Needle Chat Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

AI is reshaping how every company operates, but most enterprises are stuck between "exciting prototypes" and "real systems that are safe, governed, and observable." Our client sits squarely in that gap: they help large organizations roll out AI agents, tools, and workflows without losing control of security, identity, or data. Their platform provides a unified way to run agent frameworks, skills, and tools with enterprise-grade security, granular governance, and deep observability. They are well-funded by top-tier investors and already working with recognizable technology-forward customers, but still small enough that every hire moves the needle

The team is roughly two dozen people, mostly engineers, shipping quickly and working very close to where AI actually touches production systems. As a Forward-Deployed Engineer, you will own the technical side of turning interest into live usage. You will lead POCs, debug gnarly integrations, and partner directly with customer engineering and security teams to get from "this is cool" to "this is running in prod." Why this role is compelling Impact: When a proof of concept becomes a production deployment, it will be because you made it work end-to-end

Excellence: You'll work alongside engineers who understand both deep infrastructure and enterprise sales motion, operating at the intersection of the two. Ownership: You will own customer outcomes-from the first technical deep dive through successful rollout and early adoption. What you'll do Lead technical outcomes for enterprise POCs, from scoping to success criteria to implementation.

Run pre-sales deep dives, demos, and architecture working sessions with customer engineering and security teams. Troubleshoot integrations in complex environments (identity, access, networking, security tooling, observability). Design and build custom configurations or one-off solutions when the standard implementation path is not enough.

Run onboarding and enablement sessions to get customer teams comfortable building on the platform. Be the go-to technical expert in the room during sales cycles, handling hard questions from senior engineers and architects. Requirements 5+ years in a forward-deployed / solutions / sales engineering / consulting-type role, ideally with a strong CS or software engineering background.

Real technical depth: you can read, write, and debug production-grade code independently, not just wire up demos. Hands-on experience building or integrating AI agents or AI-powered workflows, with opinions on architecture, memory, and tool design. Depth in at least one relevant area such as identity and auth, security tooling, agent frameworks, protocol / integration design, networking, deployment, or observability.

An AI-native working style-you use AI tools to build faster and better, not just as a chat interface. Executive presence: you're comfortable sitting across from senior technical and business leaders, asking sharp questions, and steering the conversation. High agency and ownership: when something is blocked, you push it forward, pull in the right people, and keep going until it's solved.

Bonus points Prior experience in a similar role at a high-growth B2B SaaS or infrastructure startup. Open-source work, writing, or talks related to agents, identity, policy, security, or adjacent infrastructure topics. Benefits What our client offers Competitive salary and meaningful equity, calibrated to the impact and visibility of this role.

Generous paid time off, including vacation, sick time, and parental leave. Budget for conferences, courses, and certifications across AI, enterprise software, and customer-facing excellence. High-end equipment and tools to support how you work best.

Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage. Direct exposure to innovative customers who are actually putting AI into production, and the chance to see your work deployed in their environments.