Space Executive
Forward Deployed Engineer
Requirements
The ideal candidate should have strong skills in TypeScript, modern frontend frameworks, and backend services in Python, along with experience in AI integration. A background in startup environments and the ability to handle ambiguity and customer interactions are also important.
Job Description
Forward Deployed Engineer — Series A-Track Deep Tech Startup
London (In-Person) | 996 Schedule — San Francisco Model
The Opportunity: One of the most exciting early-stage companies in the UK right now is on a mission to eliminate the last great barriers to progress in the physical world. While software has transformed how we communicate, shop, and entertain — industries like aerospace, healthcare, and energy are still being held back by outdated, manual systems. This company is changing that.
They're building the infrastructure that lets complex, real-world work move at software speed — and they're looking for builders who want to be at the centre of it.
The Backing: This isn't a bet — it's a sure thing in the making. The company recently closed a $4.5M seed round that was 14× oversubscribed, backed by Tier-1 VCs with founding teams from Coinbase, Reddit, Klarna, and Spotify. A Series A is on the immediate horizon. You'll be joining at the exact right moment — early enough to have genuine equity impact, late enough to know the fundamentals are proven.
The Team: World-class. Former founding engineers from unicorn companies, and talent from X, Google, Amazon, and Yandex. High standards, high trust, zero politics. This is a team that wants to win — and has the track record to do it.
The Role: This is not a ticket-taker position. As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you are the bridge between customers and product. You will sit with users, decide what should exist, build it end-to-end, and put it in their hands — fast.
You'll own real product surface area from Day 1. That means customer calls in the morning, shipping to production in the afternoon.
What you'll actually do:
- Embed with customers to understand their real workflows — not what they say they want, but what they actually need
- Design and build end-to-end user workflows, from UI through to backend logic and data
- Translate messy, real-world processes into clean, intuitive software
- Integrate AI-powered features — LLMs, agents, model-backed APIs — into production workflows
- Write the spec, build it, ship it, own it
What We're Looking For
Technically:
- Strong TypeScript and modern frontend (React or equivalent)
- Backend services in Python
- Production AI integration experience (LLMs, agents, model-backed APIs)
- Ability to reason about complex workflows — not just CRUD
Culturally:
- You want ownership, not a job description
- You're comfortable with ambiguity and evolving requirements
- You can hold your own on a customer call with non-technical domain experts
Strong plus:
- Founder or ex-founder background
- Palantir, Ramp, Scale, or similar forward-deployed / solutions engineering experience
- Fellowship alumni: EF, YC, Antler, or equivalent
- Early-stage or stealth startup experience
The Deal:
- 📍 In-person, London — visa sponsorship available
- ✈️ Relocation fully covered — visas, meals, and tools handled
- ⏱️ 996 schedule (San Francisco model) — this is a high-intensity, high-reward environment for people who want to build something that matters
- 🚀 Equity at a pre-Series A valuation with 14× oversubscribed seed momentum behind it
If you want a 9-to-5, this isn't it. If you want to build something that changes how the physical world operates — and you want to do it with some of the best engineers in the room — let's talk.
Skills
About Space Executive
Space Executive is a multi-disciplinary, award-winning international executive search and selection recruitment agency. With offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and London the company specialises in recruiting senior management and executive-level personnel. We work with Multinationals, Financial Services, Technology, Healthcare, FMCG, Consultancy, Insurance, Venture Capital & High Growth or Equity-Backed companies across Leadership and General Management, Technology and Change Management, Chief Operating Officer and Governance, Management Consultancy and Sales & Marketing positions. Space Executive has been recognised for its exceptional work and service delivery in recruitment; its awards include Best Places to Work in 2019, Recruitment International Best Newcomer 2016, Global Recruiter Asia Pacific Gold Award 2016, and was ranked Most Socially Engaged Staffing Agency in both 2016 and 2017 by LinkedIn. Our clients include Sequoia Capital, Airwallex, Ant Group, Credit Suisse, Standard Chartered, Goldman Sachs, Lazada, Dyson, Diageo, PWC, William Grant, YUM Brands, WeWork, Allianz and Johnson & Johnson; they choose Space Executive because of our ability to recognise that Your Space is Our Space.