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Clera

Founding Forward Deployed Engineer

San Francisco
Salary
$130,000 - $215,000 annually
Level
Mid
Work type
On-site · San Francisco
Visa
Sponsors visas

Open. First seen 21 October 2026.

Apply on the company's site →

About the role

About the Role

Join a small, early-stage public safety technology team as a founding forward deployed engineer. You will work alongside customers to address evidence management challenges, delivering practical solutions and bringing frontline insights into product decisions.

What You'll Do

  • Work directly with law enforcement professionals and prosecutors to understand their evidence workflows and technical challenges.
  • Build solutions for immediate user needs, including one-off analyses and custom integrations.
  • Spend 25% to 75% of your time traveling to meet customers and observe their workflows.
  • Translate customer feedback into code, product features, and clear technical specifications.
  • Adapt quickly as priorities and requirements evolve in an early-stage environment.

What We're Looking For

  • At least 3 years of software engineering experience building and delivering production systems, including experience at an early-stage startup.
  • Experience building software that addresses real user problems and working directly with end users to turn their needs into technical solutions.
  • Comfort operating across the full stack and delivering practical analyses, integrations, or other focused solutions.
  • High autonomy, a bias toward action, and the ability to work through ambiguity and shifting priorities.
  • Founding-stage technical leadership experience or a notable achievement demonstrating strong ownership.
  • Interest in public safety and government technology; experience in regulated or sensitive domains, investigative workflows, or government technology is helpful.
  • Willingness to support required background checks and the CJIS clearance process.

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $130,000 to $215,000 annually. Founding-level equity and performance-based bonuses are available. Visa sponsorship is available.

Location

Hybrid in San Francisco, California, with New York City also listed as a location. Regular customer travel is expected. Remote arrangements with regular travel may be considered for exceptional candidates.

The team: Engineering HIRES STEADILY

This role is one of 385 open in Engineering. 319 were posted in the last 30 days and the oldest in March: a team that hires all year rather than one being built.

WHAT THE TEAM WORKS WITH, ACROSS ITS POSTINGS

LLM (162 of 385), Python (160 of 385), TypeScript (151 of 385), React (122 of 385), Machine Learning (92 of 385), PostgreSQL (70 of 385), JavaScript (66 of 385)

OTHER ROLES ON THIS TEAM

From the team and dates on Clera's own job board.

Other openings for this role

6 open postings for this role in San Francisco, first posted 9 September 2026. The company is likely hiring for more than one position. None has been taken down and posted again.

Salary context

14 other open postings titled Founding Forward Deployed Engineer state a salary: median USD 160,000 to USD 250,000 a year.

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