Helios · 2 months ago
Founding Forward Deployed Engineer
New York, NY
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
5+ years expHelios is a venture-backed AI startup focused on building Proxi, an AI-native platform for public-private sector engagement. The Forward Deployed Engineer will connect the technical stack with high-stakes customers, ensuring the delivery of tailored solutions while engaging with C-suite buyers and government officials.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)GovernmentGovTechProductivity ToolsSaaS
Responsibilities
Partner with sales, founders, and policy leaders to drive customer discovery and close six-to-seven figure single-source government contracts
Rapidly deploy and configure early-stage product implementations for strategic customers
Translate real-world regulatory and government affairs workflows into scalable technical requirements
Act as the internal voice of high-value customers in product and engineering meetings
Manage the technical execution of forward-deployed PoCs and paid pilots, often with highly bespoke needs
Hunt for signals of product-market fit through customer interactions, usage analytics, and structured feedback
Lead on integration, data onboarding, and configuration of secure, compliance-sensitive deployments
Shape our roadmap by working hands-on with Proxi’s voice agent, semantic search stack, and LLM pipeline
Qualification
Required
5+ years of experience in technical roles spanning engineering, solutions architecture, or enterprise AI
Previously worked with or sold into U.S. government agencies at the state, federal, city, or county level
Know how to navigate RFPs, single-source contract pathways, and public-sector procurement cycles
Can speak fluently with both policy professionals and ML engineers—and act as a trusted partner to both
Thrive in fast-paced, high-stakes environments where velocity is survival
Experience deploying AI/ML systems in production (LLM experience preferred)
Understand security, compliance, and data privacy requirements in regulated industries
Have a builder mindset: you're not afraid to hack together solutions, iterate with users, and solve for scale later
Preferred
Familiarity with govtech, regulatory platforms, or public-sector SaaS
Prior experience winning or executing on state/federal software contracts
Network within lobbying, government affairs, or regulatory communities
Background in sales engineering or customer success for technical products
Company
Helios
Helios is building the first AI native OS for public policy professionals.
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$4M2025-07-11Seed· $4M
Company data provided by crunchbase