$155,000–$190,000
Founding Forward Deployed Engineer
Published · Updated
$130,000–$215,000San Francisco, CA · New York, NYSan Francisco, CA +1Hybrid
A founding forward deployed engineer will work directly with law enforcement and prosecutors to address evidence-management needs through custom solutions, integrations, and product features.
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View posting at CleraAt a glance
Posted base pay
$130K–$215KBelow the median
Median $188K
This job$130K–$215KTypical senior FDE payMiddle 50% of 1,837 postings$160K–$219KThe work
Builds what the customer runs
Balance
- Mostly building
- Mixed
- Mostly pre-sales or support
Project stages
- Pre-sales (not covered)
- Proof of concept (not covered)
- Implementation
- Operations (not covered)
Travel Required, amount not stated
- Coding
- Writes production code
- Builds for
- External customers
- Level
- Senior
- Role
- Individual contributor
What they ask for
Experience
Background
Visa
Less common in FDE jobs
- Sponsors visas22%
- Hybrid34%
Share of US FDE postings that state each fact.
The job description from Clera
Posted by Clera on
About the Role
Join an early-stage government technology company building software to help law enforcement and prosecutors manage and analyze evidence. As a founding forward deployed engineer, you will work closely with users, address their immediate technical needs, and bring frontline insights into product decisions.
What You'll Do
- Work directly with law enforcement and prosecutors to understand evidence management challenges and user needs.
- Build practical solutions for specific problems, including one-off analyses and custom integrations.
- Travel regularly to spend time with customers and learn from their workflows.
- Translate customer feedback into implemented features, pull requests, and clear technical specifications.
- Adapt quickly as priorities and requirements evolve in an early-stage environment.
What We're Looking For
- At least 3 years of software engineering experience building and delivering production systems, including experience at an early-stage startup.
- Experience building software that directly addresses user needs and working with end users to turn problems into technical solutions.
- Ability to work across the stack and deliver end-to-end solutions, including targeted analyses or integrations that may not be intended to scale.
- Strong autonomy, a bias toward action, and comfort with ambiguity and shifting priorities.
- Background in government, law enforcement, criminal justice, defense, intelligence, or other sensitive or regulated domains is useful.
- Willingness to travel extensively and support applicable background check and security clearance processes.
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary is $130,000 to $215,000 annually, with founding-level equity and performance-based bonuses. Visa sponsorship is available.
Location
Hybrid in San Francisco, California. New York City is also listed as a location, and remote work with regular travel may be considered for exceptional candidates.
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