Forward Deployed Engineer - Supply Chain Solutions
Flexport · San Francisco, United States · 1mo ago
About Flexport:
At Flexport, we believe global trade can move the human race forward. That’s why it’s our mission to make global commerce so easy there will be more of it. We’re shaping the future of a $10T industry with solutions powered by innovative technology and exceptional people. Today, companies of all sizes—from emerging brands to Fortune 500s—use Flexport technology to move more than $19B of merchandise across 112 countries a year.
The recent global supply chain crisis has put Flexport center stage as we continue to play a pivotal role in how goods move around the world. We are proud to have the support of the best investors in the game who believe in our mission, solutions and people. Ready to tackle global challenges that impact business, society, and the environment? Come join us.
At Flexport, we are building the unified Supply Chain Operating System for global trade. While traditional SaaS companies sell static dashboards and walk away, Flexport's Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) embed directly on the frontlines with enterprise clients (such as Fortune 500 retailers, automotive manufacturers, and tech giants) to solve high-stakes supply chain challenges.
You are an operational strike-team leader who sits at the intersection of full-stack software engineering, applied AI, operations research, and executive client strategy. Deployed to client command centers and logistics hubs, you will connect fragmented enterprise data, architect solutions, and build agentic AI systems that optimize real-world cargo moving across ocean, air, and land.
You won't just write code in a vacuum, you will embed with client engineering leaders and VPs of Supply Chain, map messy operational reality into production software, and deploy autonomous workflows that directly eliminate millions in logistics waste.
You Will
- Embed & Map: Travel to client sites to map end-to-end supply chain processes, audit legacy systems, uncover hidden financial leaks, and translate complex operational constraints into technical architectures.
- Design and build production solutions spanning customer applications, internal tools, APIs, data pipelines, decision-support systems, and workflow automations connecting directly to client ERPs (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite), WMS, and TMS systems
- Build & Deploy Applied AI Solutions: Design and ship production-grade AI applications, agentic LLM workflows, and decision engines.
- Solve Complex Mathematical Optimization: Apply optimization algorithms and analytical methods to real-world logistics challenges to problems such as routing, mode selection, inventory positioning, container utilization, consolidation, and exception prioritization.
- Own the 90-Day Sprint Lifecycle: Drive high-velocity deployment sprints, taking solutions from discovery and architecture to live production deployment, operator adoption, and verified hard-dollar ROI measurement.
- Productize the Field: Partner closely with Flexport core Product and Platform Engineering teams to turn custom, field-tested client builds into reusable platform capabilities for our global logistics engine.
- Bridge Engineering & Operations: Work side-by-side with frontline logistics teams at ports, cross-docks, and client sites to validate code in live operational workflows, train users, and ensure lasting adoption.
- Drive Executive Decisions: Communicate technical trade-offs, system architecture, and financial outcomes directly to client technical leaders and C-suite executives.
You Should Have
- Educational Background: BA/BS degree or equivalent practical experience in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, or a related technical field.
- Full-Stack Production Engineering: 4+ years of professional software engineering experience building customer-facing or mission-critical applications (Python, TypeScript/React, SQL, REST/GraphQL APIs, relational databases, and event-driven architectures).
- Hands-on AI & Systems Experience: Demonstrated ability to build and integrate AI/ML solutions (LLM orchestration, agentic workflows, machine learning models, or mathematical optimization solvers).
- Data & System Architecture Mastery: Strong skills in designing data models, pipeline transformations (ETL), API integrations, and event-driven workflows across complex enterprise software architectures.
- Customer-Facing Drive: Passion for going on-site, whiteboarding complex workflows with executive stakeholders, sitting with frontline operators, and building deep trust with technical and business teams.
- Systems Thinking & Problem Solving: Ability to reason through messy real-world data, imperfect operational dependencies, and economic trade-offs under high-ambiguity conditions.
- Bias for Action & Ownership: High autonomy, self-starter mentality, and a track record of delivering end-to-end projects with measurable financial or operational impact.
- Mobility: Willingness to travel to customer headquarters and logistics sites as needed to work directly on the operational frontline.
Bonus Points (What Will Make You Stand Out)
- Domain knowledge in global supply chain, ocean/air freight, customs compliance, warehousing, inventory management, or trade financing.
- Background in Operations Research (linear programming, network optimization, route planning, queueing theory) and enterprise implementation
- Prior experience as a Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Architect, Technical Consultant, or Founding Engineer in a fast-paced environment
Location: San Francisco, CA (up to 50% travel required)
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Commitment to Equal Opportunity
At Flexport, our ability to fulfill our mission of making global commerce easy and accessible relies on having a diverse, dedicated and engaged workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, health status, marital and family status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
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