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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 14 October 2026.

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The team: Engineering HIRES STEADILY

This role is one of 246 open in Engineering. 180 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 (118 of 246), TypeScript (112 of 246), Python (103 of 246), React (92 of 246), Machine Learning (61 of 246), PostgreSQL (44 of 246), JavaScript (41 of 246)

OTHER ROLES ON THIS TEAM

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

About the role

About the Role

Join an early-stage government technology team building software to help law enforcement and prosecutors manage and analyze evidence. As a founding Forward Deployed Engineer, you will work closely with end users, solve immediate operational challenges, and bring frontline insights back into product development.

What You'll Do

  • Work directly with law enforcement and prosecutors to understand evidence management challenges and user needs.
  • Build practical solutions for specific problems, including custom integrations and one-off analyses.
  • Travel 25 to 75% of the time to work in person with customers and learn their workflows.
  • Translate customer feedback into implemented features, pull requests, and clear technical specifications.
  • Identify and solve problems independently in a fast-moving environment where priorities may shift.

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 needs and working directly with end users to turn their challenges into technical solutions.
  • Ability to work across the stack and deliver tailored solutions, even when they are not designed to scale broadly.
  • Strong ownership, sound judgment, and comfort operating with autonomy in an ambiguous environment.
  • Interest in public safety and willingness to engage with law enforcement workflows, including supporting background checks and CJIS clearance processes as needed.
  • Experience in government, law enforcement, criminal justice, defense, intelligence, or another regulated or sensitive domain is useful.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range is $130,000 to $215,000 annually. Compensation also includes a founding-level equity stake and performance-based bonuses. Visa sponsorship is available.

Location

This is a hybrid role based in San Francisco, California, with regular customer travel.

Other openings for this role

4 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

13 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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