Forward Deployed Engineer
Scalera · Zürich
Forward Deployed Engineer
About Us
Scalera is an ETH Zurich spin-off building AI-powered procurement software for the €200B+ European construction industry. Our platform automates supplier selection, tender management, and bid evaluation, already processing over CHF 8bn in tender volume for 110+ customers across Switzerland, Austria, and Germany.
We’re a small, fast-moving team that works closely with users and applies genuinely new AI techniques to complex, real-world problems. We're growing our team and looking for an engineer who's excited about building the infrastructure behind intelligent procurement.
The Role
As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you'll operate at the intersection of engineering, product, and customer success. You'll work directly with construction companies and suppliers to understand their tender workflows, then build and deploy the automations, integrations, and AI-powered solutions that solve their real operational problems. Working closely with the CEO, CTO, VP Engineering and Customer Success, you'll be one of the primary drivers of workflow innovation across our customer base.
This is a hands-on, on-site role. You'll spend significant time at customer locations across Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, embedding with their teams to see workflows firsthand and build solutions in context. Regular travel is a core part of the job, not an occasional add-on.
The problems we work on are rarely solved with off-the-shelf tools. We value engineers who are comfortable exploring, iterating, and discovering the right solution through experimentation, often side by side with the customer.
What You’ll Do
Work directly with our customers (construction companies and suppliers) to analyze tender workflows, uncover automation opportunities, and design technical solutions for real operational problems
Travel to and work on-site at customer locations across the DACH region, embedding with their teams to understand operations and deliver solutions in context
Build and deploy customer-specific automations, integrations, and AI-powered workflows using our platform stack (React, Next.js, Python/FastAPI)
Rapidly prototype solutions, validate them in production, and generalize high-impact use cases into scalable platform features for the broader customer base
Act as the technical bridge between customers and the core product team, feeding back product insights, edge cases, and feature opportunities from real-world usage
Own projects end-to-end: discovery → implementation → launch → iteration, while maintaining high engineering standards through CI/CD and testing
Run workshops, demos, and technical deep-dives with customers independently
What we're looking for
4+ years of experience as a FDE or product engineer in B2B SaaS or technical environments
Strong ability to understand messy real-world workflows, discuss technical solutions directly with customers, and translate requirements into production software
Customer-facing communication skills, with the confidence to run workshops, demos, and technical deep-dives on your own
A proven ownership mindset: you take ambiguous problems from zero to a shipped solution without needing heavy structure, helping to drive product–market fit along the way
Passion for problem discovery and finding creative angles to solve them, while staying in close touch with the engineering team
Willingness and ability to travel regularly to customer sites across Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, with extended on-site stays as needed
Excellent German (C1 minimum, near-native) and excellent English, both written and spoken, to work effectively with customers and the team
Clear communicator and strong team collaborator
Nice to have
Experience in solutions engineering, forward-deployed engineering, or technical consulting roles
Exposure to construction tech, procurement systems, or ERP integrations
Hands-on experience with LLM tools, workflow automation, or document intelligence pipelines
Familiarity with Python, FastAPI, Django, GCP or large-scale data platforms
Working at Scalera
Switzerland or Germany as your home base, with regular travel to customer sites across the DACH region.
Small team, no bureaucracy. You'll work directly with the people making decisions.
Competitive salary and equity.