Forward Deployed Engineer
Quick facts
- Pay
- $180K–$220K + equity
- Type
- Full-time
- Location
- San Francisco, CA
- Background
- Bachelor's degree
- Skills
- Python, AWS
- Industry
- Information Technology — 674 open jobs
- Visa in listing
- H-1B, OPT
- Apply
- Free to apply — never pay anyone for a job offer or visa sponsorship
Job description
San Francisco, CA · On-site · Full-time
Compensation: $180K–$220K + equity
About the Company
Our client is a Series A company running a fully managed "digital workforce" — custom teams of AI agents that take over enterprise back-office operations end-to-end, with a current focus on finance workflows. Instead of shipping software, they own the outcomes: agents trained on a customer's processes that act, decide, and report. They've been in production with enterprise customers for over two years and are scaling on the back of strong commercial traction.
~35 people · Industry: AI, enterprise back-office automation
The Role
You'd join a small, high-ownership engineering team to build and deploy custom AI-agent systems for enterprise customers. This is a forward deployed role: you own customer projects end-to-end — scoping, building, integrating with the customer's systems, and taking them all the way to production. The work is roughly 70% hands-on backend engineering and 30% working directly with customers to guide implementation and delivery.
What you'll be doing
- Design and build backend AI-agent systems in Python
- Integrate agent-based solutions into customer environments
- Partner with customers to scope, deploy, and support projects through to production
- Grow into running customer projects with minimal engineering support
Tech stack: Python (backend), LLM / AI-agent frameworks, cloud (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
Requirements
- 4–7 years as a customer-facing software engineer
- Strong, production-level Python — this role is roughly 70% hands-on backend coding
- Track record shipping AI or LLM-based systems into production in real business settings
- Experience leading technical, customer-facing projects end-to-end, from scoping through delivery
- Hands-on experience with at least one major cloud platform (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
- Ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related technical field
- Able to work on-site in San Francisco 5 days a week
Nice to Haves
- A blend of large-company (Big Tech) and startup experience
Why Join
- Own full customer projects end-to-end and ship production AI agent systems, not demos or copilots
- Flat, high-ownership team with direct access to senior leadership and no micromanagement
- Series A company with real enterprise traction and strong commercial momentum
- Competitive base and meaningful early-stage equity, with 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage
Details
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Work policy: On-site 5 days/week. $5,000 relocation support for candidates moving from outside San Francisco.
- Compensation: $180K–$220K + equity
- Visa sponsorship: Open to visa transfers (e.g. OPT, H-1B transfers)
- Employment type: Full-time
Visa sponsorship record
No public sponsorship records foundWe didn't find H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 or green card (PERM) filings under the name David Joseph & Company in the Department of Labor and USCIS data. That doesn't mean the job can't be sponsored — the company may file under a different legal name, be new to sponsorship, or sponsor a visa that isn't in these datasets (for example H-2B or J-1).
Tip: ask the recruiter early, in writing, which visa they sponsor and whether they cover the legal and filing fees.
Which visas can work for this job
Occupation: Software Developers (SOC 15-1252).
- Mentioned in the listing
H-1B, OPT
- H-1B cap-exempt employer
Regular cap-subject employer — a new H-1B needs to win the lottery in March (unless you already hold cap-counted H-1B status).
- TN (citizens of Canada and Mexico)
This kind of role may fit the USMCA profession “Computer Systems Analyst (or Engineer, for engineering-degree holders)” — it depends on the actual duties. No lottery, no cap; you need the matching degree or license.
- E-3 (Australia) and H-1B1 (Chile, Singapore)
Same degree requirement as H-1B, but no lottery and a separate quota that is rarely filled.
- O-1 (extraordinary ability)
For candidates with awards, publications, press, a high salary or critical roles at distinguished organizations. No cap, no lottery; the employer files a petition.
- STEM OPT extension (F-1 students)
Requires an E-Verify employer. We didn't find this company in the E-Verify list — ask HR.
Salary vs prevailing wage
Level II (qualified)Software Developers · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Annual prevailing wages set by the Department of Labor (OFLC).
| Level | Prevailing wage | H-1B lottery odds* |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | $137,093 | ~15% |
| Level II | $165,131 | ~31% |
| Level III | $193,149 | ~46% |
| Level IV | $221,187 | ~61% |
This job pays $180,000–$220,000 a year — that's Level II (qualified). In the wage-weighted H-1B lottery a Level II registration gets 2 entries; estimated selection chance about 31%.
* Odds are DHS projections for the FY2027 wage-weighted lottery (actual results vary by year and employer). Since the FY2027 cap season the H-1B lottery is weighted by wage level: Level I = 1 entry, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4. The level is set by the offered wage against the prevailing wage for the occupation and worksite. Separately, a $100,000 fee for new H-1B petitions for workers outside the US was announced in 2025; as of September 2026 a federal court ruling keeps it unenforceable while appeals continue — check the current status.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor OFLC disclosure data (H-1B/H-1B1/E-3 LCA, PERM), OFLC prevailing wage data, USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, E-Verify participating employers. Data loaded: LCA FY2024–FY2026, PERM, USCIS Data Hub, OFLC wages; updated 2026-10-03. Employers are matched by name, so records of companies with similar names can occasionally be mixed up. This is general information, not legal advice — talk to an immigration attorney about your case.