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Realm builds AI-powered software for the mining industry, integrating with existing mine infrastructure (cameras, SCADA systems, drones, data repositories) to predict equipment failures, detect unsafe behaviors, and optimize operations. The company was founded by former Palantir engineers and leaders from Blend Labs and Uber, operating as a fully remote, AI-first engineering team.
As the first Forward Deployed Engineer, you will be the technical point of contact for customers in the field, owning integrations, onsite deployment work, and translating real-world operational needs into robust technical solutions. Approximately 25% of your time will be spent onsite with customers across the US, embedding with users to understand workflows, constraints, and integration requirements.
Key responsibilities include: building ground-truth understanding of customer operations by shadowing frontline teams; rapidly prototyping tools and integrations in the field to validate ideas and solve urgent problems; troubleshooting complex operational and systems issues in varied, sometimes degraded environments; translating field insights into clear technical requirements for the engineering team; leading all technical integration work including APIs, data pipelines, hardware/software interfaces, and security-sensitive deployments; working closely with engineering to ensure features align with real-world operational needs; representing customer technical realities internally; decomposing ambiguous problems into well-scoped technical workstreams; ensuring customers succeed in mission-critical contexts; informing product and engineering teams with field observations and frontline feedback; and contributing to the foundation and culture of Realm's forward deployed engineering function.
Required qualifications: 2+ years of software engineering or forward deployed/mission operations experience with a record of shipping impactful work; strong technical fluency and ability to work closely with engineers (comfortable reading, writing, and debugging code); low ego and high EQ with exceptional collaborative instincts; experience working directly with enterprise, industrial, government, defense, or security-critical products; strong coding skills and computer science fundamentals; mastery of core development/infrastructure/DevOps tools (Git, Linux); demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional problem solving and drive projects from inception to delivery; ability to thrive in ambiguous environments with strong prioritization and structured thinking; excellent written and verbal communication skills; strong data instincts; hands-on prototyping and AI-assisted coding skills; ability to move fast and tackle ambiguous problems; US-based (citizen preferred or permanent resident).
Nice-to-have qualifications include: onsite customer experience in field/operational environments; background deploying software to industrial or government settings; familiarity with mobile/web applications, cloud infrastructure, IoT/industrial systems, or real-time data pipelines; experience navigating sensitive or mission-critical customer environments; expertise in mining or industrial safety regulations.
