Forward Deployed Engineer

Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE): Risely AI
Location: Fully in-person at our Bay Area office (with occasional travel ~30%) Seniority: Early/Mid-level (1–5 years experience) Apply: Email with your resume + a one minute video why you're the person for this job (Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.)
Forward Deployed Engineers at Risely are technical problem-solvers who work directly with our customers to make sure our product truly delivers on its promise. 
We want someone who genuinely loves coding: you enjoy building things from scratch, iterating fast, and seeing your code in the real world making a difference. You thrive at the intersection of code, data, business logic, and customer problems. You get energy from working closely with users, asking the right questions, and figuring things out on your feet.
You're quick to dive into messy, ambiguous data and environments. You can build quickly under pressure, untangle chaos, and turn what you learn into something robust, then step back and abstract those lessons into frameworks or platform improvements that benefit every customer after.
You're the type who wants to be close to the customer, not just closing tickets. You know how to think critically about requirements, push for clarity when it's missing, and can turn vague or partial specs into well-architected, production-ready code. You enjoy the challenge of debugging, learning, and iterating, all within the same week. If you're looking for a role where you shape both the what and the how, where you help define the product as much as you build it, you'll thrive here.
Embed, Scope & PrototypeMap out data flows, systems, and constraints directly with customers early in engagements Rapidly deliver lean technical prototypes or "pilot skeletons" within days (not weeks) to validate assumptions and reduce risk.Ask critical questions: "What data do they actually have vs what they say they have?" to drive action.Build and Harden IntegrationsDevelop robust connectors to core campus systems (APIs, batch exports, SFTP, legacy or undocumented endpoints).Normalize, clean, deduplicate, and reconcile schemas; rigorously handle edge cases (misformatted data, missing keys, duplicates).Implement reliable write-backs (idempotent writes, partial updates, rollbacks, conflict detection).Automate resilience: retries, backoff strategies, rate-limit protection, error logging, and alerting.Automate Deployments & OperationsCreate deployment playbooks, scripts, and infrastructure-as-code templates for rapid, repeatable pilot deployments.Develop monitoring, observability, and dashboards to track pipeline health, error rates, latency, and data drift.Document runbooks, rollback plans, and detailed incident-handling procedures.Ship Measurable OutcomesInstrument key metrics such as records processed, failure rates, time saved, and errors prevented.Provide clear dashboards and summaries to demonstrate measurable value to customers and internal teams.Maintain accountability, own the resolution if pilots fail to meet defined targets.Customer-Facing EngineeringEngage directly with customer engineers, data teams, operations staff, and executives to facilitate onboarding and handle escalations.Guide customer teams through schema mapping, data permissions, and compliance requirements.Act as escalation owner during pilot phases; swiftly investigate and resolve alerts and issues.Feedback & Product PartnershipCapture and communicate field constraints, corner cases, and failure modes.Convert these learnings into prioritized product enhancements, reusable libraries, and product abstractions.Minimum qualifications1–5 years in software engineering, particularly backend or data integration roles.Strong Python skills, solid SQL/data modeling experience, and comfort with basic frontend work (React/TypeScript).Practical integration experience (REST APIs, CSV/SFTP, OAuth/SAML, legacy endpoints).Confidence in debugging across multiple layers: logs, databases, networks.Clear, warm communication—comfortable presenting to technical and non-technical audiences.A mindset for automation and repeatability.Basic awareness of security/privacy best practices (FERPA/GDPR). What It Is Like to Work Here
Risely is an AI startup in the truest sense. We are all in. The pace is intense and the work is demanding, but the impact is real. Here is what to expect:In-person commitment: We are together in the office 5–6 days a week. Building at this stage requires full presence and focus.Speed and impact: We measure progress by the day, not the quarter. Your work ships fast and affects students immediately.Mission clarity: Every line of code and every late night ties back to one purpose—helping students stay enrolled and helping colleges survive.Ownership from day one: You will make critical decisions, drive outcomes, and build Risely alongside the founders.Deep, meaningful work: You will tackle data complexity, privacy laws, and legacy integrations. The problems are tough, but solving them matters. If this excites you, join us at the ground floor. It will stretch you, challenge you, and demand your best. It will also be the most meaningful work of your career.

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