Forward Deployed Engineer – Applied AI

Wonderschool; Gallup (NM, MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Wonderschool is seeking a Forward Deployed AI Engineer to lead product development on key initiatives, traveling to work directly with customers and stakeholders. You will uncover pain points and build AI-powered solutions to improve revenue, operations, and user experience, acting like a founder inside the company.

You will collaborate with sales, onboarding, and account management to automate workflows and unlock new growth, blending engineering, product, and business leadership in a

Qualifications

• Experience shipping AI-powered solutions in product-led environments.
• Ability to work with customers and cross-functional teams.
• Strong coding experience in production environments.

Responsibilities

• Work directly with users and internal teams to identify high-leverage problems and ship product solutions.
• Write production code and ship weekly improvements across the customer journey.
• Use AI accelerators and tools to increase velocity and output.
• Build and deploy AI-powered tooling that improves experiences for providers, parents, and government partners.
• Automate onboarding flows, proposal generation, reporting processes, and other workflows.
• Own full loops: talk to users, design solutions, write code, test, deploy, and monitor adoption.
• Prioritize based on business impact and collaborate across teams to drive measurable results.

Job description

About Wonderschool
Wonderschool’s mission is to ensure every child has access to early childhood education that helps them realize their full potential. We empower small business owners, childcare providers, to launch and grow in-home programs through cutting-edge software, personalized coaching, and responsive support. We also partner with governments to modernize public childcare infrastructure. Our team is small, fast-moving, and deeply motivated by the impact we create in families and communities across the country.

About the Role
We are looking for a Forward Deployed AI Engineer to lead product development on some of the most strategically important initiatives at Wonderschool. You’ll spend your time working directly with customers (traveling as needed), uncovering pain points, and building AI-powered solutions that drive measurable impact across revenue, operational efficiency, and user experience. You’ll act like a founder inside the company: identifying problems, shipping code, driving adoption, and iterating quickly based on what you learn. This role blends engineering, product, operations, and business leadership, and is ideal for someone who has launched products, acquired users, and driven growth independently. You will work closely with our sales, onboarding, and account management teams to automate workflows, build better customer experiences, and unlock new growth.

This role is inspired by best-in-class FDSEs at companies like Palantir and is perfect for builders who love solving real-world problems in the field, not from behind a desk.

What You’ll Do
Work directly with users and internal teams to identify high-leverage problems and ship product solutions. Write production code (approximately 50% of your time) and ship weekly improvements across the customer journey. Use tools like Widesurf, Cursor, and other AI accelerators to increase your velocity and quality of output. Build and deploy AI-powered tooling that eliminates manual effort and improves the experience for providers, parents, and government partners. Automate onboarding flows, proposal generation, reporting processes, and other operational workflows. Own full loops: talk to users, design solutions, write code, test, deploy, and monitor adoption. Prioritize based on business impact and collaborate across teams to drive measurable results.

What Success Looks Like
You uncover user pain points faster than anyone else and consistently ship solutions that address them. You deploy AI-infused internal tools or product experiences that improve core metrics (conversion, retention, revenue). You fully own feedback loops, from discovery to deployment, and iterate rapidly. Internal teams rely on your tools to operate faster and with fewer resources. You’re moving fast, staying close to the customer, and operating with very little hand-holding.

Why Join Us
Make a direct impact on families, small business owners, and communities. Operate with founder-like ownership on the company’s most important priorities. Join a small, fast-moving team with a bias for action. Talk to users, ship weekly, and see your work go live and drive real-world outcomes. Help reimagine early education and child care for the modern era.

Location

In-person, 5-6 days a week. This role requires regular client travel.