Founding Forward-Deployed Engineer

Job Details Job Title: Founding Forward‑Deployed Engineer (YC‑backed public safety startup) – Equity 0.20% – 1.00% Available. Job Location: NYC (Preferred) or SF Hybrid – 25–50% Travel based on customer sites. Job Duration: Full-Time Permanent. Salary: $85,000 – $140,000/Year. Relocation Assistance: No. Visa Sponsorship: No. Job Overview As a founding Forward‑Deployed Engineer, you will operate at the intersection of product development, full‑stack engineering, and field operations. You will embed directly with detectives, analysts, and prosecutors to observe their workflows, identifying where evidence review slows down investigations. Your primary objective is to deploy a sophisticated platform that transcribes, searches, and analyzes massive volumes of digital evidence. This role requires a high‑ownership operator who can build non‑scalable solutions—custom integrations or scrappy fixes—to unblock customers today while translating field insights into a long‑term product roadmap. You will ship production‑ready features across the full stack using Python, React, TypeScript, and AI/ML APIs to make evidence search faster and more reliable. Success demands at least three years of professional software engineering experience and a proven ability to communicate technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders in law enforcement. Responsibilities Embed directly with detectives, analysts, and prosecutors, learning their workflows and using that context to deploy and shape the platform. Live with users, spending significant time on‑site with law‑enforcement customers to observe investigations and identify pain points. Resolve pre‑scale problems by building one‑off analyses, custom integrations, and scrappy fixes that unblock customers today. Deploy and configure the platform for new agencies, load and validate data, and ensure investigators can rely on it daily. Translate field pain into concrete product ideas and partner with founders to ship them. Ship full‑stack features built with Python, React, TypeScript, and AI/ML APIs. Own pilots end‑to‑end: run deployments, training sessions, and rollouts so new departments can adopt the solution smoothly. Act as the trusted technical partner for investigators and leadership teams. Qualifications 3+ years of full‑stack software engineering experience shipping production features. Strong proficiency in Python and a modern frontend stack (TypeScript/React or similar). Experience building on top of AI/ML APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar). Comfortable working across the stack—from frontend UI to backend services. Customer‑facing experience in roles such as forward‑deployed engineer, solutions engineer, founding/early engineer, or similar, regularly meeting users and incorporating feedback. Ability to translate messy real‑world requirements into clear product and technical decisions. Strong communication skills—can explain technical concepts clearly to non‑technical stakeholders (detectives, prosecutors, agency leadership). High‑ownership mindset—comfortable owning deployments end‑to‑end, from kickoff through training and ongoing support. Excited by ambiguity, rapid iteration, and small‑team environments. Mission‑driven and motivated by impact on public safety and the criminal‑justice system. Willing to travel 25–75% of the time to law‑enforcement agencies across the U.S. Nice to Have Experience deploying software in regulated or sensitive environments (gov, defense, healthcare, fintech). Familiarity with RAG, vector search, or LLM‑powered applications. Prior exposure to public sector or law‑enforcement workflows. Willingness to undergo CJIS clearance and FBI background checks. Ideal Candidate Field‑Driven Engineer—strong full‑stack engineer who enjoys working with users and seeing how software is used in the wild. Customer‑Obsessed Problem Solver—comfortable building trust with detectives and agency leadership, asking good questions, and turning messy requirements into clear decisions. High‑Ownership Operator—thrives in tiny, fast‑moving teams, takes full responsibility for deployments and outcomes. Mission‑Motivated—eager to improve public safety and the criminal‑justice system. Startup‑Ready—has prior experience in early‑stage or talent‑dense environments and is comfortable with ambiguity. Must‑Have Requirements 3+ years of professional software engineering experience working across the stack and shipping production features. Experience directly with customers or end users in roles such as solutions engineer, forward‑deployed engineer, founder/early engineer. Willingness to travel 25–75% of the time to law‑enforcement agencies and work on‑site as needed. High ownership and startup mindset—experience in small, fast‑paced teams, wearing multiple hats, handling ambiguity, and owning projects end‑to‑end. Strong communication skills—able to translate between technical details and non‑technical stakeholders. Benefits Retirement/401k Health Insurance Vision Insurance Dental Insurance U.S.-based role with visa sponsorship available for strong candidates (no H1B). Equity: 0.20% – 1.00%; bonuses based on company performance. Company contribution of 3% to your 401(k). Unlimited PTO Paid Short‑ and Long‑term Disability Life Insurance paid by the company. Support through FBI background checks/CJIS clearance process as needed. Exceptional candidates outside NYC/SF will be considered but should expect 50–75% travel to customer sites. We are an EEOC Employer. #J-18808-Ljbffr Advatix, Inc