Forward Deployed Engineer
Job Summary
We are seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to embed directly with acquired engineering firms. You will own the complete lifecycle from discovery through building and shipping production software that drives real business outcomes. This is a high-agency role focused on building trust with users, translating their needs into shipped solutions, and feeding insights back into a central platform that compounds value across multiple organizations.
Essential Functions
- Embed on-site with acquired firms to build trust and identify highest-impact workflows for automation
- Own the full deployment lifecycle including discovery, development, deployment, production debugging, and iteration with live users
- Apply strong product judgment to turn noisy user feedback into clear build decisions on what to prioritize
- Manage end-to-end user relationships, facilitate working sessions, and independently expand project scope
- Capture on-site learnings and integrate them into the central platform to scale successful solutions across all portfolio firms
- Coach and guide junior team members while driving adoption of AI-powered tools
Required Qualifications
- 5-10 years of full-stack product engineering experience with demonstrated customer-facing or forward-deployed work
- Strong English fluency and communication skills to build trust with non-technical stakeholders
- Willingness to travel Monday through Thursday for 2-3 weeks per month during initial post-acquisition periods
- Proven ability to translate user pain points into clear product decisions and ship solutions independently
- Experience owning discovery, build, and deployment end-to-end with real users in production environments
- At least one strong signal: early-stage startup experience (Seed to Series C) or top-tier technical education
Preferred Qualifications
- Founding engineer or early engineer at a VC-backed startup with demonstrated product judgment and founder ambition
- Prior forward-deployed engineering experience at a firm similar to Palantir
- Background that reflects entrepreneurial drive and strong culture fit
- Experience coaching or mentoring junior engineers in fast-paced environments
Technical Skills
- NextJS
- Vercel
- Tailwind CSS
- Kotlin
- Python
- AWS
- Pulumi
- LLMs and prompt engineering
- RAG implementations
- Agent frameworks including LangChain and LlamaIndex
- OpenAI APIs
- Document parsing and browser automation
- Production deployment of AI solutions
Education & Certifications
Top-tier technical education or equivalent experience from a recognized early-stage startup is strongly preferred. No specific degree is required when offset by exceptional startup or forward-deployed experience.
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary ranging from $200,000 to $300,000 depending on experience, plus meaningful equity participation. Comprehensive benefits package including health coverage and performance incentives.