Forward Deployed Engineer
About the Role
This is a hands-on, customer-facing engineering role at a Y Combinator-backed AI startup automating quoting and order processing for distributors and manufacturers. You will own every technical dimension of a customer deployment, from sales handoff through go-live, acting as the bridge between a fast-moving product team and enterprise clients with complex, real-world systems. Your work directly determines whether customers succeed with the product.
What You'll Do
Own the full technical implementation of the platform for each customer, from initial handoff to live deployment.
Configure and fine-tune AI models for customer-specific use cases, including prompt engineering and model behavior adjustments.
Structure customer data and build system integrations with ERP platforms such as SAP and various REST/GraphQL APIs.
Develop prototypes to demonstrate new features or solve emerging customer problems, then evolve them into scalable solutions.
Engage daily with technical teams, senior business stakeholders, and end users to translate their needs into engineering decisions.
Surface product gaps and recurring patterns to the core engineering team, acting as the voice of the customer internally.
What We're Looking For
C2 or native-level German fluency, required for daily stakeholder and user communication.
Solid professional engineering experience with strong full-stack ability across Python, React, TypeScript, SQL, and data pipelines.
Experience integrating enterprise systems, including ERP platforms, REST/GraphQL APIs, webhooks, or B2B SaaS implementations.
Practical experience working with LLMs, AI agents, and prompt engineering, including adapting model behavior to specific domains.
Demonstrated ability to wrangle messy, inconsistent real-world data and establish reliable structures under time pressure.
Customer-facing technical experience, with the ability to communicate clearly to both engineers and senior business audiences.
High agency and ownership mindset, comfortable with ambiguity, imperfect data, and legacy systems.
Willingness to work on-site in Munich in a fast-paced, high-intensity environment.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary range: 80,000 to 130,000 EUR annually. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
Location
On-site in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Remote work is not available for this position.
