Forward Deployed Engineering Lead

Company Overview Promise modernizes how government agencies and utilities support people in financial difficulty. We build technology that makes it simple for residents to receive benefits, engage with assistance programs, set up flexible payment plans, and stay on track—while helping agencies increase efficiency, recover revenue, and deliver services with dignity. Our mission is to transform public systems so they work better for everyone, especially the most vulnerable. Our team includes experts from companies like Palantir, Google, Stripe , and esteemed government leaders. We work hard and believe deeply in what we do. We're looking for excellent people to build innovative, resilient technology. Backed by over $50 million in funding from top investors – such as Reid Hoffman, Howard Schultz, Michael Seibel, Y Combinator, 8VC, The General Partnership, First Round Capital, Kapor Capital, XYZ Ventures, and Bronze Investments – Promise has been recognized as one of Fast Company's "World's Most Innovative Companies of 2022,” “Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2024,” and Y Combinator’s #1 GovTech startup. ABOUT THE ROLE Promise is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineering Lead who wants to build where it matters most, alongside critical service providers in government and utilities, delivering essential outcomes for folks across the country. You’ll operate at the front lines of major deployments, working directly with customer stakeholders to scope problems, untangle legacy systems, and ship production code that works in the real world. You’ll thrive in high-ambiguity, high-stakes environments—making smart tradeoffs, moving quickly, and turning messy constraints into scalable solutions. You’ll also build and lead a strong team of Forward Deployed Engineers—setting a high bar for execution, coaching through complex problem-solving, and fostering a culture of ownership, trust, and continuous improvement. This role is about owning outcomes: unblocking launches, closing product gaps, and building a team that delivers results where it counts. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Build and lead an exceptional team of Forward Deployed Engineers. Manage and mentor FDEs with a high bar for execution, fostering deep ownership, sharp thinking, and a culture of trust, direct feedback, and shared problem solving. - Own customer engagements end-to-end. Scope the problem, design the solution, write the code, ship it, and make sure it works in production. Translate unclear requirements into clean technical execution. - Build forward from the outcome. Start with the real-world result we need to achieve and work backward—across product, data, integrations, and process—to make it happen. Write backend code, debug APIs, clean data, configure workflows, jump on customer calls, or patch a script at 10pm before launch. No job is “not yours.” - Own the last mile. Ensure what we build actually works in production, in real environments, with real users. - Balance speed with judgment. Know when to ship a scrappy v1 and when to invest in long-term foundations. - Be the calm in the storm. Debug issues live, unblock stakeholders, and keep momentum during high-stakes launches. - Turn scrappiness into systems. Turn hard-won deployment lessons into reusable tooling and product improvements. - Think critically. Challenge assumptions, spot risks early, and make pragmatic calls that balance speed and durability. WHAT WILL HELP YOU SUCCEED - 6+ years fielding real production solutions (strong backend and systems fundamentals). - You’re deeply hands-on and happiest close to the code and the real-world problem. - You’re comfortable in front of customers and credible with technical stakeholders. - You don’t wait for perfect specs—you ask sharp questions and move. - You can hold complexity in your head and simplify it. - You’re ambitious and want to build infrastructure that actually matters. WHO THRIVES AT PROMISE YOU’LL LOVE IT HERE IF: - You are energized by big, complex challenges and th