At a Glance
- Tasks: Build AI-powered software and collaborate directly with customers to turn ideas into reality.
- Company: Lovable, a fast-growing AI software creation platform with a vibrant culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic startup environment with significant career advancement potential.
- Why this job: Join a pioneering team and shape the future of software development with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in software engineering with strong coding and architectural skills.
The predicted salary is between 81000 - 99000 £ per year.
We’re looking for an experienced Staff Forward Deployed Engineer to help build the future of AI-powered software creation. You will be a founding member of our FDE function, working directly with our customers to translate ambitious ideas into real products. This is a hands-on software engineering role: you will design, write, and ship production code. It’s a unique opportunity to scale a new discipline from scratch and solve problems with AI that no one has solved before.
Lovable is the software creation platform that gives people the power to act on the problems closest to them. For decades, turning an idea into software required so much capital, technical fluency, and time that many ideas never came to life. Lovable is the counterargument: a platform for all people with ideas, ambition, and problems worth solving. From solopreneurs to small business owners to teams at companies like Adidas and Zendesk, people have built over 60 million projects on Lovable since its launch in November 2024.
We’re building a generational company from Stockholm, with growing teams in London, Boston, New York, and San Francisco. Our team is small, talent-dense, and moving quickly, with a culture rooted in extreme ownership, high velocity, and low-ego collaboration. We look for people who care deeply, ship fast, and are eager to make a dent in the world.
About the role:
- Most engineering roles place you either close to the product or close to the customer. This role gives you both.
- You’ll build alongside customers at the frontier of what Lovable can do, solving technically difficult problems across our frontend, backend and AI systems.
- The goal isn’t simply to make individual deployments successful: it’s to identify what should become part of the Lovable platform and then build it.
- As one of our first Forward Deployed Engineers, you’ll also help define the function - from its engineering standards and ways of working to how it collaborates with customers and our core product teams.
- If you want to stay deeply hands-on while shaping a product, a team and a new engineering discipline, this is that role. As you’ll be working directly with customers, travel up to 50% could be required depending on needs.
What we’re looking for:
- 8+ years of hands-on experience building and shipping production software
- Extensive software engineering skills across the application stack with a track record of writing maintainable, well-tested code and owning what you build in production
- Strong architectural thinking and familiarity with distributed systems
- Ability to prototype rapidly and turn successful experiments into production-quality solutions
- Exceptional product intuition and ability to work directly with users
- Comfort operating with high ambiguity, agency, and end-to-end ownership
Bonus if you’ve:
- Worked on agentic AI systems or built with LLMs before
- Led zero-to-one product development
- Worked in a founding or early startup environment
What you’ll do:
- Work directly with customers to understand their workflows, needs, and problems
- Turn ambiguous requirements into clear technical designs and working production systems
- Design, code, test, deploy, and operate solutions across Lovable’s frontend and backend
- Translate insights from real usage into foundational platform improvements
- Own projects end-to-end—from discovery and architecture through shipping and iteration
- Debug complex issues across application, infrastructure, and AI-system boundaries
- Shape how Forward Deployed Engineering operates at Lovable, including its engineering standards, rituals, and playbooks
- Contribute to core product strategy, technical decisions, and cultural foundations
Our Tech Stack:
- Backend: Golang & Rust
- Frontend: React, Typescript
- Cloud: Cloudflare, GCP, AWS, multiple LLM providers
- Tooling: Github Actions, OTEL, Grafana, Terraform, and more
We treat all candidates equally - if you’re interested please apply through our careers portal.
Staff Forward Deployed Engineer employer: FDE Times
Databricks is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic work culture centred around innovation and collaboration. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, you will have access to cutting-edge technology and opportunities to lead impactful projects in the data and AI space. Located in a vibrant tech hub, our team enjoys a supportive environment that encourages creativity and professional development, making it a truly rewarding place to advance your career.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Forward Deployed Engineer
✨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 FDE Times 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 FDE Times.
✨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 FDE Times.
✨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 FDE Times 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 Staff Forward Deployed Engineer
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 FDE Times.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at FDE Times 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 FDE Times
✨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 FDE Times 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.