Staff Forward Deployed Engineer, Life Sciences

SandboxAQ; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

SandboxAQ is hiring a Staff Forward Deployed Engineer for its AI Simulation group. You will be the technical bridge between Large Quantitative Models and client contracts, operating with autonomy to create solutions that drive drug discovery and chemical simulation initiatives.

You will embed with scientific delivery teams, own deployments, and lead end-to-end technical execution, from ideation to production, leveraging Python, Kubernetes, Airflow, and Terraform in a cloud environment.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional software development experience.
• Deep proficiency in Python and modern architectural patterns.
• Hands-on experience with cloud orchestration (Kubernetes, Batch systems) and workflow tools like Airflow.
• Technical expertise in building REST APIs, managing databases and using Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).
• Entrepreneurial mindset with track record of shipping in fast-moving environments.

Responsibilities

• Orchestrate technical delivery with scientific teams for end-to-end execution of client contracts.
• Architect and develop high-velocity code and frameworks wrapping scientific logic for R&D workflows.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration between researchers, product teams, and engineering.
• Scale and optimize cloud-based compute resources and data pipelines across contract lifecycles.
• Lead integration of core technologies like LQMs and Agentic systems into client environments.

Skills

Python

Kubernetes

Airflow

REST APIs

Databases/ORM

Cloud computing

Terraform

Tools

Kubernetes

Airflow

Terraform

Job description

Location

United States

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

Remote

Department

AI Simulation BioSim

Compensation

At SandboxAQ, we are committed to competitive, equitable, and transparent compensation; we continuously benchmark our salaries and total compensation to premium markets to ensure our competitiveness. Individual pay within the above range is determined by job-related skills, experience, education, and geographic location.

With a focus on pay equity and ensuring opportunity for future salary progression, our typical practice is to hire within the first half of the base salary range for a given role and level. This approach allows us to reward performance and increasing expertise consistently as your career develops with us.

We use geographic pay tiers to reflect the pay differences in local markets:
For the US:

Tier 1: Applies to candidates within 50 miles of New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Wash D.C., Boston

Tier 2: Applies to candidates within 50 miles of Portland, Boulder, Austin, Denver, Chicago, San Diego, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, LA

Tier 3: Everywhere else in the US

For the UK:

Tier 1: Applies to candidates within 50 miles of London, Cambridge, Oxford

Tier 2: Everywhere else in the UK

For Canada:

Tier 1: Applies to candidates within 50 miles of Toronto & Vancouver

Tier 2: Everywhere else in Canada

About SandboxAQ

SandboxAQ is a high-growth company delivering AI solutions that address some of the world's greatest challenges. The company’s Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) power advances in life sciences, financial services, navigation, cybersecurity, and other sectors.

We are a global team that is tech-focused and includes experts in AI, chemistry, cybersecurity, physics, mathematics, medicine, engineering, and other specialties. The company emerged from Alphabet Inc. as an independent, growth capital-backed company in 2022, funded by leading investors and supported by a braintrust of industry leaders.

At SandboxAQ, we’ve cultivated an environment that encourages creativity, collaboration, and impact. By investing deeply in our people, we’re building a thriving, global workforce poised to tackle the world's epic challenges. Join us to advance your career in pursuit of an inspiring mission, in a community of like-minded people who value entrepreneurialism, ownership, and transformative impact.

The Opportunity

As a Staff Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) within our AI Simulation group, you will act as the primary technical bridge between our core Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) and our most ambitious client contracts. This is a high-agency "builder" role designed for a resourceful generalist who thrives on autonomy and is passionate about tackling the hardest challenges in drug discovery and chemical simulation. You will be embedded directly with scientific delivery teams, operating at the frontiers of knowledge where fundamental research converges with practical, real-world impact.

Your central purpose is to ensure the technical enablement and success of our most critical partnerships. You will be expected to independently discern complex bottlenecks, architect custom solutions, and orchestrate compute at scale. Whether you are wrapping scientific application logic, managing massive data transformations, or integrating with Agentic systems, you will own the entire lifecycle of your deployments. This role demands a "startup" mindset: the seniority to lead a project's technical vision and the humility to execute any task necessary to move the mission forward.

Key Responsibilities

Orchestrate Technical Delivery: Partner with scientific teams to audit workflows, diagnose technical blockers, and take full accountability for the end-to-end technical execution of client contracts.

Architect and Develop Solutions: Design and deploy high-velocity code to extend existing tools, or build new frameworks for wrapping scientific logic and automating complex R&D workflows.

Drive Cross-Functional Collaboration: Serve as the technical translator between non-technical researchers and product teams, validating proposed solutions and ensuring they meet rigorous scientific requirements.

Scale and Optimize Infrastructure: Own the deployment and maintenance of cloud-based compute resources and data pipelines, ensuring stability and performance throughout the contract lifecycle.

Pioneer Technical Integration: Lead the integration of internal core technologies, such as LQMs and Agentic systems, into bespoke client environments to solve major scientific challenges.

7+ years of professional software development experience, with deep proficiency in Python and modern architectural patterns.

Proven ability to operate independently in high-ambiguity environments, moving from ideation to functional code with high velocity.

Hands-on experience with cloud orchestration (Kubernetes, Batch systems) and workflow management tools like Airflow.

Technical expertise in building REST APIs, managing database systems (ORMs, schemas), and utilizing Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).

Entrepreneurial mindset with a track record of shipping systems in fast-moving, customer-facing environments.

Highly Desired Skills & Experience

Domain expertise in drug discovery, cheminformatics, or advanced materials.

Experience delivering scientific code for R&D projects involving simulation or numerical optimization.

Familiarity with High-Performance Computing (HPC), GPU programming, and optimization.

Exposure to AI applications involving knowledge graphs, AI agents, or multi-agent systems.

Why Join Us?

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support your health, financial well-being, and life outside of work.

Compensation: Competitive base salary, performance-based incentives or bonuses (where applicable), and equity participation.

Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents with generous employer premium contributions, retirement savings with company matching, paid parental leave, and inclusive family-building benefits.

Work-Life Balance: Flexible paid time off, company-wide seasonal breaks, and support for flexible work arrangements that enable sustainable performance.

Career Development: Opportunities for continuous learning and growth through on-the-job development, cross-functional collaboration, and access to internal learning and development programs.

SandboxAQ Welcomes All

We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging and respect, where diverse perspectives are actively sought and valued. Our multidisciplinary environment provides ample opportunity for continuous growth - working alongside humble, empowered, and ambitious colleagues ready to tackle epic challenges.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.

Accommodations: We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in job application procedures for open roles. If you need such an accommodation, please let a member of our Recruiting team know.

Get updates on how SandboxAQ can power your organization.