Forward Deployed Software Engineer

Join us on our mission to redefine robotics development

Fid Labs lets coding agents impact the physical world by building agent infrastructure for simulation, testing, and observability tools. We aim to make robotics software development as fast as vibe coding a web app.

We are backed by leading investors including 8VC, our customers are on the forefront of aerospace and defense, and our team members’ backgrounds include Anduril, MIT, Nvidia, Tesla, and Yale.

About the role

As a Forward Deployed Software Engineer at Fid Labs, you will embed directly with our customers to build and deploy AI infrastructure that transforms how they develop robotics software. You'll split your time between customer sites and our New York office, working hands-on to understand complex robotics workflows, identify bottlenecks in their development cycles, and build custom solutions using our agent platform. Beyond implementation, you'll serve as a trusted technical partner for customers, gathering product feedback, shaping our roadmap based on real-world deployment challenges, and rapidly prototyping new capabilities.

The position is based in New York City with significant travel to customer sites (expect 30-50% travel). You'll work closely with the founding team, experiencing all aspects of building a startup while directly shaping the future of robotics developer tools.

What You'll Do

• Architect and deploy custom agents, MCP integrations, and tool interfaces that accelerate customers' development cycles

• Work within secure cloud and on-premises computing environments, ensuring solutions meet stringent security and compliance requirements

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers, building trust and long-term partnerships through responsive support and continuous iteration

• Rapidly prototype new capabilities based on customer needs, translating field insights into product improvements that benefit our entire customer base

• Debug production issues in unfamiliar codebases and environments, moving quickly from problem identification to solution deployment

• Collaborate with the founding team on product strategy, go-to-market decisions, and company-building beyond just engineering

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with at least 3 years of experience developing backend and systems software (C++, Python, C, Rust)

• Experience writing embedded software or otherwise working with robots, unmanned aircraft, autonomous vehicles, or other physical systems

• Experience building or working with LLM applications, AI agents, or developer tooling

• Demonstrated ability to thrive in ambiguous, customer-facing situations where requirements emerge through conversation and iteration

• Demonstrated ability to continuously learn, work independently, and make decisions with minimal supervision

• Comfort diving into unfamiliar technical domains and quickly internalizing their paradigms and vocabulary

• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences, from engineers to executive stakeholders

• Willingness to travel 30-50% of the time to customer sites across the United States and internationally

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or active Green Card holder and comfortable working with customers in the defense industry (this also means we are unable to sponsor any visa)

Salary

The salary range for this position is estimated to be $135,000-$200,000/year. Total compensation for this position may also include equity, sign-on bonus and other potential future incentives. Further note that total compensation for this position will be determined by each individual’s relevant qualifications, work experience, skills, and other factors. This estimate excludes the value of any potential sign-on bonus; the value of any benefits offered; and the potential future value of any long-term incentives.

Benefits

• 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance plans for employees

• Flexible vacation policy

• Commuter benefits

• Lunches provided in office