Senior Forward Deployed Engineer

People In AI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

People In AI seeks a Forward Deployed Engineer to bridge engineering and customer delivery in the Bay Area. You will work with customers to understand data, build integrations, write Python, and ensure the platform delivers value from day one.

The role requires 3+ years of software engineering experience, data pipeline expertise, strong communication, and willingness to travel. Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience is required.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of software engineering experience.
• Experience building data pipelines and working with complex data.
• Excellent communication skills and confidence working directly with customers.
• Ability to explain technical concepts clearly.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally when required.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical onboarding for enterprise customers.
• Build data pipelines and integrations for complex datasets.
• Develop Python solutions to support customer implementations.
• Understand geospatial and regulatory data across different regions.
• Translate customer requirements into product improvements.
• Partner with Engineering, Product, Customer Success, and domain specialists throughout deployments.
• Own the technical delivery of customer implementations.

Skills

Software engineering

Excellent communication

Willingness to travel

Data pipelines

Geospatial data

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent

Tools

Python

SQL

APIs

GeoJSON / GIS datasets

Job description

$150,000–$220,000 base + equity (up to $250,000 for exceptional candidates)

Location: San Mateo, CA (Bay Area preferred)

A well-funded AI startup is building software that helps governments, developers, and planning teams make faster, more informed decisions about the built environment. Their platform combines AI, geospatial data, and modern engineering to solve complex challenges at the earliest stages of development. They're looking for one of their first Forward Deployed Engineers to help customers successfully adopt the platform while shaping how technical deployments are delivered as the company grows.

The Role

This role sits between engineering and customer delivery. You'll work closely with customers to understand their data, build integrations, write Python, and ensure the platform delivers value from day one. Success comes from being equally comfortable solving technical problems, communicating with customers, and working alongside engineering to improve the product.

What You’ll Do

• Lead technical onboarding for enterprise customers.
• Build data pipelines and integrations for complex datasets.
• Develop Python solutions to support customer implementations.
• Understand geospatial and regulatory data across different regions.
• Translate customer requirements into product improvements.
• Partner with Engineering, Product, Customer Success, and domain specialists throughout deployments.
• Own the technical delivery of customer implementations.

What You’ll Bring

• 3+ years of software engineering experience.
• Experience building data pipelines and working with complex data.
• Excellent communication skills and confidence working directly with customers.
• The ability to explain technical concepts clearly and simply.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally when required.

Nice to Have

• Experience working with geospatial data such as GeoJSON, shapefiles, or GIS datasets.
• Data engineering or data science experience.
• Experience in an early-stage startup.
• Exposure to planning, construction, or the built environment.
• Python
• SQL
• APIs
• Geospatial Data

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to define what Forward Deployed Engineering looks like at a company solving meaningful problems with AI. You'll work directly with customers, influence product direction, and tackle technical challenges that have a visible impact. If you enjoy ownership, variety, and collaborating with a high-calibre engineering team, you'll have the chance to make a significant contribution from day one.

About People In AI

People In AI partners with ambitious AI startups to connect exceptional engineers with opportunities to build products that matter. We work closely with innovative companies across AI, machine learning, infrastructure, and data, helping them grow world-class technical teams.