Poka Labs

Founding Forward Deployed Engineer

San Francisco, US Full-time

The Opportunity

The 6 trillion dollar chemicals industry runs the physical economy but still relies on spreadsheets and legacy systems. It is responsible for 25 percent of global emissions and remains one of the least digitized sectors. AI can transform how this sector operates.

We are building the intelligence layer for the process industries. Our software understands workflows, reasons over data, and acts inside real operations from quote to shipment. We are already deployed in major manufacturers and distributors, including Fortune 100 companies. We are now hiring founding forward deployed engineers to help scale and own these agentic systems.

Role: Founding Forward Deployed Engineer

You will work directly with customers, understand real processes from the ground up, and translate them into production grade AI systems. This is a zero to one role with significant autonomy and exposure.

In your first 90 days, you may:

  • Spend time inside plants and offices to observe workflows end to end.
  • Build an agent that handles quoting, pricing, inventory, procurement, or scheduling in live environments.
  • Integrate with ERPs, CRMs, lab systems, and legacy industrial software.
  • Ship simple, high leverage product experiences based on field insights.

What You Will Work On

  • End to end product features informed by direct customer context.
  • Infrastructure and deployment that keep agents reliable in operational settings.
  • Field discovery that exposes bottlenecks, edge cases, and automation gaps.
  • Evaluation and rollout of new AI capabilities to real users.

What We Look For

  • Strong full stack ability with comfort owning workflow from prototype to production.
  • High initiative and willingness to work directly with customers.
  • Clear communication with technical and non technical stakeholders.
  • Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate. We work in person.

Our stack includes modern LLMs, TypeScript and React, and AWS. Curiosity and velocity matter more than specific tools.

What You Get

  • Ownership of production systems used inside global manufacturing.
  • A role that blends engineering, product, and field execution.
  • Influence over culture and rituals. Include one absurd idea in your application.
  • Direct collaboration with founders who understand the industry deeply.

We are building the intelligence layer of modern manufacturing and would love to talk if this resonates.

🚀 Y Combinator Company Info

Y Combinator Batch: S24
Team Size: 3 employees
Industry: B2B Software and Services -> Supply Chain and Logistics
Company Description: The modern operating system for chemical manufacturing.

💰 Compensation

Salary Range: $130,000 - $180,000
Equity Range: 1.0% - 3.0%

📋 Job Details

Job Type: Full-time
Experience Level: Any (new grads ok)
Engineering Type: Full stack
Time to Hire: 14

🛠️ Required Skills

React TypeScript Amazon Web Services (AWS)

🎯 Interview Process

1. 2x intro calls 2. Technical Take Home 3. Paid Worktrial 4. Offer