AI software startup building tools for state and local governments
Forward Deployed Engineer
You'll embed directly with client agencies—walking into city halls and municipal offices, not just Zoom calls—to deploy AI systems that actually run public services. Monday might mean troubleshooting a data pipeline for a county's permitting system; Thursday could involve training clerks on a new automated review tool. The work sits at the intersection of hands-on engineering and the politics of getting something to stick in a bureaucracy that's been running on spreadsheets since 2003.
What they're looking for
- 1–5 years shipping production code, with meaningful time on AWS infrastructure
- Track record of working with non-technical government stakeholders or similarly risk-averse, process-heavy organizations
- Comfort with ambiguity: you can scope a feature when the 'requirements' are a three-minute hallway conversation with a deputy commissioner
- Python or similar backend fluency; you can read logs, patch a Lambda, and explain what broke without jargon
- Willingness to be on-site in New York metro with regular travel to client agencies in the region