Senior Forward Deployed Engineer

project44 • Chicago, IL

8d • $130,000 - $190,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

This role is for a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) at p44LSP.ai, a new AI-native division of project44 focused on the logistics service provider (LSP) market. FDEs are embedded directly with high-value LSP accounts to own integration architecture, customize agent workflows, and act as the ground truth between LSP operations and the product team. The goal is to transform logistics into a programmable network by replacing manual workflows with autonomous agent-to-agent coordination. This is a fast-paced environment where engineers ship in weeks, not quarters, and directly influence the product roadmap based on field observations. The role emphasizes being an intelligent, hands-on user of AI, with a focus on identifying value, directing AI effectively, evaluating outputs critically, and governing it responsibly.

Requirements

• 5+ years in software engineering, solutions engineering, or technical implementation in a customer-facing role.
• Mastery of API-first design and bi-directional webhook configuration.
• Experience with event-driven architecture and stream processing (Kafka, PubSub, or similar).
• Hands-on integration experience with TMS, WMS, or ERP systems.
• Strong debugging skills across distributed, agent-driven workflows.
• Deep domain knowledge in logistics, including freight procurement, load tendering, carrier management, and exception handling.
• Candidates must be authorized to work in the US without current or future employer-sponsored visa support.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with agentic AI systems (context feeding, prompt engineering, tool invocation, stateful agents).
• Prior experience in a forward-deployed or field engineering role.
• Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end integration for dedicated LSP accounts, configuring bi-directional webhooks and event-driven pipelines for AI agents to interact with customer systems (TMS, WMS, ERP).
• Unify disparate customer data into a single actionable signal to drive dynamic interoperability across core business systems.
• Customize interfaces and agent logic to fit existing LSP workflows in areas like freight procurement, load tendering, and exception handling.
• Feed context to AI agents and debug decisions when they fail, tracing issues back to data points, prompts, or tool usage.
• Build event-driven pipelines (Kafka/PubSub) to handle agent intent at scale.
• Serve as the ground truth by providing field observations to directly inform product roadmap decisions.

Benefits

• Stock options for all EOR and project44-employed team members.
• Bonus or commission eligibility depending on role.
• Benefits package tailored to country of employment, potentially including health, dental, and vision coverage, retirement plans, and paid time off.
• On-site commitment with 3 days a week in the headquarters.

What This Job Offers

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