> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/3965667-forward-deployed-engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/3965667-forward-deployed-engineer). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Forward Deployed Engineer - **Company:** Middesk - **Location:** San Francisco, CA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence, Code Review, Software Debugging, Programming Tools, Distributed Systems, Python (Programming Language), Reliability Engineering, Systems Integration, TypeScript, Cloud Platform System, Large Language Models, Backend, Agentic-AI, Evaluation of Large Language Models, Data Pipelines, Automation Anywhere - **Published:** October 27, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.careerbuilder.com/job-details/forward-deployed-engineer-san-francisco-ca--8aca12fb-a98e-4581-b6f7-b6a06b7f26c2 ## About the Role Risk Management, Business Support, Technical Leadership, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Product Engineering, Production Systems, System Operations, Best Practices, Technical/Engineering Design, Customer Relations, Core Requirements * 6+ years of experience building and shipping software in production environments. * Demonstrated experience acting as a technical lead or domain owner for a team or major system. * Strong proficiency in Python and at least one additional language (TypeScript, Go, etc.). * Experience designing and operating distributed systems, APIs, and cloud-native infrastructure. * Comfort operating across the stack: backend systems, integrations, infrastructure, and tooling. * Strong debugging instincts and an ownership mindset-you care deeply about failure modes, not just happy paths. * Strong communication skills-able to articulate trade-offs clearly to engineers, product, and non-technical stakeholders. AI / LLM Experience (Strong Plus) * Hands-on experience building or deploying LLM-powered or agent-based systems. * Familiarity with LLM evaluation techniques (evals) and performance measurement. * Experience orchestrating automated workflows, agents, or developer tooling powered by AI. * Clear understanding of failure modes and tradeoffs in applied AI systems. Customer & Domain Experience * Experience working in startup environments with high ambiguity and rapid iteration. * Background in fintech, compliance, or regulated systems where correctness and data quality matter. * Comfortable working directly with customers on complex technical problems. Nice-To-Have: * Former founder or early startup engineer. * Experience with identity systems, risk/fraud, or workflow automation. * Familiarity with observability, reliability engineering, or system safety practices. ## Description We're hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE): a deeply technical builder and technical leader who thrives at the intersection of engineering, product, and real customer problems. You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with customers and internal product and engineering teams to design, ship, and iterate on mission-critical integrations and AI-driven systems that run in production. You'll write real code, own complex deployments end-to-end, and help shape how these systems are built across Middesk. Forward Deployed Engineers close the gap between product intent and real-world usage-acting as a tight feedback loop that shapes both how our product is used and what it becomes. You will act as a technical leader, helping set direction, influence architecture, and establish best practices for how we deploy and operate systems in the real world. This role is ideal for a recovering founder, a former core engineer who misses direct customer impact, or someone who thrives on ownership and wants to build real systems where the feedback loop is immediate. What You'll Do: Own Technical Direction for Deployments * Lead architecture and technical design for complex, customer-facing systems and integrations. * Make and communicate clear trade-offs across speed, reliability, and scalability. * Identify systemic risks and drive improvements across deployments, not just one-off solutions. * Establish patterns and standards that other engineers can build on-helping define what "great" looks like for Forward Deployed Engineering at Middesk. Build & Deploy Real Systems * Partner deeply with strategic customers to understand their architecture, workflows, and constraints. * Design, build, and deploy production-grade integrations using Middesk APIs, data pipelines, and AI workflows. * Own deployments end-to-end: from architecture and implementation to rollout, monitoring, and iteration. Deployment quality matters-we operate in the critical path of customer systems. * Solve ambiguous, high-impact problems that don't yet have established playbooks. AI, Agents & Evaluation * Build and operate LLM- and agent-based systems in real customer workflows. * Design and maintain evaluation frameworks (evals) to measure quality, reliability, and correctness of LLM outputs and agent behavior. * Create test harnesses, metrics, and feedback loops to continuously improve AI-driven systems. * Feel comfortable running multiple coding agents or automated workflows in parallel, debugging failures, and reasoning about system behavior. Influence Product & Engineering Direction * Translate deployment learnings into reusable abstractions, internal tooling, and product improvements. * Influence roadmap priorities by surfacing recurring patterns, technical gaps, and opportunities for leverage. * Participate in architecture discussions and contribute to org-wide technical decisions. * We believe engineering velocity is only valuable if it delivers customer value-your role is to make sure it does. Lead & Raise the Bar * Lead through influence, not authority-setting a high standard for engineering quality and pragmatism in a high-ownership, high-trust environment. * Guide engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and hands-on collaboration. * Enjoy real autonomy, direct influence on product direction, and deep technical problems with real-world impact. * Work with a team that values thoughtful engineering over performative process.