$155,000–$190,000
Founding Forward Deployed Engineer
Published · Updated
$130,000–$215,000San Francisco, CAHybrid
Founding Forward Deployed Engineer responsible for building production software and rapid custom solutions for sensitive investigative workflows.
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View posting at CleraAt a glance
Posted base pay
$130K–$215KBelow the median
Median $190K
This job$130K–$215KTypical senior FDE payMiddle 50% of 1,491 postings$160K–$222KThe 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 Up to 75%
- Coding
- Writes production code
- Builds for
- External customers
- Level
- Senior
- Role
- Individual contributor
What they ask for
Experience
Background
Tools
Visa
Less common in FDE jobs
- Sponsors visas26%
- Hybrid38%
- Individual contributor or manager: Individual contributor45%
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 public safety technology team building software for sensitive investigative workflows. As a Founding Forward Deployed Engineer, you will work directly with law enforcement and prosecutors, solve frontline problems, and bring what you learn back into product decisions.
What You'll Do
- Work with law enforcement and prosecutors to understand evidence management challenges and user needs.
- Build practical solutions for immediate problems, including one-off analyses and custom integrations.
- Travel 25% to 75% of the time to meet users in person and learn from their workflows.
- Turn customer feedback into pull requests, implemented features, and clear technical specifications.
- Operate with autonomy in a fast-moving environment where priorities and requirements may change.
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.
- A track record that includes at least 3 years at a strong organization or program and at least 2 years at an early-stage startup.
- Experience building full-stack software that directly addresses user problems in production.
- Experience working directly with end users and translating their needs into technical solutions, including tailored analyses or integrations.
- Comfort with high autonomy, ambiguity, and shifting priorities.
- Interest or experience in government, law enforcement, criminal justice, defense, or other regulated and sensitive domains is valuable.
- Willingness to support FBI background check and CJIS clearance processes as needed.
Compensation & Benefits
Annual salary range: $130,000 to $215,000 USD. The package includes founding-level equity, performance-based bonuses, and visa sponsorship.
Location
Hybrid in San Francisco, California. Remote arrangements may be considered for exceptional candidates, with regular travel required.
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