Forward Deployed Engineer

About Artisan

We're building AI employees. Not chatbots. Not copilots. Autonomous digital workers that do real jobs.

Our first, Ava, is an AI BDR used by hundreds of companies. She researches leads, writes and sends emails in a customer's voice, runs multi-step outbound sequences, manages her own deliverability infrastructure, self-optimizes over time, and handles objections and meeting booking. She's not a tool someone uses. She's a teammate.

We're a YC W24 company, have raised $35M+ from investors including Y Combinator, and are at $9M+ ARR. We just launched Ava 2.0, a step change in what an AI employee can do. The engineering problems are hard and the surface area is enormous.

Role overview

You'll be the bridge between Artisan and our most strategic customers - part engineer, part consultant, part trusted advisor. You'll work directly with sales, success, and product to ensure customers get maximum value from Ava.

Scoping how Ava fits into each customer's GTM stack: what we replace, what we integrate with, and what the ideal workflow looks like

Engineering customer-specific features and integrations across our TypeScript full-stack codebase

Managing end-to-end implementation, partnering closely with customer success managers to drive adoption

Traveling to customer offices for in-person discovery, scoping sessions, and onboarding

Joining sales calls to provide technical credibility and help close complex deals

Staying hands-on throughout the customer lifecycle - from pre-sales through expansion - ensuring customers see real, measurable ROI

Feeding customer insights back to product and engineering to shape our roadmap

Location: On-site in New York City or San Francisco (with frequent travel to customer sites)

Team: Forward Deployed Implementation

Reports to: Meghna Sharma, Forward Deployed Lead

Who you are

3+ years as a forward-deployed/solutions engineer, field engineer, or full-stack engineer

Strong TypeScript experience across the stack (Node.js, React, or similar frameworks)

Comfortable leading technical conversations with RevOps leaders and sales teams

Ideally experience integrating with CRMs, marketing automation tools, and sales tech (Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, etc.)

You thrive in ambiguity - scoping problems, architecting solutions, and shipping them fast

Excellent communication skills: you can explain complex systems to non-technical stakeholders and dive deep with engineers

Willingness to travel frequently (up to 50%) to meet customers where they are

Interview process

Introductory chat with our recruiter

15-minute interview with Meghna, our Forward Deployed Team Lead

60-minute technical interview with our engineering team

45-minute interview with Meghna, our Forward Deployed Team Lead

30-minute culture and values interview with Jaspar, our CEO

Our culture and values

Founder mindset. Everyone acts like an owner: take initiative, think big, challenge ideas, and push for 10× outcomes

Obsessed with impact. We apply the 80/20 rule, kill sunk costs quickly, and focus on what actually moves the needle

Customer-first, always. Every decision is made with the customer experience at the center

High standards, every detail. Quality matters in everything we ship, from product and code to copy and design

Clear, direct communication. We value candor, fast responses, and feedback

Winning team energy. We bring positive vibes, low ego, zero drama, and genuinely enjoy building together