Test Forward Deployed Engineer
Role Description
About the Team
Droyd builds autonomous robotic systems that automate repetitive manual work in real environments. We design and manufacture our hardware in-house, which means iteration, fabrication, and execution all happen under one roof.
Our test team keeps demo and evaluation systems running, builds realistic test environments, and prepares the company for pilot deployments — spanning end effector testing, motor and firmware evaluation, demo execution, competitive bakeoffs, and eventually forward deployment and teleoperator coordination.
About the Role
As a Test Forward Deployed Engineer at Droyd, you will help build, operate, and support test environments that mirror real deployments. You will work across hardware setup, systems integration, demos, and pilot preparation, and over time help bridge the gap between internal testing and real-world deployment.
This is a highly practical role for someone comfortable working across software, systems, hardware setup, and field-style execution.
This role is based on-site in San Francisco, CA.
In This Role, You'll
Test & Demo Environments
- Build and maintain realistic test and demo environments
- Support system setup, integration, and operational readiness for pilots and internal testing
- Help manage hardware, infrastructure, and operational tooling needed for forward deployment
Demos & Pilot Preparation
- Work closely with the test team on demos, bakeoffs, and pilot preparation
- Support workflows that may later extend to teleoperators and field operations
Engineering Bridge
- Act as a bridge between engineering development and real-world deployment needs
- Troubleshoot and integrate messy real-world systems quickly
Work Environment & Schedule
- On-site in San Francisco, CA
- Full-time
Compensation: $110K–$150K base salary, plus equity
We're Looking For Candidates Who
- Are highly practical and comfortable working across hardware and software systems
- Can troubleshoot and integrate messy real-world systems quickly
- Work well in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
- Are comfortable owning operational and technical problems end-to-end
- Thrive close to hardware and deployment-style work
Nice to have:
- Experience in forward deployed engineering, field engineering, solutions engineering, or technical operations
- Experience with robotics, infrastructure, or hardware-adjacent systems
- Experience supporting demos, pilots, or customer deployments
About Droyd
Droyd builds autonomous robotic systems that operate in real production environments. We design the hardware, develop the control stack, and generate the data that enables generalist robotics.
If we do this right, robots stop being demos and start being infrastructure.
Join us and help build the systems that make it real.
Compensation Range: $110K - $150K
About Forward Deployed Engineering
Forward Deployed Engineers are embedded directly with customers to build custom solutions, integrate products into existing infrastructure, and bridge the gap between product engineering and customer success. The role combines deep technical skills with the ability to operate in client environments and translate business requirements into working software.
Originally pioneered by Palantir, the FDE model has spread across AI, enterprise SaaS, and cloud infrastructure companies. FDEs write production code, architect integrations, train customer teams, and feed product insights back to the core engineering organization. At companies like OpenAI, Salesforce, and Databricks, FDE teams are treated as elite engineering units that can ship custom solutions in days rather than quarters.
Typical FDE stack: Python, TypeScript, SQL, REST/GraphQL APIs, cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure), and increasingly LLM APIs and AI orchestration frameworks. Strong communication and the ability to context-switch between technical and business conversations are as important as coding ability.
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