Forward Deployed Engineer, Infrastructure

At SIFT, we're redefining how modern machines are built, tested, and operated. Our platform gives engineers real-time observability over high-frequency telemetry—eliminating bottlenecks and enabling faster, more reliable development.SIFT was born from our work at SpaceX on Dragon, Falcon, Starlink, and Starship—where scaling telemetry, debugging flight systems, and ensuring mission reliability demanded new infrastructure. Founded by a team from SpaceX, Google, and Palantir, SIFT is built for mission-critical systems where precision and scalability are non-negotiable.As an early engineer at SIFT, you won't just write code—you'll help define the architecture, shape the product, and influence the culture of a company focused on solving real engineering problems. If you're looking for complex technical challenges and the opportunity to build foundational systems supporting complex machines from the ground up, we want to hear from you.About The RoleThe Forward Deployed Infrastructure team is responsible for maintaining our cloud, private VPC, and on-premise deployments. We have an increasing number of environments to deploy and maintain. As a Forward Deployed Engineer, Infrastructure, you'll bridge the gap between Sift's cutting-edge infrastructure capabilities and our customers' complex deployment challenges. You'll work directly with customer teams to deploy and maintain scalable, resilient infrastructure solutions while partnering with customers to understand their technical challenges and adapt Sift's deployment to meet their needs.You will report to our Forward Deployed Engineering Lead and play a critical role in delivering infrastructure solutions that enable our customers' success with next-generation machines.In This Role, You'llDeploy and maintain scalable, resilient infrastructure solutions to support our growing platform and customer baseCollaborate with forward deployed software engineers to optimize application performance and reliabilityPartner with customers to understand their technical challenges and adapt Sift's deployment to meet their needsImplement monitoring, alerting, and logging systems to ensure proactive identification and resolution of issuesReduce manual deployment processes and streamline infrastructure management using modern DevOps tools and methodologiesTroubleshoot production issues, ensuring timely resolution and minimal impact on operationsParticipate in an on-call support scheduleBuild strong, trust-based relationships with customers, acting as a technical partner and advocateThe Skillset You'll Bring3+ years of relevant distributed systems experience focusing on designing and managing cloud-based (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and on-prem environmentsHands-on experience with containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and container orchestration platformsFamiliarity with CI/CD pipelines and version control systemsKnowledge of automated testing best practices and frameworks, ensuring software reliability through integration, performance, and end-to-end testing in distributed systemsExperience with our tech stack: AWS, Docker, Flink, Go, Java, Kubernetes, React, Redpanda, Rust, TypeScript, and Terragrunt (or equivalent technologies)Good knowledge of cloud, on-prem, networking, and service architecture in multi-region multi-cloud setupsExcellent communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to diverse audiencesStrong problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detailBachelor's degree in computer science, data science, engineering, math, physics, or a STEM disciplineWhat We're Looking ForSomeone who's excited by the ambiguity and high-ownership culture of early-stage startupsAn engineer who is pragmatic, solution-oriented, and scrappyA collaborative team player who can work effectively with customers, engineers, and go-to-market teamsSomeone comfortable interfacing directly with customers, particularly during deployment and operational support, and can communicate technical concepts clearly and professionallyWillingness to travel up to 50%Willingness to obtain a U.S. security clearanceEngineering At SIFTYou'll have the opportunity to help evolve and scale our platform because we're still in the early stages of building the product. Relevant technologies include:Web frontend & backend: ECharts, Go, gRPC, PostgreSQL, Protobuf, Radix, React, Redux, and TypeScriptData: Arrow, DataFusion, Flink, Parquet, and RustInfrastructure: Argo CD, AWS, Docker, GitHub Actions, Grafana, Kubernetes, Kustomize, Linux, Prometheus, and TerragruntLocation:SIFT’s headquarters is in Marina del Rey, CA. We collaborate in person twice a week—on Mondays and Thursdays—and come together for a full week every two months. While we prefer team members to be local, we’re open to relocating candidates to LA or considering remote work from the San Francisco area for the right candidate.Salary range: $150,000 - $200,000 per year. Plus equity and benefits.EligibilityU.S. Person Required: Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual such as an asylee or refugee in compliance with ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) / EAR (Export Administration Regulations) regulations.