Forward-Deployed Engineer — Automation

About us

We’re a stealth startup building AI and robotics systems for manufacturing. We work directly with factory teams to understand their operations, identify opportunities, and build solutions that improve how work gets done. Our work spans software, sensing, simulation, and physical automation. You’ll join a small team and help shape both the product and how we deploy it.

The role

We’re looking for a hands-on builder interested in making physical tasks reliable and repeatable. You’ll help turn manufacturing workflows into working automation, from understanding the task to testing the complete system on-site.

You’ll:

• Work with operators to understand tasks, constraints, variations, and exceptions.
• Build and integrate controls, sensors, equipment interfaces, and robotic systems where appropriate.
• Develop operating sequences, checks, and recovery behavior.
• Test and refine systems to improve reliability, quality, and operator time.

This role suits someone who enjoys understanding how machines work and troubleshooting across software and hardware. Prior experience with industrial automation, PLCs, or robots is welcome but not required.

Who we’re looking for

No prior professional or industry experience is required. We welcome candidates with 0–3 years of experience, including recent graduates and self-taught builders. We care about curiosity, initiative, sound judgment, and how quickly you can learn and build.

You should be AI-native and extremely comfortable using tools like Claude and Codex throughout your daily work. That includes learning unfamiliar systems, developing ideas, writing and debugging software, troubleshooting, and documenting your work. You should be comfortable checking their output, testing what you build, and explaining your decisions.

Details

• Employment: Full-time.
• Location: San Francisco or New York.
• Travel: Up to 100%, depending on deployment needs.
• Compensation: $120,000–$180,000 annual base salary, plus competitive equity and benefits.
• To apply: Submit your résumé and a cover letter or short note explaining why you want the role.