Forward Deployed Engineer, Sift
$105-150k
+ Equity
More information about location
4 days a week in office (Marina Del Rey, CA)
Unified observability for modern hardware
Be an early applicant
Unified observability for modern hardware
21-100 employees
Be an early applicant
$105-150k
+ Equity
More information about location
4 days a week in office (Marina Del Rey, CA)
21-100 employees
Company mission
To provide the tools that engineering teams need to efficiently manage hardware data and build the machines of the future.
Role
Who you are
- We’re looking for an engineer who thrives in dynamic, customer-facing environments and is passionate about industries like aerospace, autonomous systems, and renewable energy
- 2+ years of experience in software engineering or data engineering
- Proficiency in Python and familiarity with REST APIs
- Basic understanding of data analysis and visualization techniques
- Strong problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to diverse audiences
- Passion for aerospace, autonomous systems, or advanced engineering applications
- Eagerness to learn and adapt in a fast-paced startup environment
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, engineering, math, physics, or a STEM discipline
- Someone with a customer-first mindset who’s excited to solve real-world engineering problems in the field
- An engineer who thrives in ambiguity and can adapt quickly to evolving customer needs
- A collaborative team player who can work effectively with customers, engineers, and go-to-market teams to drive impact
- US Person Required: Must be a U.S. Citizen or Green Card Holder due to ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) / EAR (Export Administration Regulations) compliance requirements
Desirable
- Aerospace systems, satellite operations, or autonomous vehicle development
- Data streaming technologies or time-series databases (e.g., Kafka, InfluxDB)
- SQL and database concepts
- Cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure)
- Software integration challenges in complex systems
- Machine learning or AI applications in engineering
- Demonstrated ability to quickly learn and apply new technologies
What the job involves
- Forward Deployed Engineers bridge the gap between Sift’s cutting-edge telemetry platform and our customers’ complex engineering challenges
- In this role, you’ll work directly with customer teams to adapt Sift’s capabilities to their needs, build custom solutions, and foster deep partnerships
- You’ll collaborate with product and engineering teams to translate customer requirements into actionable insights, ensuring our platform evolves to meet real-world demands
- This is a rare opportunity to join an early-stage startup and directly impact the success of next-generation machines
- You will report to our Forward Deployed Engineering Lead and play a critical role in delivering value to our customers
- Partner with customers to understand their technical challenges and adapt Sift’s platform to meet their specific needs
- Develop custom solutions and integrations using Sift APIs to solve customer problems
- Translate customer requirements into actionable feedback for product and engineering teams
- Create and maintain integrations with common engineering tools to enhance customer workflows
- Prepare materials and assist in technical onboarding and training sessions for customer teams
- Build strong, trust-based relationships with customers, acting as a technical partner and advocate
Our take
Sift develops tools to accelerate and ensure the reliability of complex machines. Its platform processes hardware sensor data, providing automated analysis and detailed reports to identify and explain potential issues. This enables users in aviation, defense, energy and transportation to enhance system reliability and comply with regulatory requirements more efficiently.
The platform automates manual data review, which both enhances reliability and speeds up development. Customers like Astranis and Parallel Systems use Sift's observability stack to turn sensor data into actionable insights, which would have likely remained undiscovered when using other systems.
With several rounds of funding to its name, Sift is poised to expand its manufacturing automation suite to integrate sensor data with manufacturing information. This will enable it to assist with anomaly detection and performance analysis. It is also making advancements with AI integration for regulatory compliance, which sets it up as a key innovator in the space.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Mar 2026
$42m
SERIES B
Jun 2024
$17.5m
SERIES A
Total funding: $67m
Company benefits
- Unlimited PTO
- Free lunch, snacks, & coffee
- Top-tier health insurance: Medical, Vision, & Dental
Company HQ
El Segundo, CA
Leadership
Karthik Gollapudi
(CEO)Previously a Dragon Flight Software Lead at Spacex and a Full-Stack Engineer at Information Sciences Institute.
Austin Spiegel
(CTO)Previously a Software Engineering Manager at Riot Games. Prior to that, they worked at SpaceX in various Software Engineering roles.
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