Forward Deployed Engineer
Summary
Forward-deployed engineer at a ~35-person Series A AI-agent company: build and ship production Python backend AI-agent systems that take over enterprise finance back-office operations, working ~70% hands-on coding and 30% directly with customers to scope, integrate, and deliver projects end-to-end, on-site in San Francisco.
San Francisco, CA · On-site · Full-time
Compensation: $180K–$220K + equity
About the Company
Our client is a Series A company running a fully managed "digital workforce" — custom teams of AI agents that take over enterprise back-office operations end-to-end, with a current focus on finance workflows. Instead of shipping software, they own the outcomes: agents trained on a customer's processes that act, decide, and report. They've been in production with enterprise customers for over two years and are scaling on the back of strong commercial traction.
~35 people · Industry: AI, enterprise back-office automation
The Role
You'd join a small, high-ownership engineering team to build and deploy custom AI-agent systems for enterprise customers. This is a forward deployed role: you own customer projects end-to-end — scoping, building, integrating with the customer's systems, and taking them all the way to production. The work is roughly 70% hands-on backend engineering and 30% working directly with customers to guide implementation and delivery.
What you'll be doing
- Design and build backend AI-agent systems in Python
- Integrate agent-based solutions into customer environments
- Partner with customers to scope, deploy, and support projects through to production
- Grow into running customer projects with minimal engineering support
Tech stack: Python (backend), LLM / AI-agent frameworks, cloud (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
Requirements
- 4–7 years as a customer-facing software engineer
- Strong, production-level Python — this role is roughly 70% hands-on backend coding
- Track record shipping AI or LLM-based systems into production in real business settings
- Experience leading technical, customer-facing projects end-to-end, from scoping through delivery
- Hands-on experience with at least one major cloud platform (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
- Ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related technical field
- Able to work on-site in San Francisco 5 days a week
Nice to Haves
- A blend of large-company (Big Tech) and startup experience
Why Join
- Own full customer projects end-to-end and ship production AI agent systems, not demos or copilots
- Flat, high-ownership team with direct access to senior leadership and no micromanagement
- Series A company with real enterprise traction and strong commercial momentum
- Competitive base and meaningful early-stage equity, with 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage
Details
- Location: San Francisco, CA (North Beach)
- Work policy: On-site 5 days/week. $5,000 relocation support for candidates moving from outside San Francisco.
- Compensation: $180K–$220K + equity
- Visa sponsorship: Open to visa transfers (e.g. OPT, H-1B transfers)
- Employment type: Full-time