Forward Deployed Engineer, Infrastructure

Sift Stack, Inc. is revolutionizing the way modern machines are built, tested, and operated through their innovative platform that provides real-time observability over high-frequency telemetry. Born from the founders' experience at SpaceX working on critical projects like Dragon, Falcon, Starlink, and Starship, Sift addresses the complex challenges of scaling telemetry and ensuring mission reliability.

The Forward Deployed Engineer, Infrastructure role is a crucial position where you'll bridge the gap between Sift's cutting-edge infrastructure capabilities and customers' complex deployment challenges. You'll be responsible for deploying and maintaining cloud, private VPC, and on-premise deployments while working directly with customer teams. The role requires a blend of technical expertise in distributed systems, containerization, and modern DevOps practices, along with strong customer-facing skills.

As an early engineer at Sift, you'll have the opportunity to shape the architecture, product, and company culture. The position offers a competitive salary range of $150,000 - $200,000, plus equity and benefits. The team is based in El Segundo, with a hybrid work model requiring in-person collaboration twice weekly. The role involves working with hardware companies building everything from autonomous vehicles to spacecraft, making proximity to LA essential for site visits and collaboration.

The ideal candidate brings 3+ years of relevant distributed systems experience, strong knowledge of cloud technologies, and excellent communication skills. The position requires U.S. citizenship or Green Card due to ITAR/EAR compliance requirements. This is an excellent opportunity for someone excited by the ambiguity and high-ownership culture of early-stage startups, who can work effectively with customers while maintaining technical excellence.