Forward Deployed Engineer

The Role As one of the first Forward Deployed Engineers at Meticulous, you'll work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with our core engineering team at our London headquarters and help define how this function operates from the ground up.

The FDE team is still small and the playbook is still being written – you’ll be instrumental in shaping the processes, tooling, and best practices that the function runs on as it scales.

You will work directly with engineering leaders at the world's most AI‑driven companies, understanding their unique architectures and crafting solutions that work for their specific needs.

This role demands an unusual combination of deep technical expertise and entrepreneurial drive; you’ll be writing high‑performance code one day and presenting architectural decisions to VPs of Engineering the next.

Core Responsibilities Architect and deploy at scale : Work with a customer to understand their full architecture, design implementation strategies that fit their systems, and pair with their engineers to deliver them.

Own the technical relationship and lead the pilot : Be the technical lead to engineering leadership (VPs Eng, Staff+ engineers) at each customer – driving scoping, integration, and rollout.

Guide the direction of the product based on what you learn in the field : As you see how the product performs and how engineers' workflows evolve, work out what we need to build to unlock the next level of automating software development and ship improvements.

Build the playbook : The FDE function is still being defined.

You’ll be instrumental in establishing the processes, tooling, and best practices that make each deployment smoother and faster than the last.

What We're Looking For Exceptional engineering skills : Typically 3+ years in a demanding technical role, but we’ll consider exceptional candidates with 1+ years.

Highly agentic : You have a bias to action, move fast, take ownership, and get frustrated when things stall.

Strong communication skills : Can explain complex technical concepts to both engineers and executives.

Willingness to travel : Approximately 25% travel to customer sites.

This role is not for you if… You want a pure IC engineering role with no customer contact.

You need structured handoffs, clear specs, and a defined process to follow.

You expect regular hours and no travel – our team, customers and investors span SF, London, and NYC.

You want engineering work that's insulated from customers and their problems.

Senior IC at a top tech company ready to leave the bureaucracy behind and own real customer outcomes end‑to‑end.

Ex‑founder or technical founding engineer who wants to keep the founder‑energy but plug into a company with product‑market fit and a clear path to scale.

Forward Deployed Engineer at Open AI, Scale, or Anthropic looking for an earlier‑stage version of the same work.

Solutions architect or staff engineer who wants more deep engineering and less Power Point.

What You’ll Gain Help build a new function, define how the team operates, and have a clear path into leadership as the function grows.

Exceptional growth You grow through the people you work with and the experiences you’re exposed to.

Collaborate with world‑class engineers from large tech companies.

Spend time with engineering leaders at fast‑growing tech firms, gaining a wide range of insights.

Join a small team on an exceptional trajectory with unique growth and networking opportunities.

Expand your network Our investor network is one of the most active in tech – we’ll use it to connect you with the best in the industry.

World‑class compensation Base salary £150K‑£300K plus significant equity.

Unlimited food