Forward Deployed Engineer, Boston
Protex AI · Boston
The physical world generates an extraordinary amount of data, yet most of what happens inside manufacturing and logistics sites remains invisible to the systems that run them.
At Protex AI, we're changing that.
We're building Site Intelligence, an AI platform that connects cameras, enterprise systems and operational knowledge to give businesses a real-time understanding of what's happening across their operations.
Our computer vision technology transforms video into structured operational data, while AI agents turn that data into insights, investigations and actions. We're helping some of the world's largest enterprises improve safety, eliminate inefficiencies and increase productivity.
We've built a strong foundation in safety. Now we're expanding into a much bigger opportunity: using AI to fundamentally change how industrial operations are understood, managed and optimised.
Interested in creating a new category with us? We're looking for high-agency people who thrive in ambiguity, move quickly and care deeply about solving real problems.
As the first Forward Deployed Engineer in our Boston office, you have a premier opportunity to spearhead technical leadership at a fast-paced startup.
The Role
This is not a traditional software engineering role.
As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you'll sit at the intersection of engineering, product and our customers, turning complex operational challenges into working AI-powered solutions.
You'll work directly with enterprise customers, understand their problems, get hands-on with their data and build solutions that deliver measurable business outcomes.
One week you might be combining computer vision and enterprise data to understand why throughput is falling. The next, you could be building an AI agent that investigates production bottlenecks or prototyping a capability that becomes part of the core Protex platform.
You'll have access to our computer vision infrastructure, enterprise data layer, AI agents and development tools to move quickly. You'll be expected to push the boundaries of what's possible with modern AI engineering tools.
But you won't just build what customers ask for. You'll explore their data, challenge assumptions and uncover opportunities they didn't know existed.
You'll be an engineer, a problem solver and a product builder. What you build in the field will directly shape what Protex builds next.
What You'll Do
Build and own customer solutions
Work directly with customers to understand their operational challenges and translate ambiguous problems into working technical solutions.
Own solutions end-to-end, from technical discovery and rapid prototyping through to production deployment and handover.
Build full-stack applications, AI agents, integrations and workflows on top of the Protex platform.
Connect enterprise systems and data sources, combining operational context with computer vision to unlock new capabilities.
Validate technical feasibility during pre-sales and build proofs of value where needed.
Push the boundaries of applied AI
Build with LLMs, vision-language models, agentic workflows and modern AI engineering frameworks.
Leverage AI development tools such as Codex and Claude Code to dramatically accelerate development, experimentation and delivery.
Prototype new platform capabilities, rapidly test hypotheses against real customer data and turn successful experiments into production solutions.
Make pragmatic architectural decisions, balancing speed, reliability and reusability.
Discover opportunities and shape the product
Proactively investigate customer data to uncover inefficiencies, operational risks and opportunities beyond the original use case.
Work with Solutions Engineering and Customer Success to turn discoveries into new customer value.
Identify repeatable patterns across deployments and work with Product and Engineering to turn custom solutions into scalable platform capabilities.
Document solutions and ensure they can be maintained, supported and reused.
What We're Looking For
We're looking for high-agency engineers who thrive in ambiguity, move quickly and care deeply about solving real problems.
You don't need to have worked in manufacturing or logistics before. You do need to be technically excellent, commercially curious and comfortable taking ownership well beyond writing code.
Strong engineering foundations: Several years of experience building and shipping production software, with deep expertise in either full-stack development or AI engineering and the versatility to work across the stack.
Modern AI development: Hands-on experience using AI coding tools such as Codex, Claude Code or similar to build, iterate and ship software significantly faster.
Applied AI expertise: Experience building with LLMs, agents, AI APIs or modern AI frameworks, with a strong understanding of how to turn AI capabilities into reliable applications.
Data and integrations: Comfortable working with APIs, SQL, data pipelines and complex enterprise systems, including unfamiliar or poorly documented environments.
Product thinking: The ability to understand a business problem, challenge assumptions and design a pragmatic solution rather than simply implementing requirements.
Customer communication: Confidence working directly with technical and non-technical stakeholders, from enterprise IT teams to operational leaders.
Ownership and execution: A bias for action, strong independent problem-solving skills and the ability to take something from an ambiguous idea to working software in days.
Nice to Have
Experience in forward deployed engineering, solutions engineering or customer-facing technical roles.
Experience with computer vision, multimodal AI or vision-language models.
Exposure to manufacturing, logistics, industrial automation or operational technology.
Experience working in a high-growth startup where speed, adaptability and ownership matter.
Why Join Protex?
Build at the frontier of AI. Work at the intersection of computer vision, enterprise data and AI agents, turning emerging technologies into real-world applications.
Own meaningful problems. Work directly with customers and see your solutions improve how physical operations run.
Shape the future of the product. We're defining a new category of Site Intelligence. The capabilities you develop in the field will influence what we build for every customer.
Move fast with real autonomy. Experiment, make decisions and ship. We value engineers who take ownership and find a way forward rather than wait for instructions.
Work on something genuinely difficult. Applying AI to the physical world brings challenges that don't exist in conventional software. That's what makes the opportunity exciting.
We're looking for engineers who want to do more than execute against a roadmap.
We want engineers who want to help write it.
Note: You must be able to work from our Boston, MA office for this role. We have a hybrid, in-office 2 days a week policy.
Protex AI is an inclusive and equal opportunities employer. We are committed to creating an equitable workplace for everyone regardless of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, education level, or race.
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