Forward Deployed Software Engineer

Note: We ask all applicants to submit a short Loom video (5-10 minutes) as part of the application. Details are included at the bottom of this posting. Applications without a video will not be considered.

Company Description

Onetera is building the AI-native platform powering the next generation of local government services.

Our mission is to redesign how communities interact with government agencies. We believe a world is possible where anyone is one conversation away from any local public sector service — with a level of personalization, accessibility, and proactiveness that has never existed before.

Role Description

As a Forward Deployed Software Engineer at Onetera, you will build and deploy AI-powered systems directly with government partners. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, product, and real-world problem solving.

You will work closely with city departments and agencies to understand complex operational problems, translate those into software systems, and rapidly iterate on solutions in production environments.

This role involves recurring on-site collaboration with government partners across California and future states we serve.

This is a highly autonomous role for engineers who enjoy operating close to real users and solving ambiguous problems.

Qualifications

• 3+ years experience building production full-stack SaaS applications

• Strong experience with TypeScript and modern web architectures

• Familiarity with AI / ML concepts such as LLMs, inference pipelines, or RAG systems

• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking

• Ability to communicate complex technical ideas to non-technical stakeholders

• Comfortable working collaboratively with both internal teams and external partners

• Experience shipping products quickly and iterating in real-world environments

Application Process

Please record a short Loom video (5-10 minutes) answering the questions below and email the Loom link to [email protected].

Subject line:

Application – Forward Deployed Software Engineer – [Your Name]

In the video, please answer the following:

1. Explain a complex technical system you built or worked on, but explain it as if you were speaking to a non-technical government official.

2. Tell us about a time when a customer or stakeholder had a vague or poorly defined problem. How did you determine what needed to be built?

3. Describe a situation where you had to rapidly modify or build a system based on real-world feedback.

4. What’s a problem space or technology trend you’re genuinely obsessed with right now, and why?

5. How would your last team describe the energy or dynamic you brought and can you give a specific example?

If possible, please share your screen and briefly walk us through a system, product, or codebase you worked on.

We care much more about how you think and communicate than polished presentation.