AI Forward Deployed Engineer: Field-to-Product Innovator

Tread Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Tread Inc. is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to bridge customers and product, owning a mid-market book from integration to renewal. You’ll work in the field, deliver shipped software, and expand value with AI-powered workflows across our Rails API, GraphQL, and React stack.

Expect to embed with customers, prototype solutions, and turn field insights into roadmap items while scaling with a small, fast-moving team in a founder-in-training role.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of software engineering experience.
• Proficient in Ruby on Rails, JavaScript/React, and Python.
• Experience with APIs, databases, and data pipelines.
• Strong customer-facing communication and relationship-building.
• Willingness to travel to customer sites on a regular basis.
• Comfort working in a fast-moving startup with ambiguity.
• Familiarity with AI coding tools and modern development workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical implementation for new customers: API integrations, data mapping, workflow configuration.
• Prototype and contribute to product from field insights, supporting Rails API, GraphQL, and React development.
• Analyze field feedback to inform roadmap and product improvements.
• Automate repetitive tasks with internal tooling and agents as the book grows.
• Own the technical health of your portfolio and drive expansion opportunities.

Skills

Software engineering

Ruby on Rails

JavaScript/React

Python

APIs & Data pipelines

Customer-facing instincts

Bias toward action

Travel willingness

Strong communication

Ambiguity tolerance

AI coding tools

Tools

Rails API

GraphQL

React

Job description

Tread Inc. is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to bridge customers and product, owning a mid-market book from integration to renewal. You’ll work in the field, deliver shipped software, and expand value with AI-powered workflows across our Rails API, GraphQL, and React stack.

Expect to embed with customers, prototype solutions, and turn field insights into roadmap items while scaling with a small, fast-moving team in a founder-in-training role.