V

Valdera

Digital matchmaking for specialized chemicals procurement

Forward Deployed Engineer

Full-Time
$150k - $200k/yr
Mid
San Francisco, CA, USA
HybridHybrid work in San Francisco is required.
Solution EngineeringImplementation & Technical Account Management

About the job

Requirements
  • Solid engineering fundamentals and experience shipping production software.
  • Ability to work effectively in ambiguous customer environments and determine the fundamentals needed for each implementation.
  • Ability to communicate clearly in writing and verbally with customer procurement teams, customer technology teams, and the internal engineering team.
Responsibilities
  • Own the technical side of customer relationships from discovery and implementation through integration, workflow configuration, and go-live.
  • Conduct customer discovery to locate customer data, understand its structure and rules, and determine how to connect it to Valdera.
  • Build integrations with customer enterprise resource planning, procurement, and finance systems, including SAP, Oracle, Coupa, and Ariba.
  • Run technical calls end to end, covering discovery, architecture, live debugging, and executive readouts.
  • Handle enterprise data challenges including inconsistent formats, schema mismatches, validation, retries, and graceful degradation.
  • Prototype quickly and harden successful prototypes into scalable, production-ready solutions.
  • Adapt to global time zones to support customers globally.
Desired Qualifications
  • Prior forward-deployed, solutions, sales, or implementation engineering experience at an enterprise software company.
  • Familiarity with procurement, finance, or enterprise resource planning ecosystems, especially SAP; familiarity with Oracle, NetSuite, Coupa, or Ariba is a plus.
  • Familiarity with chemical or raw materials procurement, Harmonized System codes, or Chemical Abstracts Service numbers.

About the company

Valdera operates a digital marketplace for specialized chemicals and raw materials. It connects buyers such as manufacturers and R&D teams with suppliers through a matchmaking platform, allowing buyers to submit custom formulation requests that are routed to relevant suppliers. Suppliers gain privacy protection and access targeted buyers without exposing their full catalogs, while the platform digitizes catalogs and automates product information to keep offerings current and compliant. Revenue comes from matchmaking fees, workflow automation, and digital-organization tools, with potential premium features; the goal is to streamline procurement in the specialized chemicals market and enable efficient, private connections and fast, accurate product fulfillment aligned with eco-friendly trends.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$15M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2020

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Valdera launched AI agents in July 2026 for spend, tariffs, logistics, and negotiation.
  • Procurement Magazine cited 14% average savings and 30–40% faster product launches.
  • Univar Solutions partnership and major-brand traction validate a sticky enterprise buying motion.

What critics are saying

  • ChemCloud, Kemiex, and Specright attack Valdera’s workflow and sourcing wedge.
  • Procurement teams can bypass Valdera if SAP Ariba and distributors digitize faster.
  • If customer concentration stays high, losing one Fortune 500 account hits revenue sharply.

What makes Valdera unique

  • Valdera owns chemical-specific AI workflows, from specs to RFQs to supplier qualification.
  • Index Ventures led Valdera’s $15 million Series A in October 2024.
  • Valdera serves Fortune 500 manufacturers across CPG, beauty, pharmaceuticals, and industrials.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Stock Options
  • Unlimited Paid Time Off
  • Remote Work Options
  • Wellness Program

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

40%

1 year growth

40%

2 year growth

40%
VCNewsDaily
Oct 4th, 2024
Valdera Announces $15M Series A Round

PORTLAND, OR, Valdera, the AI-driven sourcing platform for chemicals and raw materials, today announced it has raised $15 million in Series A funding, led by Index Ventures.

FundingBlogger
Oct 4th, 2024
Valdera Announces $15M Series A Round

PORTLAND, OR, Valdera, the AI-driven sourcing platform for chemicals and raw materials, today announced it has raised $15 million in Series A funding, led by Index Ventures.