Forward Deployed Engineers | Multiple roles across Z47 portfolio companies

Over the last few months, almost every AI-first founder in our portfolio has asked us for the same person.. an engineer who can sit with a customer, find the real problem behind the stated one, and ship production code to solve it.So rather than one JD for one company, this is an open call.How this worksThis is not a role at one specific company. We have multiple Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) roles open across our portfolio, from very early-stage software and AI startups to scaling teams.The first step is a conversation with the Human Capital team at Z47. We’ll understand what you have built, what you want next, and where you’d do your best work. Then we introduce you to the companies where we think the fit is strongest. One conversation, multiple doors :-)All roles are based in India for now.A note from meFDE is still a new space, and honestly, we are learning too. Every conversation teaches us something about what great looks like in this role.So when we speak, I will also be keen to learn from you… what you have learnt doing this work so far, what makes it different from a regular engineering role, and what you wish founders understood about it. If you’ve done the job, your view will help us shape how our portfolio builds these teams.What you’d typically doEmbed with customers and own deployments end to end, from discovery to productionBuild integrations, data pipelines, agents and internal tools, whatever the deployment needsTranslate between business and engineering, including with senior customer stakeholdersFeed what you see in the field back into the productWho we’d love to meet3–10 years of experience, with production systems you have built and ownedTime in a customer-facing build role: FDE, solutions or implementation engineer who codes, or founding/early engineer at a startupStrong in Python and/or TypeScript, SQL, APIs and cloud, with hands-on LLM or agent workPeople who say “I fixed it” more than “I raised a ticket”Ex-founders and 0 to 1 builders.. high on our listGood to haveExperience at companies known for FDE work, or at AI-native startupsDomain depth in areas like fintech, enterprise SaaS, voice AI or healthcareWhy talk to usYou get a view across many well-funded teams in one go, and a Human Capital team that will be honest about fit, not just push an open role. Even if you aren’t actively looking, happy to have a conversation.. I’d love to learn from you.Our portfolio is here for a closer look:https://www.z47.com/https://www.devc.com/To apply: You can also write to me with your profile and one line on something you built for a customer that you’re proud of.Onwards!Rupali