Forward Deployed Engineer

About the Role

Join a Y Combinator-backed B2B SaaS startup building AI-powered quote and order automation for distributors and manufacturers. As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you will be the technical face of the company — taking signed deals from handoff all the way through to live, production-grade AI deployments. You'll blend deep hands-on engineering with daily engagement with end users and senior business stakeholders, working on-site from the Munich office.

This is a high-ownership, high-intensity role suited to engineers who thrive at the intersection of customer problems and technical execution. No visa sponsorship is available — candidates must be authorised to work in Germany.

What You'll Do

• Own the full technical implementation lifecycle from sales handoff through customer go-live.
• Integrate the platform with complex enterprise systems including SAP, Oracle, and external REST/GraphQL APIs.
• Structure and clean messy, real-world customer data (unstructured RFQs from PDFs, emails, Excel) to power AI-driven workflows.
• Configure and fine-tune AI/LLM models through prompt engineering and model-behaviour adjustments for domain fit.
• Build rapid prototypes demonstrating new features or solving customer problems, then evolve them into scalable, production-grade solutions.
• Debug production issues and iteratively improve integrations and model behaviour in live customer environments.
• Engage daily with technical users and senior business stakeholders to translate pain points into engineering decisions.
• Document deployments, create customer training materials, and surface product gaps with actionable context to the core engineering team.
• Travel to customer sites as needed.

What We're Looking For

Required:

• Proven full-stack experience across frontend, backend, and data pipelines — Python, React, TypeScript, SQL, and API development.
• Practical experience with AI/LLMs, agents, and prompt engineering to adapt model behaviour to real-world workflows.
• Hands-on experience integrating software with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle) or strong familiarity with B2B SaaS integrations via REST/GraphQL/webhooks.
• Demonstrated ability to wrangle messy, inconsistent data and build reliable structure quickly — particularly unstructured RFQs (PDFs, emails, spreadsheets).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable engaging both engineers and non-technical senior stakeholders.
• Ability to troubleshoot deployment and integration issues in customer environments and deliver timely resolutions.
• High agency, ownership mindset, and comfort operating in ambiguity with legacy systems.
• Willingness to work on-site in Munich and travel to customer sites as required.
• Authorised to work in Germany without visa sponsorship.

Nice to Have:

• Familiarity with machine learning concepts, including reinforcement learning for product-matching use cases.
• Background in industrial sectors such as HVAC, building materials, electrical distribution, or manufacturing.

Location

On-site in Munich, Germany. This is not a remote role. Travel to customer sites is required periodically.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation details will be discussed during the interview process. You'll be joining a fast-growing, well-funded early-stage startup at a pivotal point in its growth, with the opportunity to have significant impact and work alongside a technically strong founding team.