Forward Deployed Engineer

ABOUT THE ROLE This is a hands-on, customer-facing engineering role at a Y Combinator-backed AI startup automating quoting and order processing for distributors and manufacturers. You will own every technical dimension of a customer deployment, from sales handoff through go-live, acting as the bridge between a fast-moving product team and enterprise clients with complex, real-world systems. Your work directly determines whether customers succeed with the product. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Own the full technical implementation of the platform for each customer, from initial handoff to live deployment. - Configure and fine-tune AI models for customer-specific use cases, including prompt engineering and model behavior adjustments. - Structure customer data and build system integrations with ERP platforms such as SAP and various REST/GraphQL APIs. - Develop prototypes to demonstrate new features or solve emerging customer problems, then evolve them into scalable solutions. - Engage daily with technical teams, senior business stakeholders, and end users to translate their needs into engineering decisions. - Surface product gaps and recurring patterns to the core engineering team, acting as the voice of the customer internally. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR - C2 or native-level German fluency, required for daily stakeholder and user communication. - Solid professional engineering experience with strong full-stack ability across Python, React, TypeScript, SQL, and data pipelines. - Experience integrating enterprise systems, including ERP platforms, REST/GraphQL APIs, webhooks, or B2B SaaS implementations. - Practical experience working with LLMs, AI agents, and prompt engineering, including adapting model behavior to specific domains. - Demonstrated ability to wrangle messy, inconsistent real-world data and establish reliable structures under time pressure. - Customer-facing technical experience, with the ability to communicate clearly to both engineers and senior business audiences. - High agency and ownership mindset, comfortable with ambiguity, imperfect data, and legacy systems. - Willingness to work on-site in Munich in a fast-paced, high-intensity environment. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS Salary range: 80,000 to 130,000 EUR annually. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role. LOCATION On-site in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Remote work is not available for this position.