Founding Forward Deployed Engineer at Valon in San Francisco, CA

Summary: Valon is building the AI-native operating system for regulated finance, starting with mortgage servicing. The Founding Forward Deployed Engineer will be the technical arm of strategic partnerships, building bespoke solutions that drive customer value and shape the core product. Responsibilities: - Own discovery and delivery end‑to‑end: scope, validate, build, deploy, and iterate in production - Accelerate deployments by building high-impact integrations and prototypes for our most strategic enterprise clients - Unblock revenue by solving the “last mile” of adoption—translating ambiguous needs into working software - Bridge product and GTM by embedding with sales, product, and customer success teams to shape deployments and inform roadmap - Act as the technical face with enterprise executives and operators; translate between business and code with credibility - Rotate between client‑embedded cycles and in‑house cycles to harden what you built and level up the platform - Build high‑leverage integrations, data pipelines, and bespoke features that become core product where it makes sense - Identify and help land true expansions post‑sale, using willingness‑to‑pay as the filter for what matters Required Qualifications: - You meet the same technical bar as our product engineers and have shipped meaningful systems - You've been a founder, FDE, or the first/early engineer who owned outcomes with customers - Experienced engineer: 1–7 years of software engineering experience, ideally with product ownership or startup DNA - Builder, not a theorist: You care about outcomes. You bias toward MVPs, fast iterations, and visible impact over perfect code - Comfortable with ambiguity: You can decompose fuzzy asks, prioritize independently, and execute without a spec - Customer-centric: You've worked directly with users or clients, and you can speak business and code - Owner mindset: You step up when something needs doing. You solve problems even when they “aren't yours.” - Candidates should apply if they are willing to be based out of NY or SF, while traveling to client locations 25-50% of the time Preferred Qualifications: - Former founders or early-stage engineers who've worn multiple hats - Engineers who've built customer-facing features or integrations end-to-end - Forward Deployed Engineers, Solutions engineers, GTM engineers, or those with experience in consultative technical roles - Experience with LLMs, APIs, system integrations, or complex enterprise deployments is a plus Required Skills: Software engineering, Product ownership, Customer-centric Important Skills: System integrations, APIs Nice-to-Have Skills: LLMs, Consultative technical roles, Ambiguity handling Benefits: Competitive salary with a meaningful stake in the company via equity, and 401k plan, We’ll invest in your physical and mental well-being with comprehensive medical, dental, & vision benefits, We offer pre-tax deductions for public transportation, rideshare services, and parking expenses to make your commute more affordable and convenient, Company wide orientation for you to successfully onboard and other learning & development opportunities including regular review cycles that feature 360 degree feedback, Quarterly budgets for team and company outings. Use it for team swag, cooking classes, or team dinners!, Flexible paid time off, sick days, and 11 company holidays, 12 weeks off for both birthing and non-birthing parents - fully paid so you can focus your energy on your newest addition