Founding Forward Deployed Engineer

About the Role This is a rare opportunity to join a fast-scaling AI company at the exact moment it matters most. The product is live, enterprise customers are expanding, and the focus has shifted from does this work to how fast can we grow. As a Founding Forward Deployed Engineer, you sit at the center of everything: customer trust, deal velocity, and what gets built next. You'll work directly alongside the CEO in live enterprise cycles, going on-site with customers, running discovery, and shipping real solutions — often within the same week. This is not a spec-writing role. You are the one who builds the fix. What You'll Do Customer Discovery: Go beyond stated needs to uncover what's actually driving customer pain. Ask the questions that surface unmet needs, separate signal from noise, and determine what's worth solving. POC Execution: Configure and ship against real enterprise workflows. Write code, build integrations, and help customers realize value quickly and concretely. Product Signal: Bring field insights back to engineering in an actionable format. Identify patterns across customers, translate feedback into product requirements, and influence roadmap priorities. Stakeholder Credibility: Build trust across engineering, design, sales, and customer leadership without needing direct authority. Communicate clearly enough for a CMO to follow, and deeply enough for an engineering team to trust you. Product Partnership: Collaborate closely with founders, product, and engineering to shape roadmap decisions — helping bring structure to ambiguity and ensuring builds align with real customer needs. What We're Looking For Requirements: 7+ years of professional experience in engineering, product engineering, or a hybrid role Minimum 2 years average tenure across roles and a track record of clear career progression Experience helping build products from 0→1 and translating customer feedback into product direction Proven ability to conduct customer discovery and ship engineering/product deliverables within tight timelines Comfortable writing code and picking up whatever the job requires Strong cross-functional communication skills, including credibility with executive stakeholders Startup experience preferred; candidates with deep CPG or regulated-industry backgrounds will also be considered Must be legally eligible to work in the United States — visa sponsorship is not available Nice to Have: Familiarity with marketing, compliance, or packaging workflows in regulated industries (e.g. consumer goods, healthcare, food & beverage) Experience with enterprise SaaS integrations (project management, design tools, document management) Background working in or around AI-powered products Compensation & Benefits Salary: $180,000 – $210,000 USD annually Early-stage equity opportunity Work directly with founders in a high-impact, high-ownership role Location This is a hybrid role based in San Francisco, CA. On-site presence in San Francisco is expected 3 days per week, with travel to enterprise customer sites as needed.