Forward Deployed Engineer

Valorian, LLC; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 115,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision

Equipment provided

Travel compensated

Paid time off

Job summary

Valorian in Houston is seeking a software engineer who will own end-to-end product slices, working directly with customers to observe workflows and produce production-ready features. You\'ll prototype with customers, develop front-end and back-end with React/Next.js, Node.js, and PostgreSQL via Prisma, and contribute to design systems while applying AI-driven tooling.

The role emphasizes hands-on collaboration, clear acceptance criteria, and a strong focus on testing and CI/CD to prevent

Qualifications

• Built and shipped full-stack TypeScript products using React/Next.js, Node, and a relational database.
• Comfortable leading customer sessions and translating feedback into clear tickets.
• Able to model a business domain so engineers can implement from it.
• Thoughtful API design including auth, pagination, error handling, and security considerations.
• Maintain meaningful test suites in CI: unit, API, and end-to-end tests.

Responsibilities

• Time with customers weekly — sessions, demos, and on-site visits; turn learnings into tickets with acceptance criteria.
• Prototype alongside customers and PMs; productionize features.
• Deliver vertical slices end to end: front-end, APIs, and database layers.
• Maintain documentation: diagrams, data models, decision rules, and architecture notes.
• Contribute to Valorian's Design System and shared packages.

Skills

React/Next.js

Node.js

TypeScript

PostgreSQL

Tools

Prisma

Azure

Docker

Job description

Role Summary

You won't be handed tickets from a backlog written by someone else. You'll sit with the customer, watch how the work actually gets done, prototype in the loop with the people who'll use it, and productionize what works — owning meaningful slices of real products end to end.

We're a team of about ten building custom software for industrial operations in an AI-accelerated world, and we're doing it by putting engineers closer to the customer, not further away. The work you own is visible, the decisions you make carry, and the people who depend on what you build will know your name.

Who We Are

Valorian builds intelligence systems for industrial operations by integrating data, systems, and AI — designed around how work actually gets done in the field. Our customers run petrochemical plants and field operations where visibility, safety, and efficiency have real consequences. Our products replace spreadsheets, paper, and disconnected systems with software shaped around their actual workflow, built on a shared platform: React/Next.js and TypeScript on the front end, Node.js/Fastify APIs, PostgreSQL via Prisma, and Azure underneath.

What You'll Own

• Time with customers every week — working sessions, demos, and on-site visits — observing real workflows and turning what you learn into well-scoped tickets with crisp acceptance criteria.
• Fast prototypes built alongside customers and our Product/Project Managers to validate direction, then hardened into production-grade features.
• Vertical slices end to end: React/Next.js (TypeScript) front ends, Node.js/Fastify APIs, and PostgreSQL via Prisma.
• The written record the team inherits: workflow and integration diagrams, data models, decision rules, and Architecture Decision Records for the calls that matter.
• Our shared ontology and data models as new customer domains come into scope — reconciling conflicting sources of truth and naming things once, well.
• Testing for your work — unit, API, and Playwright end-to-end — wired into CI/CD so regressions surface before a customer finds them.
• Contributions to Valorian's Design System and shared packages, so what you learn on one product compounds across all of them.
• How we use AI: agents as leverage across spec, implementation, and testing, and a voice in which emerging tools earn a place in the team's daily practice.

What Good Looks Like

• By 90 days: you've participated meaningfully in customer sessions, shipped your first vertical slice to production, and can describe a customer's workflow more accurately than the ticket does.
• By six months: you own a product area end to end, customers ask for you by name, and change orders on your work are small because you validated before you built. You've earned the right to solve bigger problems for them.
• By a year: your contributions are load-bearing for the team, and you're influencing what we build next — not just how it gets built.

What We're Looking For

• You've built and shipped full-stack TypeScript products — React/Next.js, Node, and a relational database — and can point to work running in production
• You're comfortable in the room with customers: leading a working session, asking the uncomfortable question early, and saying so when what's being asked for isn't advisable
• You can model a business domain and write it down clearly enough that a customer confirms it's right and an engineer can build from it
• You design APIs thoughtfully (auth, pagination, error handling, rate limiting) and treat data models, migrations, and security as the places to slow down and think
• You keep test suites meaningful in CI — unit, API, and end-to-end — rather than green by deletion
• You reach for shared, reusable solutions over re-solving the same problem on every project
• You're curious about AI tooling and have the judgment to tell real leverage from novelty

Nice to Have

• Azure (App Service, Functions, Container Apps) and Docker
• ETL pipelines and data migrations
• AI-powered features: RAG, embeddings, evaluation loops
• Observability: metrics, logs, traces
• Prior forward-deployed, consulting, or customer-facing engineering experience

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary for this role is $115,000 to $140,000, depending on experience.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance begin on the first of the month following 30 days of employment.
• Paid time off accrues each pay period, totaling 15 days annually.
• 10 paid holidays are provided per year.
• Employees are provided with the equipment necessary to perform their job.
• Travel for customer and team time is company-paid.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must live in the Houston metro.
• Because customer sessions happen live, you'll need to be available during U.S. Central business hours and have a quiet, professional workspace for calls, demos, and screen sharing.
• This role requires professional English fluency sufficient to independently lead live customer working sessions and demos.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. This role does not offer visa sponsorship.
• Employment is contingent on a background check and pre-employment drug screening, in accordance with applicable law.

How We Hire

• Every application is reviewed by a member of our team. We believe hiring deserves a human perspective, and we want to understand the person behind the resume.
• We place significant emphasis on the video interview. Your experience and accomplishments matter, but so do the way you communicate, think through problems, collaborate, and show up as a teammate.
• We’re a small but mighty company, and every employee has a meaningful impact. We hire selectively because finding the right fit matters—for our team, our culture, our clients, and for you.
• Selected applicants will be invited to a 30-minute introductory conversation. We’ll share more about Valorian, learn more about your background, and talk about what you’re looking for in your next role.
• Next, you’ll meet with the hiring manager for a 30-minute conversation focused on the role, our tech stack and workflows, and what success looks like in the position.
• You’ll then participate in a practical session with one of our engineers, working through a real, anonymized customer problem. This gives both of us a chance to see how you approach the kind of work you’d actually be doing.
• The final conversation is an introduction to several key members of the Valorian team. It’s an opportunity to get to know the people you may be working alongside and ask any remaining questions.
• We respect your time. We aim to move through the hiring process efficiently and will keep you informed about timing, next steps, and where you stand throughout the process.

Our Values

These aren't posters on a wall — they're how we decide what to build and how we treat each other while we build it. We want people who bring their whole selves to work, take ownership of outcomes rather than tasks, and are direct in how they give and receive feedback.

• Trustworthy: Committed to building long-term trust by showing up with an authentic high level of care and taking ownership of outcomes, behaviors, and work product.
• Resourceful: Leverages curiosity, ingenuity, creativity, and innovation to accomplish goals; thinks long term, and is focused on sustainable results.
• Passionate: Brings infectious energy, passion, and care for what we do and who we work with.
• Balanced: Strives for harmony in family, health, fun, and energy.
• Connected: Committed to meaningful communication and healthy conflict through listening, transparency, and the courage to receive and give feedback.