Founding Forward Deployed Engineer

Continuum Resource Network • New York, NY

10d • Onsite

About The Position

A venture-backed technology company is seeking a Founding Forward Deployed Engineer to help scale its Applied AI business across a growing portfolio of eight or more mission-critical vertical SaaS businesses. The role focuses on building customized AI software solutions and deploying them for enterprise B2B clients. The engineer will work directly with customers and company leadership, take ownership of end-to-end deployments, and help establish the Forward Deployed Engineering function.

The role bridges business strategy and engineering. The engineer will work with customers to understand complex operational challenges and convert them into production-ready AI workflows and software, owning the lifecycle from discovery and solution design through implementation, customer adoption, and ongoing maintenance. They will also develop shared data models, ontologies, and workflows to turn individual deployments into reusable, productized solutions across industry verticals.

Working closely with the co-founders and Head of AI, the engineer will help define the company's Applied AI strategy and establish practices for its growing engineering team. The position is based in or near New York City or Chicago, requires on-site work five days per week, and involves approximately 50% travel, including extended customer-site visits when needed.

Requirements

• Approximately 4–6 years of experience in forward deployed engineering, solutions engineering, or other technical customer-facing roles involving development and deployment for enterprise B2B clients.
• Experience working at a company with a strong Forward Deployed Engineering model, such as Palantir, Scale AI, or a comparable organization.
• Demonstrated ownership of a full technical deployment, from zero-to-one development through customer adoption and post-deployment maintenance.
• Strong full-stack technical versatility across system architecture, data pipelines, application development, and LLM application patterns.
• Hands-on experience building and deploying AI-powered applications or complex software solutions for enterprise customers.
• Ability to translate ambiguous business problems into technical requirements, system designs, and working solutions.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, including working directly with senior executives and technical teams.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent technical expertise.
• Based in or willing to relocate to New York City or Chicago, and able to work on-site five days per week.
• Willingness to travel approximately 50% of the time and spend extended periods at customer locations when needed.
• Must already be authorized to work in the United States without requiring visa sponsorship or transfer.

Nice To Haves

• Experience at a top-tier Forward Deployed Engineering organization, such as Palantir, Scale AI, Ode, Brain Co., or a relevant Palantir spinout such as NorthSlope, Distyl AI, or Poetic.
• Experience as a founder or early employee at a startup, particularly a venture-backed or Y Combinator-backed company.
• Experience building shared data models, ontologies, or reusable software platforms across multiple enterprise customers.
• Experience implementing LLM-based applications, AI agents, and production-grade AI workflows.
• Familiarity with vertical SaaS business models and industry-specific software platforms.
• Experience working directly with C-level executives to identify business opportunities and drive technical implementation.
• Experience developing repeatable deployment frameworks that turn bespoke customer solutions into scalable products.

Responsibilities

• Lead discovery with enterprise customers and senior stakeholders, identify AI opportunities, and translate business requirements into technical specifications.
• Design, develop, and deploy AI workflows and software applications using appropriate LLMs, data pipelines, system architecture, and full-stack engineering.
• Own the full deployment lifecycle, from discovery and zero-to-one development through production deployment, customer adoption, and ongoing maintenance.
• Work on-site with customers, including C-level executives and operational teams, to ensure solutions address business needs.
• Develop shared ontologies, common data models, and workflows that connect deployments and enable repeatable, productized solutions.
• Partner with the co-founders and Head of AI to define priorities, evaluate opportunities, and execute the Applied AI strategy.
• Ensure deployed solutions deliver business value, improve operational workflows, and achieve sustained customer adoption.
• Establish deployment methodologies, technical standards, and customer engagement practices, and help grow the Forward Deployed Engineering team.

Benefits

• Base salary of $200,000–$250,000 per year.
• Competitive equity opportunity.
• Founding-level ownership and a foundational role in establishing and scaling the Forward Deployed Engineering function.
• Direct access to leadership and opportunity to shape technical and business strategy with the co-founders and Head of AI.
• High-impact projects deploying AI solutions across enterprise software businesses and their customers.
• Influence over reusable AI infrastructure, deployment frameworks, and productized solutions across industries.
• Career growth through broad technical, customer-facing, and strategic responsibilities in a rapidly growing Applied AI business.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level