Forward Deployed Engineer

Matta Labs Ltd; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Insanely stimulating work environment

Job summary

Matta is hiring Forward Deployed Engineers to lead the charge on implementing and operationalising our AI solutions in factories. You’ll be the person who makes our tech real for our customers – and makes sure it actually works.

This is a full-stack role spanning engagement with customers, qualifying leads, scoping problems, deploying solutions, and fixing issues on the fly. You’ll travel ~10–20% to trade shows and customer sites across the UK, Europe and the US.

Qualifications

• A practical problem solver with real-world engineering experience.
• Excellent customer-facing skills and ability to craft strong customer experiences.
• People person, comfortable being the face of the company and engaging with customers.

Responsibilities

• Engage prospective customers and qualify leads across the full cycle.
• Scope problems, deploy solutions, and fix issues when they arise on site.
• Collaborate with backend, frontend, and research teams to ship fixes and iterate on product features.

Skills

Customer facing

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Relationship building

Education

Master's in engineering/manufacturing/industrial systems

Tools

Python

Factory automation

Job description

This job is for you if you love variety and real-world problem-solving. No two days will be the same, but you can expect to:

• solve hairy engineering problems under pressure; deploying software and hardware on factory floors (Haribo one day, aerospace the next)
• own relationships with customers end-to-end, from first conversations to scoping out solutions on the factory floor
• pick up and understand unfamiliar manufacturing processes at breakneck speed
• work closely with Matta’s AI broader research and engineering team to improve and iterate on our solutions
• be the face of Matta, interfacing with prospective customers at trade shows (most often lovely 50-year old technicians called Kevin)
• deliver real impact on how we manufacture the world around us

About Matta

Matta is creating industrial AI for factories. We are a group of engineers, scientists, and company builders developing manufacturing foundation models (MFMs) and a general-purpose manufacturing OS to improve the sustainability of manufacturing today and to unlock the unimaginable technologies of tomorrow. What we actually do:

• Build insane AI models that understand the physics of manufacturing processes (think futuristic stuff like machines that watch and correct themselves on the fly or even learn how to use brand-new, never-seen-before materials autonomously).
• Research new foundational models for manufacturing enabling users to install vision-based inspection and quality control AIs in less than 24 hours! (for context the industry standard is about 6 months).
• Think really hard about how manufacturing will look in 10+ years and build a brand-new intuitive OS and interfaces for orchestrating factories, monitoring machines, controlling production, etc. all with AI. For context, we are a small dynamic team from Google X, Microsoft, Cambridge, MIT, Imperial, BBC R&D to name a few. We work a lot and are all close friends – come join the family!

We’re hiring Forward Deployed Engineers to lead the charge on implementing and operationalising our AI solutions in factories. You’ll be the person who makes our tech real for our customers – and makes sure it actually works.

This is a full-stack role – but not just technically! You’ll work across the entire customer journey, doing the jobs of multiple people and specialties in one: engaging prospective customers, qualifying leads, scoping problems, deploying solutions, and fixing things when they break (and they will break). No two days will be the same!

One week, you’ll be the face of Matta, responsible for engaging with engineers and technicians at trade shows, bringing in leads alongside our CEO, Doug (and keeping him on track!). You’ll leverage your understanding of our customer’s challenges, to qualify and validate their interest in the Matta product. The next, you’ll be deep in a factory, perhaps figuring out why our system is picking up too much static interference, or how to optimise the lighting to improve our images. You’ll roll up your sleeves and get problems sorted – collaborating with our backend, frontend, and research teams to ship fixes and redesign product features based on customer feedback.

This isn’t a role with a playbook – you’ll shape how Matta scales deployments across the UK, Europe, and the US. And this isn’t your typical gig – expect to work hard and collaborate with an exceptional team of top engineers, scientists, and builders, all obsessed with embodied AI reshaping the manufacturing world.

About You

• A practical problem solver: you can pull on your expertise to solve hairy engineering challenges in real-world environments.
• Ideally you don’t just problem solve, but love being customer facing, and can craft world-class customer experiences (the manufacturing sector deserves Apple-esque experiences!).
• People person: you’re comfortable being the face of Matta, and want to get to know more Kevins.
• You’ve built or deployed projects from start to finish, overcoming hurdles and shipping brilliant products (in startups? even better) and you are a bit batty and want to learn more!
• Highly collaborative: you love working in teams, sharing knowledge, mentoring/teaching others, and embracing feedback (and yes, you’re always game for a team Lego-building break).
• Ideally (but not essential), you have a Master's in engineering / manufacturing / industrial systems, or may come from a sector specific related background like automotive or aero.
• Bonus: you’re open to travel (~10-20% time) to trade shows and customers, to kick start our expansion into Europe and the US.

Above all, we are looking to build a team of creative, outside-of-the-box thinking problem solvers. For this, candidates should be:

• Capable of setting and reaching ambitious goals, and taking a project from concept to completion.
• Self-directed, self-organised, proactive, and comfortable in a dynamic, multi-disciplinary work environment.
• Team players with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Enthusiastic tea or coffee drinkers who enjoy a good biscuit or two and a good slice of cake (this is the most important criteria).

What will impress us

• Being proactive. Building or sending us example AI or data related projects – even better if related to the role.
• Whether you’re a chess grandmaster, a world champion at tiddlywinks, or a badass musician, we’d love to see the hobbies, skills, or activities you take to the next level – we’re always impressed by those who go all in!
• Clear passion in our mission, not a random reason to work with us.

Matta is an equal opportunity employer and encourages individuals from all backgrounds to apply. We offer competitive compensation, the friendliest of teams, an insanely stimulating work environment, and the opportunity to be a part of something massive.

Location

Our London office, 5 minutes from Old Street Station. Think vibrant startup attic vibes with a team that knows when to laugh and when to focus.

Contact us

Office address

77 East Road, London, N1 6AH, UK

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