Forward Deployed Engineer

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: •Field discovery. Work directly with our internal teams and with utilities, program administrators, agencies and households to understand where systems, policies, and data break down in practice. You will investigate hard problems such as premise resolution, income verification, eligibility determination, program matching, and other rules that have not yet been defined.•Build the proof. Turn ambiguous problems into working software. Build new core functionality at the prototype level - the matching engine, the rules-as-logic layer, the AI agent layer - connected to real data sources and run against real records. Be responsible for both demonstrating an idea and building enough of it to prove whether it works and adds value. Prototype here means scope, not craft - you write code good enough to run in production, even though production deployment is determined by the Tech Lead.• Program rules into working logic. Translate complex heterogeneous programrequirements into reliable, testable logic such as income thresholds, categoricaleligibility, funding stack sequencing, pre-weatherization gating and other programspecific conditions in ways that are explainable, auditable, and resilient.• Validate with the customer. Responsible for building prototypes and testing withthe people who will use them. Before production engineering begins, establishthree things: the data sources work as expected; the logic produces the correctoutcomes, and the interface is simple enough for customers to understand anduse.• Create a clean path to production. Deliver a working proof, the data connections, technical decisions behind it, and a clear specification that distinguishes what isessential from what is not. Give production engineering enough clarity to completethe work without having to discover the problem.• Scope the roadmap. Turn technical discovery into actionable products andengineering decisions. Provide fast, reliable feasibility assessments and effortestimates that leadership and engineering can use to make and commit toroadmap decisions.• Continual Development and Growth. Share what you know and learn with thebroader engineering team. Partner closely with the Tech Lead to transfer agentictooling practice and document knowledge that compounds across the team.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES: As a member of the Groundswell team, the Forward Deployed Engineer is expected toparticipate in the overall execution of Groundswell programs, including support forprogram launches, partner engagements, and organization-wide initiatives as needsarise.

OTHER DUTIES: This position description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing ofactivities, duties, or responsibilities that are required. Duties, obligations, and activitiesmay change at any time with or without notice.

COMPETENCIES: OR SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE• Writes production-ready code - able to work to production standards, and able tojudge when a proof is good enough to stop.• Comfortable in the field with customers - builds fast, validates directly, and handsoff cleanly.• Judgment about scope - knows what not to build while a customer is pushing, andcan defend it to a non-technical stakeholder.• Comfort in regulated environments: consent, audit logging, role-based access, anddata governance.• Able to work independently in an early-stage environment with limited scaffoldingand shifting priorities. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITYThis position has no supervisory responsibility.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: This position is based in Washington, D.C. and is expected to work in-office four days permonth in alignment with Groundswell’s hybrid/remote work plan. POSITION TYPE AND EXPECTED HOURSThis is a full-time, 40-hour-a-week position. The days and hours of work are Mondaythrough Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and core hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand. TRAVELTravel to program sites is expected roughly once a month, with heavier periods aroundnew deployments. Occasional visits to Groundswell office locations may also be required.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: • Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field - orequivalent practical experience. We weight demonstrated work over credentials.• Demonstrated ability to translate ambiguous, rules-heavy domain requirementsinto working logic.• Two to four years building with modern AI tools - Claude, OpenAI and equivalentagentic development tools as normal practice.• Salesforce and Slack experience.• Preferred: energy, housing, healthcare, public benefits or other rules-basedprogram experience. SUPERVISIONThe Forward Deployed Engineer will report to Groundswell’s Senior Vice President of Data Platform. COMPENSATIONCompensation for this position is within the range of $130,000 - $160,000 consistentwithin Groundswell’s established pay band for this role. This is a full-time position, eligiblefor Groundswell’s comprehensive employee benefits package.

BENEFITS: • Groundswell pays 100% of the monthly premium for health, dental, vision, andlong-term disability for full-time employees in accordance with Groundswell’spolicy. Groundswell also covers 50% of spouses and dependents covered underthe Groundswell healthcare, vision, and dental plan.• Matching 401 (k) plan contribution by Groundswell up to 4% for employees whochoose to contribute to Groundswell’s 401 (k) plan, with immediate vesting.• Monthly Development Days to focus on professional development opportunities.• $45 per month to reimburse cellular phone use for business purposes.• $75 per month to reimburse home internet access for business purposes.• Fifteen (15) paid vacation days per year; eight (8) sick days; and two (2) personaldays. Vacation and sick leave accrue at the start of your employment, restart eachyear on January 1, and increase with tenure. Personal days begin after six monthsof employment.• Groundswell also takes nine (9) paid federal holidays and a holiday break from December 24th to January 1st (inclusive).• Short-Term Disability Insurance, Long-Term Disability Insurance, and Voluntary Life available.• Pre-tax benefits such as Smart Benefits, Flexible spending accounts, and Dependent care are also available. For more information about the organization’s benefits and other personnel policies, Groundswell will provide a new hire orientation within the first week of employment.

HOW TO APPLY: Submit a resume and cover letter to hiring@groundswell.org. Groundswell is an equal opportunityemployer deeply committed to the principles of equity, diversity andinclusiveness.