Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)

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

Job summary

OpenMind is seeking an engineer to own end-to-end deployments of OM1-powered robots at enterprise sites. You will assess sites, install, integrate with customer systems, debug on-site, and hand off to steady-state operations.

This role is not pure support; you will influence the product roadmap with field data. You should bring strong Python/Go/C++ skills, Linux comfort, and hands-on robotics or embedded systems experience.

Qualifications

• Experience deploying robots in real customer environments.
• Strong programming background in Python/Go/C++ with Linux.
• Ability to debug complex field deployments under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Lead on-site deployments of OM1-powered robots at enterprise customers across manufacturing, logistics, and retail.
• Integrate robots with customer infrastructure: networks, safety systems, facility workflows, and operator training.
• Debug across the full stack in the field: hardware, firmware, perception, navigation, and cloud telemetry.
• Build deployment tooling, runbooks, and remote diagnostics to improve future deployments.
• Translate field observations into engineering requirements and push for fast resolution.
• Serve as the technical face of OpenMind to customer engineering and operations teams.

Skills

Python

Go

C++

Linux

Robotics

Communication

Tools

ROS2

Job description

The Role

Our robots are now deployed with real customers who pay real money and expect them to work. You will be the engineer on the ground who makes that true. You will own deployments end to end: site assessment, installation, integration with customer systems, on-site debugging, and the handoff to a reliable steady state.This is not a support role. You will write software, close the loop between field failures and the core engineering team, and shape the product roadmap with the highest-signal data in the company: what actually breaks in the real world.

What You Will Do

• Lead on-site deployments of OM1-powered robots at enterprise customers across manufacturing, logistics, and retail
• Integrate our robots with customer infrastructure: networks, safety systems, facility workflows, and operator training
• Debug across the full stack in the field, from hardware and firmware to perception, navigation, and cloud telemetry
• Build deployment tooling, runbooks, and remote diagnostics so that each deployment is easier than the last
• Translate field observations into prioritized engineering requirements and drive them to resolution
• Serve as the technical face of OpenMind to customer engineering and operations teams

What We Look For

• Strong engineering fundamentals in languages such as Python, Go, and/or C++, with comfort in Linux environments
• Hands‑on experience with robots, embedded systems, or other hardware deployed outside a lab
• Proven ability to debug complex systems under pressure with incomplete information
• Excellent communication with non‑technical stakeholders; you can explain a failure to a plant manager and a fix to a roboticist
• Willingness to travel up to 50 percent to customer sites
• High agency. You see a problem, you own it, and you do not wait for permission

Nice to Have

• Experience with ROS2, real‑time systems, or fleet telemetry
• Prior forward deployed, solutions engineering, or field applications experience at a robotics, autonomy, or infrastructure company
• Experience working in industrial environments (manufacturing, warehousing, energy), retail, or healthcare technology