SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Dryft builds AI models that automate complex human decisions in manufacturing operations. The company captures knowledge from experienced operators across supply chain, production planning, and engineering, then uses simulation and AI to help manufacturers optimize their business. Customers include some of the world's largest robotics, machine, and component manufacturers.
As Founding Forward Deployed Engineer, you will split your time 50/50 between engineering and direct customer interaction. This is a high-ownership role with unusual early responsibility. You will lead full-stack product rollouts end-to-end—from scoping and onboarding through integration and training—while aligning IT teams, engineers, and C-level executives across Germany, the EU, and the US. You'll work hands-on with users to translate their operational pain points into product improvements, prototype features, and write production code. Every deployment becomes a blueprint for scale: you'll turn learnings into reusable product features, data models, and playbooks, with potential to grow into roles like Chief Product Officer or Chief Operating Officer.
The role demands someone who thrives in complexity, ships working solutions under pressure, and can navigate stakeholders from IT to the C-suite. One day you're integrating a legacy ERP system; the next you're on a flight to a shop floor in Mexico; in between you ship the fix. You'll earn trust through structure, polish, and clear documentation, while remaining relatable to both shop-floor operators and boardroom executives.
Tech stack: Frontend (TypeScript): React, Chakra UI v3, TanStack Router, TanStack Query, Vite. Backend (Python): FastAPI with Pydantic v2, Temporal, Postgres with pgvector, Dagster. AI: Pydantic AI, Langfuse.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 2+ years of fast-paced experience in a top-tier role (e.g., consulting), as a founder, or as an early employee in a high-growth startup
- Technical degree or background; engineer first—you write production code and understand systems end-to-end
- Product-minded: ability to translate operational pain into product features
- Hustler attitude: thrive in messy, high-pressure environments with tight deadlines
- Quality-obsessed: hold yourself to a high bar, dive deep into problems, care about getting it right
- Ultra-professional and detail-obsessed: earn trust through structure, polish, and clear documentation
- Crisis communicator: calm impatient executives, win over skeptical IT leaders, remain composed under pressure
- Down-to-earth and relatable: bond easily with shop-floor operators and boardroom executives alike
- Relocation required: ready to work onsite in Munich or San Francisco (visa support provided), with 10–30% travel
