Forward Deployed Engineer at Tavus

Jack & Jill; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Tavus in San Francisco, USA, is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to bridge cutting-edge AI research with real-world adoption. You will split time between customer-facing technical strategy and core product engineering, building SDKs and prototypes that enable developers to integrate empathetic, face-to-face AI interactions into global industries.

The ideal candidate has strong full‑stack software skills, a product mindset, and a founder's bias toward action, taking ownership of complex

Qualifications

• Exhibits strong software engineering fundamentals across the stack.
• Familiarity with ML inference, networking, and infrastructure concepts.
• Product-minded with ability to improve developer experience.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with customers to debug integrations and build proof‑of‑concepts.
• Develop internal tools, SDKs, and samples to showcase real-time AI simulations.
• Translate field feedback into feature requirements for engineering and product teams.

Skills

Software engineering fundamentals

ML inference

Networking

Infrastructure

Job description

Job Title

Forward Deployed Engineer

Salary

Not Disclosed

Company Description

Tavus is a Series B research lab and product company backed by Sequoia Capital, Y Combinator, and Scale Venture Partners that is pioneering human computing through real-time AI Human simulations.

Job Description

As a Forward Deployed Engineer at Tavus, you will bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI research and real-world adoption. Splitting your time between customer-facing technical strategy and core product engineering, you will build the SDKs and prototypes that enable developers to integrate empathetic, face-to-face AI interactions into global industries.

Location

San Francisco, USA

Why this role is remarkable

• Work at the frontier of AI research with the Phoenix-4 model, building systems that let machines see, hear, and respond with human-like empathy.
• Join a high-growth Series B team backed by elite investors like Sequoia and Scale VP, moving past the idea stage into massive scale.
• Enjoy a unique hybrid mandate where you directly influence the product roadmap by solving high-stakes technical challenges for early enterprise adopters.

What You Will Do

• Collaborate hands-on with customers to debug integrations, build high-impact proof-of-concepts, and ensure a seamless developer experience with the Tavus platform.
• Engineer internal tools, SDKs, and sample applications that demonstrate the power of real-time human simulation and accelerate platform-wide adoption.
• Identify recurring technical friction points in the field and translate those patterns into specific feature requirements for the core engineering and product teams.

The ideal candidate

• Possesses exceptionally strong software engineering fundamentals with a deep curiosity across the entire stack, including ML inference, networking, and infrastructure.
• Demonstrates a product-manager mindset, capable of identifying user patterns and advocating for platform improvements that enhance the overall developer experience.
• Maintains a fierce bias toward action and a founder's mentality, taking full ownership of complex problems until they are completely resolved.