Forward Deployed Builder

Forward Deployed Builder

Full-Time 81000 - 99000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Ema

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Transform enterprise productivity by embedding AI solutions in real-world business processes.
  • Company: Join a cutting-edge AI company founded by industry leaders from Google and Coinbase.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, and opportunities for global travel.
  • Other info: Dynamic role with excellent career growth and the chance to shape the future of AI.
  • Why this job: Be at the forefront of Agentic AI and make a real impact across continents.
  • Qualifications: Technical skills, persuasive communication, and a product-minded approach are essential.

The predicted salary is between 81000 - 99000 £ per year.

About Ema

Ema is building the world’s leading Agentic AI platform to transform enterprise productivity. We enable organizations to delegate repetitive tasks to Ema, the Universal AI Employee, delivering 10x gains in workforce efficiency, across functions. Founded by former executives from Google, Coinbase, Flipkart, and Okta, our team includes engineers from premier tech companies and graduates of Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley, CMU, and IITs. We are backed by industry leading investors including Accel, Naspers/Prosus, Section32, and angels like Sheryl Sandberg and Dustin Moskovitz. Headquartered in Silicon Valley and with offices in London, Bangalore and Vancouver, Ema is at the frontier of what Agentic AI can do in production — we ship real systems that run real business processes at scale.

The role

The ideal forward deployed builder is a composite. Not a software engineer, not a product manager, not a solutions architect or a salesperson — but able to draw on any of these to solve the customer’s problems, in the customer’s building, on the customer’s data.

Ema is building the Universal Agentic Control Plane — the layer where enterprises turn messy, human-run business processes into AI Employees that actually do the work. The platform is powerful. The bottleneck is people who can walk into a customer’s world, see what should be automated, and make it real. That’s this role.

We’re looking for a Forward Deployed Builder to embed inside our customers and partners, find the highest-value opportunities for agentic automation, solution them, build the demo, win the deal, and then stay to implement it in production. You go in alone, armed with your wits, your skills, and the most powerful agentic platform on the market. We’ll train you hard before you deploy. After that, the territory is yours.

This is not a support role behind an account team. You are the account team, the solutions architect, and the builder, compressed into one person on the ground. Very few people in the world are doing this today. You’d be among the first.

Where you’ll be

Embedded, in-person, where the work is. You’d work in rotational deployments between your home office and the customers you’re embedded with across EMEA and North America. That could mean six months in London, followed by another six in Bangalore, with six more in New York. If the idea of a rotating tour across EMEA and North America lights you up, keep reading.

What you’ll actually do

  • Hunt for the work worth doing. Sit inside the customer’s operation, learn how they really run, and identify the processes where agentic automation creates outsized value.
  • Solution it. Take a tangled, real-world business process and design it into a clean, streamlined agentic flow on Ema.
  • Build the demo. Get your hands dirty and actually build a working demo — a proof that makes the value undeniable.
  • Win the technical conversation. Read the room in the moment that matters, own every technical objection, and prove the thing works.
  • Implement it. Turn the won deal into a live, production agentic workflow the customer trusts and adopts.

Who you are

We don’t care about a rigid list of years and titles. We care that you’re:

  • Technical enough to write some code and use our agentic platform to build a real demo.
  • Persuasive enough to read an audience and weave a captivating story that ties their pain points to Ema’s value proposition.
  • Product-minded enough to look at a chaotic business process and see the beautiful, streamlined agentic flow hiding inside it.
  • AI-first enough in your day-to-day to drive the impact of ten people.

The archetypes who would thrive in this role

  • The Management Consultant who wrote code at some point in their life.
  • The Product Manager who’s tired of owning a sliver and wants to live the entire journey of solving a user’s problem.
  • The Engineer who’s ready to leave the safety of a Jira backlog.
  • The Ex-Founder who’s shelved the startup for now and wants to keep their edge sharp.
  • The Wildcard who fits none of the above, but has both the burning passion and the proven skill to deliver.

Why this role, why now

Agentic AI is the biggest shift in enterprise software in a generation, and the playbook for deploying it is being written right now. This is your shot to be one of them: to build the muscle, own real outcomes at real companies across two continents, and come out the other side as one of the most capable operators in the agentic world.

Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for variable compensation, equity, and benefits.

Ema Unlimited is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetics.

Forward Deployed Builder employer: Ema

Ema is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture, perfect for those looking to make a significant impact in the AI space. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, we offer ample opportunities for professional development and collaboration within cross-functional teams. Located in the UK, our fast-paced startup environment encourages creativity and agility, making it an ideal place for passionate engineers to thrive and contribute to cutting-edge solutions.

Ema

Contact Details:

Ema Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Forward Deployed Builder

Join Local Tech Meetups

Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Ema or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!

Contribute to Open Source Projects

Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Ema.

Tap into Online Developer Communities

Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Ema.

Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles

Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Ema that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!

We think you need these skills to ace Forward Deployed Builder

Technical Skills
Coding
Problem-Solving
Persuasion
Communication Skills
Product Management
Business Process Design

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.

Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Ema.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Ema and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!

Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!

How to prepare for a job interview at Ema

Brush Up on Your Coding Skills

For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.

Know Your Tools and Frameworks

Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Ema uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.

Showcase Your Projects

Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.

Prepare for Behavioural Questions

While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.