Senior Forward Deployed Engineer (Spatial AI & Edge Systems)

Senior Forward Deployed Engineer (Spatial AI & Edge Systems) Location: Remote (U.S.) | Must reside near a major U.S. airport hub Compensation: $165,000 Base + Performance Commission ($210,000 – $250,000 OTE) Travel: Up to 40% (Autonomous, short 1–2 day deployment trips) Work Authorization: U.S. Citizenship Required (Security compliance) Our client is building real-time spatial intelligence layer for the physical world. What they actually do is ingest live video and sensor feeds from existing security camera networks in massive industrial environments This is a commission-incentivized engineering role designed for a highly technical Python backend expert who loves winning deals, deploying bleeding-edge tech, and directly sharing in the financial upside. You will own complex Proof of Concepts (POCs) from soup to nuts, face off with enterprise technical champions, and ensure our platform delivers undeniable business value. Role Overview We are seeking a commercially minded Senior Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to serve as the primary technical interface between our Spatial AI platform and enterprise client environments. You will not be sitting in a back-office lab writing theoretical models; you will build, deploy, and debug real-time software that converts live computer vision feeds into physical operational hardware actions. You will own technical Proof of Concepts (POCs) end-to-end—ingesting high-frequency detection feeds, writing stateful Python microservices, controlling physical devices, and ensuring operational reliability in noisy, real-world environments. Core Responsibilities • Build Stateful Edge Integration Applications: Develop production Python applications that poll high-frequency event feeds, manage state transitions, and trigger physical actuators/signals (e.g., beacons, alerts, webhooks). • Filter & Stabilize Noisy Sensor Data: Implement state machines, hysteresis, debouncing, and temporal memory algorithms to handle missing frames, flickering bounding boxes, and model confidence drops. • Lead Enterprise POCs & Technical Scoping: Face off directly with enterprise client stakeholders to translate operational problems into technical requirements and deployable logic. • Document Trade-Offs & Debug Field Issues: Write clear architectural decisions (DECISIONS.md), document assumptions, and collaborate with internal vision R&D teams when field data diverges from expected performance. • Maintain Automated Test Suites: Deliver clean, modular, and testable code backed by pytest suites simulating live event streams and edge replays. Required Qualifications • 5+ Years of Production Software Engineering: Heavy backend expertise in Python (FastAPI, Flask, httpx/requests, asynchronous/threaded workflows). • Event-Driven & State Machine Architecture: Practical experience building stateful controllers, queue/cadence processors, or real-time event-stream ingestion pipelines. • Sensor/Vision Data Pragmatism: Understanding of real-world computer vision/IoT limitations (e.g., handling low-confidence detections, bounding box noise, and API delivery gaps). • Client-Facing & Pre-Sales Engineering DNA: Background in Solutions Engineering, Technical Consulting, or Forward Deployed roles where you have presented technical solutions to non-technical business leaders. • Testing & Quality Mindset: Demonstrated practice of test-driven development (pytest, mocking API endpoints) and clean code organization. • Full-Stack & Database Exposure: Familiarity with REST APIs, JSON/SQL data structures, and modern front-end frameworks (React/Next.js) for visualization dashboards. What Will Make You Stand Out • Direct experience writing edge-integration software or working with video analytics platforms (e.g., OpenCV, RTSP streams, spatial bounding boxes). • Prior experience managing stateful hardware integrations, IoT actuators, or industrial automation signals. • A track record of identifying platform/data discrepancies during client deployments and professionally communicating root-cause analyses. Nice-to-have: • Pre-Sales / Client-Facing DNA: Prior experience in a Solutions Engineering, Technical Consulting, Pre-Sales, or Forward Deployed role.