Forward Deployed Engineer

POSITION DESCRIPTION

This is not a traditional sales engineering or software development role. As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you are at the critical intersection of our code, our clients, and their most critical missions. You will be deployed to our most strategic partners, embedding within their environments to solve high-stakes problems that have no textbook answers.

You own the "last mile" of our product's impact , ensuring our technology fundamentally transforms how our users confront challenges such as financial crime, supply chain disruption, and threats to national security.

You are equal parts engineer, strategist, and operator. One day you might be architecting a data pipeline within a client's cloud environment ; the next, you'll be writing production Python to integrate our API into a proprietary analytics platform ; and by the end of the week, you could be briefing a C-level executive, intelligence analyst, or mission director on the outcomes your work has enabled.

You thrive on ambiguity, operate with extreme ownership, and are relentless in your pursuit of delivering real-world value. You will act as a vital conduit between the front lines and our core engineering teams, turning your bespoke solutions into scalable, platform-wide features of Sayari’s product suite.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Embed and Build: Deploy directly into our clients' technical ecosystems and work with key stakeholders to understand their unique workflows, technical environments, and mission challenges. Design, build, and ship production-grade code. You will write robust Python applications, advanced SQL, and leverage our APIs to solve bespoke challenges at the edge.
• Own the Outcome: Lead the entire technical lifecycle of our most strategic deployments, from initial discovery and architectural design to implementation and operationalization. You are responsible for ensuring our platform delivers tangible, mission-critical value.
• Be the Tip of the Spear: Serve as the primary technical authority for our clients. You'll lead deep-dive technical workshops, debug complex systems, and act as a trusted, hands-on advisor on how to best leverage Sayari's platform to achieve their objectives in real-world investigations and missions.
• Engineer Solutions for the Mission: Deconstruct ambiguous, high-level mission requirements into concrete technical solutions. Architect and implement scalable data models and workflows, ranging from building robust data pipelines into client persistence layers (Snowflake, Databricks, etc.) to developing custom Python scripts and prototyping AI/ML models.
• Shape Our Product: Act as the vital conduit between the front lines and our core engineering teams. You will translate complex, real-world operational needs and feedback into the next generation of Sayari's platform.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Required:

• 5+ years of experience in a client-facing, technical role (Forward Deployed Engineer, Sales Engineering, Solutions Architecture, Technical Consulting, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to write clean, production-ready code, with strong proficiency in programming languages (preferably Python) and its data manipulation ecosystem (Pandas, etc.).
• Deep fluency in writing and optimizing complex SQL queries.
• Hands-on, practical experience consuming, integrating, and reasoning about RESTful APIs.
• Professional working fluency with both Japanese and English 
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to bridge the gap between code and mission. You can articulate highly technical concepts with clarity and conviction to engineers, analysts, and senior leaders alike.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate ambiguous, complex scenarios.
• A relentless drive and intellectual curiosity. You are comfortable parachuting into new environments and learning new technologies on the fly.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a technical field strongly preferred

Desired:

• Practical experience leveraging AI, including prompting Large Language Models (LLMs) or using their APIs to build analytical solutions.
• Experience building and deploying solutions on cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with the modern data stack (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks) and workflow orchestrators (e.g., Airflow, Prefect).
• Knowledge of graph data technologies (Neo4j, TigerGraph) and their corresponding query languages.
• Exposure to machine learning applications, particularly in NLP or entity resolution.
• Experience in, or a demonstrated passion for, high-stakes domains such as AML/Financial Crime, Supply Chain Risk, or National Security.
• Ability to travel up to 30%

The target base salary for this position is ¥15,150,000 to ¥16,150,000 plus commission and equity. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including location, local market variances, candidate experience and expertise, internal peer equity, and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Benefits: 

Pay Range 151500 - 161500 JPY