Senior Forward Deployed Engineer

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

Job summary

Harrison Clarke is seeking a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer in San Francisco. This high-impact role involves working closely with customers to design and deploy tailored software solutions. The ideal candidate has strong backend or full-stack engineering experience, excellent programming skills, and thrives in fast-paced environments. Responsibilities include collaborating with product teams, debugging systems, and ensuring deployments meet customer needs. Join a VC-backed startup redefining software adoption in complex environments.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in backend or full-stack engineering roles.
• Ability to work directly with customers.
• Experience building and deploying production systems at scale.

Responsibilities

• Work directly with customers to understand technical requirements.
• Design and build custom integrations.
• Deploy and support solutions in complex environments.
• Collaborate with product and engineering teams.
• Debug, optimize, and improve live production systems.
• Act as a technical bridge between customers and internal teams.

Skills

Backend or full-stack engineering experience

Strong programming skills (Python, Java, Go)

Systems thinking

Experience in consulting-style engineering

Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Strong communication skills

High autonomy

Job description

Harrison Clarke is working with a high-growth, VC-backed startup in San Francisco that is redefining how customers adopt and scale complex software solutions. They’re hiring a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer to sit at the intersection of engineering, product, and customer delivery.

This is a high-impact, customer-facing engineering role for someone who enjoys solving real-world problems, building quickly, and seeing their work used in production from day one.

About the Role

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you’ll work directly with strategic customers to design, build, and deploy tailored solutions on top of the core platform. You’ll act as both an engineer and a technical partner, translating customer needs into scalable, production-grade systems.

This is a role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, moves fast, and enjoys building in the real world, not just in theory.

What You’ll Do

• Work directly with customers to understand technical requirements and business challenges
• Design and build custom integrations and production-grade features
• Deploy and support solutions in real-world, often complex environments
• Collaborate closely with core product and engineering teams to influence roadmap
• Debug, optimise, and improve systems in live production settings
• Act as a technical bridge between customers and internal teams

What They’re Looking For

• Strong experience in backend or full-stack engineering roles
• Comfortable working directly with customers or external stakeholders
• Strong systems thinking and ability to operate in complex environments
• Experience building and deploying production systems at scale
• Strong programming skills (e.g. Python, Java, Go, or similar)
• High autonomy, strong communication skills, and a bias for action
• Experience in consulting-style engineering, solutions engineering, or FDE roles
• Background in enterprise software, infrastructure, or data platforms
• Experience working in early-stage or fast-scaling startups
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)
• Direct impact on high-value customer deployments
• Close collaboration with product and engineering leadership
• Exposure to complex, real-world technical problems
• Fast-paced, high-trust environment with strong ownership