Startups · AI

Forward Deployed Engineer

AviaryAI · Chicago, IL · On-site

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About AviaryAI

Outbound AI voice agents for the financial services industry. Backed by Y Combinator.

About the role

A forward deployed engineer takes a signed contract and turns it into a live AI agent making real calls and texts, then improves it until it achieves the client's goals. You sit between the client and the platform. When the platform doesn't do something a client needs yet, you don't wait on a ticket. You build the fix yourself, scoped tightly to that client. When the ask is bigger than one client, you scope the problem precisely and hand it to engineering instead of hacking around it.

What they're looking for

  • High-Agency Mindset: Takes initiative without waiting for direction. You proactively identify key outcomes, make a plan, and follow through to ensure measurable results
  • Technically Fluent: Comfortable shipping small scripts or automations against real production data. Experience with prompting and evaluating AI outputs. And a functional understanding of data flows and how systems integrate
  • Strong Communicator: Communicates effectively to both technical teams and executives by simplifying complexity without losing nuance
  • Client Advocacy: Able to quickly build trust and navigate competing priorities. Proven ability to develop long-term relationships
  • Adaptable Under Pressure: Skilled in resolving complex issues in dynamic, high-stakes environments
  • Fast Learner: Quickly grasps new concepts, tools, and domains, accelerating the path to impact and staying ahead in evolving technical and business contexts
More about this role

AviaryAI builds voice agents for credit unions, banks, and insurers — real calls, real members, real compliance requirements. Backed by Y Combinator, growing fast, millions of calls made.

A forward deployed engineer takes a signed contract and turns it into a live AI agent making real calls and texts, then improves it until it achieves the client's goals.

You sit between the client and the platform. When the platform doesn't do something a client needs yet, you don't wait on a ticket. You build the fix yourself, scoped tightly to that client. When the ask is bigger than one client, you scope the problem precisely and hand it to engineering instead of hacking around it.

This is a technical role that also manages the relationships, aligns the stakeholders, and earns the trust that makes the work possible.

Own deployment outcomes. Configure the agent: prompts, call flow, transfers, guardrails, SMS fallback — launch it, and optimize until it hits target and holds.

Build what's missing. When a client's problem needs more than config, write and ship the script or small automation that closes the gap. Know the difference between a fix that's yours to build and a problem that needs to go...

Read the full posting on AviaryAI's site ↗

Engineering

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