Forward Deployed Engineer
Summary
Client-facing builder at a seed-stage AI company deploying AI agents into Fortune 500 operational workflows: you map client processes in discovery calls, build POCs and production agents with evals and guardrails, and train end users, rotating to a new enterprise every few months. On-site in San Francisco with 20–40% travel.
About the Company
Our client is a seed-stage AI company in San Francisco that deploys AI agents into the real operational workflows of Fortune 500 enterprises. The team is a high-bar mix of operators, engineers, and strategists, working AI-natively with no layers or process overhead.
About the Role
Forward Deployed Engineers are client-facing builders. They take an AI agent from the first client conversation to production, then move to a new enterprise and a new problem every few months. Customer-facing work and hands-on technical work are both heavy parts of the job: sitting in discovery calls, gathering requirements and mapping processes, then building POCs and shipping them. This is not a pure engineering, strategy, or research role; it sits between building a demo and running agents inside a Fortune 500 team.
The role involves 20–40% travel to client sites. The team currently works 10am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and is likely to move to Monday to Saturday.
What You'll Do
- Embed with client teams (finance, legal, ops, HR, IT) and map how work really runs, including exceptions and workarounds
- Turn ambiguous business problems into agent workflows with success criteria, guardrails, and evals
- Build prototypes and working agents, then drive adoption by training and sitting with end users
- Present findings and results directly to C-suite stakeholders
- Co-create KPIs with client leadership and measure the uplift after deployment
Key Details
- Location: San Francisco, CA (in-person, with 20–40% travel to client sites)
- Schedule: 10am–8pm, Monday to Friday (likely moving to Monday to Saturday)
- Employment: Full-time
- Experience: 2+ years
- Salary: $160,000 – $230,000 USD per year, plus equity
- Visa Sponsorship: Available (H-1B)
Benefits & Perks
- Work with Fortune 500 companies on real operational workflows
- Direct access to C-suite executives and operators
- Own the full loop from problem discovery to production deployment
- High-bar team of operators, engineers, and strategists
- Value creation in days rather than quarters
- Meaningful equity at an early stage
- AI-native way of working
- No layers or process overhead
- Shape product, playbooks, and company scaling
Interview Process
- Screen
- Vibe check
- Technical screen
- Case study
- Sales interview
- Onsite
- Offer
Required Candidate Questions
Please include the following with your application:
Basic Information
- LinkedIn profile
Experience
- GitHub profile
- Current company
- Current title
Logistics
- Location
- Do you need sponsorship now or in the future?
- Are you open to relocating to the Bay Area?