms from limited partner agreements, and creating a survey tool, scoring system, and recommendation engine for AI portfolio assessment.

Requirements

Strong CS fundamentals and evidence of a high ceiling.
Ability to learn fast when dropped into unfamiliar territory.
Generalist mindset, energized by variety and enjoy learning new domains and switching contexts.
CS degree or equivalent experience.
Solid fundamentals in data structures, systems design, and debugging.
Clear communication: you'll present to clients, write proposals, and translate technical tradeoffs for non-technical audiences.
Curiosity, flexibility, low ego.

Nice To Haves

Experience in financial services, banking, or consulting.

Responsibilities

Operate like a founder on each project, owning strategy and execution, business context and technical implementation.
Present an AI roadmap to a leadership team.
Ship the system that was proposed.
Use whatever fits the problem, which often includes newer tools (Rust, Effect-TS, etc.) that rarely make it into enterprise environments.
Work across multiple clients, industries, and tech stacks simultaneously.
Help clients discover what they need.
Shape undefined problems into concrete solutions.