Realm builds AI for the mining industry. We integrate with existing mine infrastructure â cameras, SCADA systems, drones, and data repositories â to predict equipment failures, detect unsafe behaviors, and optimize operations. Our platform deploys intelligence in various ways to improve productivity and safety â monitoring PPE compliance via computer vision, optimizing froth flotation processes, analyzing longwall shearer performance, tracking MSHA citation patterns, and more.
Our culture values high agency, deep ownership, collaboration, and autonomy across a fully remote workforce. Teams here move quickly and make meaningful contributions to a product that shapes global industrial outcomes.
Our founders previously built Blend Labs (publicly traded fintech, founded as CTO) and Even (acquired by Walmart), with early careers at Palantir. We're a small, senior team that ships daily to production mines.
As our first Forward Deployed Engineer, you will be the technical point of contact for customers in the fieldâowning integrations, onsite deployment work, and the translation of real-world operational needs into robust, scalable technical solutions. Youâll work hands-on with customer systems, troubleshoot complex environments, and rapidly prototype tools and integrations needed to make Realm successful in mission-critical settings.
This role is deeply technical and field-orientedâfocused on making the product work seamlessly in demanding industrial and government environments. Youâll embed with users, uncover operational realities, validate technical assumptions, and ensure our technology performs reliably under real-world constraints. This is an ideal role for someone who enjoys building in messy environments, thrives on customer interaction, and takes pride in shipping solutions that matter.
Spend >50% of your time onsite with customers in Birmingham, AL
Build a ground-truth understanding of customer operationsâshadowing operators, analysts, and frontline teams to understand workflows, constraints, and integration requirements
Rapidly prototype tools and integrations in the field (âvibe-codingâ) to validate ideas, solve urgent problems, and prove feasibility before handing off to engineering
Troubleshoot and diagnose complex operational or systems issues across varied and sometimes degraded environments
Translate field insights into clear technical requirements and integration specs for the engineering team
Lead all technical integration work, including APIs, data pipelines, hardware/software interfaces, and security/compliance-sensitive deployment setups
Work closely with engineering to ensure features, interfaces, and infrastructure align with real-world operational needs
Represent customer technical realities internallyâensuring feasibility, reliability, and operational constraints are deeply understood
Decompose ambiguous, real-world problems into well-scoped technical workstreams
Ensure customers succeed in mission-critical contexts by enabling smooth deployment, data flow, connectivity, and operational reliability
Inform the product and engineering teams with data, field observations, and frontline feedbackâadvocating for changes that reflect true customer needs
Contribute to the foundation, process, and culture that will scale Realmâs forward deployed engineering function
2+ years of software engineering or forward deployed / mission operations experience, with a record of shipping impactful work
Strong technical fluency and the ability to work closely with engineersâcomfortable reading, writing, and debugging code enough to build prototypes
Low ego, high EQ, and exceptional collaborative instinctsâable to build trust inside Realm and with external partners
Experience working directly with enterprise, industrial, government, defense, or security-critical products
Strong coding skills, problem-solving ability, and grasp of computer science fundamentals
Mastery of core development/infrastructure/DevOps tools (Git, Linux)
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional problem solving, influence technical teams, and drive projects from inception to delivery
Ability to thrive in ambiguous environmentsâstrong prioritization, structured thinking, and comfort balancing long-term vision with immediate needs
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to simplify complexity for a wide range of stakeholders
Strong data instinctsâcomfortable analyzing data, forming hypotheses, and making data-informed decisions
Hands-on prototyping and AI-assisted coding skills; comfortable hacking together real solutions quickly to test ideas
Move fast, can tackle ambiguous problems, and sweat the details
Based in US - citizen (preferred) or permanent resident
Experience working on-site with customers in field or operational environments
Background deploying software to industrial or government settings, with an understanding of constraints like safety, latency, offline ops, or compliance
Familiarity with mobile or web applications, cloud infrastructure, IoT/industrial systems, or real-time data pipelines
Experience navigating sensitive or mission-critical customer environments
Expertise around mining, industrial safety regulations, etc.
Work on mission-critical problems at the intersection of AI, security, and global infrastructure
Shape the brand and product of a category-defining company from the ground up
High-ownership, high-impact role with direct influence on company growth
Competitive compensation with significant equity upside
Dynamic, remote work environment with global reach
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