Forward Deployed Engineer at Emerge Career in New York, NY

Who We Are:

Emerge Career’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty and incarceration. We’re not just building software; we’re creating pathways to real second chances. Through an all-in-one platform deeply embedded within the criminal justice system, we recruit, train, and place justice-impacted individuals into life-changing careers.

Our vision is to become the country’s unified workforce development system, replacing disconnected brick-and-mortar job centers with one integrated, tech-powered solution that meets low-income individuals exactly where they are. Today, the federal government spends billions annually on education and training programs, yet only about 70% of participants graduate, just 38.6% secure training-related employment, and average first-year earnings hover around $34,708.

By contrast, our seven-person team has already outperformed the job centers in two entire states (Vermont and South Dakota) in just the past year. With an 89% graduation rate and 92% of graduates securing training-related employment, our alumni aren’t just getting jobs—they’re launching new lives with average first-year earnings of $77,352. The results speak for themselves, and we’re just getting started.

Before Emerge, our founders Zo and Gabe co-founded Ameelio, an award-winning tech nonprofit that is dismantling the prison communication duopoly. Backed by tech luminaries like Reid Hoffman, Vinod Khosla, and Jack Dorsey, and by major criminal-justice philanthropies such as Arnold Ventures and the Mellon Foundation, Ameelio became a recognized leader in the space. Because of this experience both Zo and Gabe understood what it took to create change from within the system. After serving over 1M people impacted by incarceration, they witnessed firsthand the gap in second-chance opportunities and the chronic unemployment plaguing those impacted by the justice system. Emerge Career is committed to solving this issue.

Our students are at the heart of our work. Their journeys have captured national attention on CBS, NBC, and in The Boston Globe, and our programs now serve entire states and cities. And we’re not doing it alone: our vision has attracted support from Alexis Ohanian (776), Michael Seibel, Y Combinator, the Opportunity Fund, and public figures like Diana Taurasi, Deandre Ayton, and Marshawn Lynch. All of us believe that, with the right mix of technology and hands-on practice, we can redefine workforce development and deliver true second chances at scale.

Why We Do This:

Emerge Career was designed to tackle two systemic issues: recidivism, fueled by post-incarceration unemployment and poverty, and labor shortages in key industries. Over 60% of formerly incarcerated people remain unemployed a year after incarceration, seeking work but not finding it. The reality is shocking, workforce development programs are severely limited inside prison, with only one-third of incarcerated people ever participating. To worsen, the available prison jobs offer meager wages, often less than $1 per hour, and often do not equip individuals with the skills for long-term stable employment.

We’re looking for a Forward Deployed Engineer — someone who can think like a founder, ship like an engineer, and operate like a field strategist.

You’ll be embedded in the launch of new vocations from scratch — identifying market needs, engaging stakeholders, prototyping tools and systems, and turning early experiments into scalable programs that become part of our national blueprint.

This is not a traditional software engineering role. You’ll code, but you’ll also do fieldwork: interviewing partners, testing assumptions, talking to students, and designing MVPs that unify strategy, ops, and technology. You’ll bridge the gap between our engineering team and our new program initiatives — ensuring what we build serves real people, in real contexts, with measurable impact.

What You’ll Do

1. Strategy & Discovery

• Operate as a first-principles thinker: conduct market and vocational research to identify high-opportunity trades where Emerge can build new pathways.
• Validate new vocation ideas using labor market data, wage trends, licensing requirements, and employer demand.
• Define success metrics and “kill-switch” criteria for each new program before launch.

2. Stakeholder Engagement

• Engage directly with external partners — training vendors, employers, and credentialing bodies — to ensure programs are designed with end-to-end alignment.
• Translate stakeholder feedback into actionable product and operational requirements.
• Collaborate with internal ops and coaching teams to ensure field readiness for pilots.

3. Development & Prototyping

• Prototype MVPs for early-stage tools, systems, and automations supporting each new vocation (using React, TypeScript, Retool, Zapier, and AI-native tools).
• Collaborate with other engineers to translate prototypes into scalable, production-ready systems.
• Collect field data and user insights to refine both the technical and operational blueprint.

4. Program Launch & Scale

• Lead the “first cohort” for each new vocation, combining product, data, and human touch to ensure success from enrollment through employment.
• Build dashboards, automations, and integrations that make early manual processes scalable.
• Document and codify what works — turning pilot learnings into SOPs, playbooks, and reusable infrastructure.

Who You Are

You’re a hybrid builder and strategist. You think in systems but execute quickly, balancing field insight with technical rigor.

You’re mission-driven. You want your code to change lives, not just metrics.

You’re entrepreneurial and resourceful. You thrive in ambiguity and can go from idea to prototype in days.

You’re empathetic and curious. You talk to users, partners, and teammates with the same energy you bring to debugging.

You’re tech-forward but human-first. You automate when possible but know when to show up personally.

• You’re a first-principles problem solver. You don’t accept “that’s how it’s done” — you find a better way.

Requirements

Willing to relocate and work in-person in New York City

Experience taking a project from 0 → 1, whether as a founder, early engineer, or independent builder

Strong proficiency in React and TypeScript

Demonstrated ability to conduct market research and validate new ideas

Experience engaging external partners or customers directly

• Excitement for building AI-native features that enhance—not replace—human work

Bonus Points

Experience in ed-tech, workforce development, or government technology

• Experience with workflow automation tools (Zapier, N8N, Retool, Customer.io)
• Experience launching or scaling vocational or training programs
• Comfort working with justice-involved or low-income populations

Benefits

• Competitive salary and meaningful equity
• Full medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Relocation support to New York City
• Paid work trial (2–5 days, $500/day, travel covered)

About the Interview Process

1. Intro Call: 20-min
2. Technical Interview: Systems Design (45 min)
3. Technical Interview: Pair Programming (45 min)
4. Getting to know you (60 min)
5. Reference checks (3–4 people)
6. Paid work trial onsite (2–5 days)