Forward Deployed Engineer - US

Dryft builds models that automate complex human decisions in manufacturing operations, capturing the knowledge of experienced operators across supply chain, production planning, engineering and more. Customers include some of the largest robotics, machine and component manufacturers in the world. As Forward Deployed Engineer, you split your time 50/50 between engineering and customer interaction, owning implementations end-to-end and turning operational learnings into product. Tech stack: FE (TypeScript): React, Chakra UI v3, TanStack Router, TanStack Query, Vite; BE (Python): FastAPI with Pydantic v2, Temporal, Postgres with pgvector, dagster; AI: Pydantic AI, Langfuse.

Responsibilities

Lead full-stack rollouts end-to-end, from scoping and onboarding to integration and training; align IT teams, engineers and C-level execs across Germany, the EU and the US; work hands-on with users, translate their pain into product improvements, and prototype features, ideally writing production code when needed; turn deployments into reusable product features, data models and playbooks; split time 50/50 between engineering and customer interaction; integrate legacy ERP systems; travel to customer sites such as shop floors

Requirements

2+ years in a top-tier role (e.g., consulting), as a founder, or as an early employee in a high-growth startup; technical degree or background; writes production code and understands systems end-to-end; finds root causes when something breaks at a customer; listens to customer pain and turns it into product improvements; holds a high quality bar and dives deep into problems; ultra-professional and detail-oriented, with clean structure, polish, and docs; calm communicator under pressure who can win over impatient executives and skeptical IT leaders; comfortable relating to shop-floor operators and boardroom executives; ready to work onsite in San Francisco with 10 to 30% travel

Nice to have

Industrial background in manufacturing, industrial software, procurement, supply chain or another industrial domain; product-minded, with an interest in ERP systems

Benefits

Visa support; unusual ownership early on with real responsibility; learning experience with a small, talent-dense team