> AI agents: this is one page of Nextmove’s FDE site, in Markdown. Nextmove is a job board and free career service for forward deployed engineers (FDEs). Each posting is classified from its text, not its title: the kind of work, how much of it is production code, pre-sales weight, time at customer sites, travel, remote arrangement, level and posted base pay. The site also publishes the aggregates: median pay by level, metro, company and kind of work, and which companies started hiring FDEs each week. Every page under https://nextmove.md/fde is served this way; the index of pages is https://nextmove.md/llms.txt. # Forward Deployed Robotics Engineer Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/99e90c246ae36568 Orchard Robotics posts a FDE role to integrate and configure the product, remote, hiring in California, at $135,000–$175,000 base, level with the mid-level FDE median of $149,000 across 106 postings with pay. Forward-deployed robotics engineer responsible for deploying, debugging, and developing tractor-mounted AI camera systems at customer farms. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026. - [Orchard Robotics](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/orchard-robotics) Posted May 26, 2025 by Orchard Robotics · open on Ashby as of Nov 8, 2026 **$135,000–$175,000** + equity Remote, hiring in California Full-time Forward-deployed robotics engineer responsible for deploying, debugging, and developing tractor-mounted AI camera systems at customer farms. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F99e90c246ae36568&placement=top) - [View posting at Orchard Robotics](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/orchard/b8f24465-3d29-446c-bac6-5ee49949a3b5/application) Free. Upload your resume once, see why each FDE role fits, and get introduced only when you say so. ## At a glance ### Posted base pay $135K–$175K Level with the median Midpoint $155K · median $149K This job $135K to $175K. Mid-level FDE postings, 106 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $123K to $162K, median $149K. ### The work Integrates and configures it Balance **Mostly building** Project stages 1. Pre-sales 2. Proof of concept (not covered) 3. Implementation 4. Operations Travel **Up to 50%** - **Coding**: Writes production code - **Builds for**: External customers - **Level**: Mid - **Role**: Individual contributor ### What they ask for Experience - **1+ years** relevant experience in industry or academia ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting asks for 1+ years. How many do you have? The posting reads as a mid-level role. What level are you at now? The work is remote from the US. Can you work from the US? Which of these have you used in production? Answer each one. 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[What postings ask for, by background →](https://nextmove.md/fde/paths) ## Conditions - **Location**: San Francisco, CA - **Work arrangement**: Remote - **Employment type**: Full-time - **Travel**: Up to 50% - **Pay**: ## More like this [AssemblyAI](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/assemblyai) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer, Triage](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/035e0d59cf07de8c) San Francisco, CA Hybrid 2w ago $115,000–$135,000 [Thatch](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/thatch) ### [Partner Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/f0e7fcf68f87dedb) Austin, TX · New York, NY · +1 more · US remote Remote 11d ago $160,000–$195,000 [Commure](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/commure) ### [Senior Forward Deployed Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/cd14e4328d349710) Mountain View, CA Remote 5mo ago $180,000–$230,000 ## The job description from Orchard Robotics Posted by Orchard Robotics on May 26, 2025 At Orchard, we’re securing America’s food supply by building the AI Farmer that automates our nation’s farms. We are the industry leader, growing rapidly, and backed by more than $25 million from leading investors, including Quiet Capital, Shine Capital, and General Catalyst. Every year, hundreds of billions of dollars in crop value are lost because critical farming decisions are made using incomplete and imprecise data. We’re building the technology to change that. Our AI-powered camera systems mount to tractors and scan millions of trees, vines, and plants, capturing precise data on yield estimates, fruit size, crop health, disease, and more. We train edge vision AI models that analyze every plant and determine exactly what interventions and treatments it needs. That intelligence flows into FruitScope OS, our farm-management platform, where growers can understand their crops, make better decisions, and direct operations in the field. Today, Orchard’s technology is trusted by some of our nation’s largest farms. They use our products to grow higher-quality crops while reducing chemical use and operating costs, helping them farm more profitably and sustainably than ever before. ### Our Culture: - **Unshakeable Resilience **– Our customers feed millions of people, and our customers depend on us. We are ultra-hardworking, never give up, and we do whatever it takes. - **Always Keep Moving** – We move fast, waste no time, and have an extreme bias towards action. Progress compounds every day, and our impact is measured in decades. - **Improve Everything** – At 1% success, we save millions of pounds of food from going to waste. If we are 100% successful we will impact the lives of billions of people across the world. - **Farmers First** – Every team member spends at least a few days in the fields with our farmers each month. - **No Job Beneath Us **– We’re low ego, own every outcome, and are all working towards the same goal. ### The Role: As a Forward Deployed Robotics Engineer at Orchard, you'll apply your cutting-edge robotics expertise at real-world farms. You'll deploy, develop, and implement our AI-powered camera systems in the fields. You'll spend about 50% of your time traveling to beautiful farms (apple orchards, vineyards, nut farms, strawberry farms, etc) across California, Washington, and occasionally other parts of the country. You'll work closely with our farmers, sales team, and engineers, rapidly solving problems and iterating on our technology in the fields. The remaining 50% of your time will be spent remotely, working with our core engineering team from home. You'll thrive if you enjoy technology and nature, are highly self-driven, and love engaging directly with customers. ### About the Role - Full-time, remote role with frequent travel (approximately 50% farm-based, 50% work-from-home). - Frequent flying/driving/hotel stays near farms, typically involving scenic drives of 1-3 hours to customer fields (all travel expenses fully covered by the company). - Many opportunities to directly influence product development. - Perfect if you are a hardcore engineer who also loves nature. - Comprehensive Health, Vision, and Dental coverage, and we cover 100% of the premium. - Our team is close-knit & highly driven, you’ll work directly with our CEO and entire team. - We’re deeply motivated by the impact we’re making – every line of code written or new system built means less food that goes to waste, and more people who are fed. ### What You'll Do - Deploy, debug, and develop the next generation(s) of our advanced, tractor-mounted camera systems at customer sites, ensuring they perform exceptionally in diverse farm environments. - Work closely with our farmers to deeply understand their operational needs, gather insights, and translate their feedback into real improvements. - Partner with our sales team during customer demonstrations to showcase Orchard's technology to new farmers. - Innovate and prototype creative solutions to unique problems encountered in the field, leveraging your robotics and engineering expertise. - Be a generalist, supporting different parts of our software and hardware stack if needed. ### What Makes You a Good Fit - 1-3 years of relevant experience in industry or academia. - Strong technical skills in robotics (Python, C++, embedded hardware, computer vision, localization, sensor fusion, or robotics hardware). - You don't mind frequent travel, spending time out in the fields, and love the outdoors. - Self-motivated, able to solve problems independently and thrive in unstructured environments. - Excellent interpersonal skills and genuine excitement about engaging with customers. - Must not have allergies to common agricultural products (nuts, apples, grapes, strawberries, blueberries) ### Bonus Points - Experience optimizing robotics algorithms for embedded platforms (e.g., NVIDIA Jetson). - Familiarity with agriculture or outdoor equipment. - Previous startup, outdoor adventure, or field deployment experience. If you're looking to help make a positive impact in the world by building the future of farming, come join us! [View posting at Orchard Robotics](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/orchard/b8f24465-3d29-446c-bac6-5ee49949a3b5/application) ## About Orchard Robotics Builds AI-powered, tractor-mounted camera systems and a cloud platform (FruitScope) that count, size, and diagnose billions of fruit for specialty-crop growers. Series A · 10–50 people ## Similar jobs [Chef Robotics](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/chef-robotics) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/c90e03bbf2ef439a) San Francisco, CA 3mo ago $130,000–$180,000 [Serval](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/serval) ### [Automation Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/98b34313aca32128) San Francisco, CA On-site 3mo ago $105,000–$170,000 [Salesforce](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/salesforce) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Data 360](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/fbd033c01eb80757) New York, NY · Chicago, IL · +9 more 2mo ago $88,970–$316,750 [Aircall](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/aircall) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer (AI Solutions) - NA West Market](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/db6729ff76ad04d1) San Francisco, CA Hybrid 3mo ago $120,000–$190,000 [Noble Machines](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/noble-machines) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/77d9339706f473d9) Sunnyvale, CA On-site 2mo ago $140,000–$195,000 - [Compare mid FDE salary ranges](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/mid-level) - [Similar jobs in SF Bay Area](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?region=sf-bay-area) - [Similar jobs that integrate and configure the product](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?role=technical-delivery) Hiring at Orchard Robotics and want this page changed or removed? 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