Forward Deployed Engineer (SF)
At a glance
Mid-level Software Engineering role at Mintlify. San Francisco · full-time · $250,000–$315,000 base.
techroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Work with account executives from discovery to close on complex enterprise and mid-market deals
- Uncover customer documentation workflows, integrations, and success measures, then build demos and prototypes to address them
- Turn customer needs into engineering-ready specifications and scope work for pricing, timelines, and contracts
- Review feasibility, effort, integration risks, and maintenance concerns with engineering before agreements are signed
- Share customer insights with product and go-to-market teams, and create tools and processes for repeatable technical selling
What you bring
- At least four years in software engineering in product or customer-facing roles, including solutions or sales engineering
- Strong full-stack skills across React, Node.js, APIs, databases, and modern web technologies
- You have delivered technical implementations directly with customers and scoped work into engineering specifications
- You have handled enterprise RFPs, security reviews, or procurement processes
Who this fits
This role suits a hands-on engineer who can build prototypes, manage several complex deals, and explain technical tradeoffs to both executives and engineers. You’ll work within Sales and partner with Engineering, Product, account executives, and the CEO. The role is based in San Francisco.
From the employer
Why Mintlify?
We're on a mission to empower builders.
Massive reach: Our docs platform serves 100 million+ developers every year and powers documentation for 20,000+ companies, including Anthropic, Microsoft, PayPal, Spotify, Coinbase, X, and over 20% of the last YC batch.
Small team, huge impact: We recently passed 65 employees and raised a $45 million Series B led by A16Z and Salesforce Ventures. Each new hire has a huge impact on shaping the company's trajectory.
Culture of slope over y-intercept: We value learning velocity, grit, and unapologetically unique personalities.
We grew in value faster than headcount and we’re looking to align the two quickly.
About the Role
This is a technical role embedded in Mintlify's Sales Team. You are a builder who helps close complex enterprise deals by scoping, prototyping, and delivering custom technical solutions alongside Account Executives.
As enterprise customers evaluate Mintlify, they often require additional technical validation before moving forward. Your role is to reduce friction in this process by translating customer needs into practical technical solutions, building what’s necessary to demonstrate value, and supporting the sales team in closing larger, more complex deals without straining core engineering.
In this role, you will work closely with Sales, Engineering, Product, and the CEO to win our most strategic deals and turn one-off custom work into repeatable, productized capabilities.
This role is for someone who wants to roll up their sleeves and build.
Responsibilities
Deal Execution & Technical Validation
Partner with AEs on complex enterprise and mid-market deals from discovery through close
Lead deep technical discovery to understand customer documentation workflows, integrations, and success criteria
Design and build custom demos, prototypes, and proofs-of-concept that directly unblock deals and accelerate decisions
Present technical solutions to mixed audiences, from frontline engineers to executive buyers
Technical Scoping & Risk Management
Translate customer requirements into clear technical specifications that engineering can realistically deliver
Scope custom work with enough fidelity to inform pricing, timelines, and contract structure
Partner with engineering leadership to estimate effort, assess feasibility, and flag risks early. Identify technical debt, integration complexity, or maintenance concerns before deals are signed.
Cross-Functional Enablement & Leverage
Serve as the go-to technical operator for Sales on complex deals
Share customer and field insights to influence product roadmap and go-to-market strategy
Build internal tools, templates, and processes that make technical selling more repeatable and scalable.
Requirements
Technical Skills:
Strong full-stack development experience (React, Node.js, APIs, databases)
Proficiency in web technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, modern frameworks
Ability to rapidly build functional prototypes and MVPs
Experience with documentation tools, MDX, or content platforms (strong plus)
Comfortable reading and understanding codebases to assess integration complexity
Experience Requirements:
4+ years of software engineering experience in product or customer-facing roles with previous solutions engineering or sales engineering experience
Experience with enterprise RFPs, security reviews, or procurement processes
Track record working directly with customers on technical implementations
Experience scoping technical work and creating specifications for engineering teams
Background in fast-moving startup environments with high autonomy
Behavioral Competencies:
You'd rather ship a working prototype than a slide deck
You understand how technical decisions impact deal economics
You can run multiple complex deals simultaneously without dropping balls
You can translate technical depth into business value for executives and explain business constraints to engineers
You move fast and ship iteratively
Nice-to-Have
Background in developer tools, APIs, or technical products
Understanding of SaaS and usage pricing models and contract structures
Company Benefits:
Competitive compensation and equity
20 days paid time off every year
401k with Employer Match
monthly wellness stipend
100% employee coverage for Health, Dental, Vision
Commute stipend to help get you to and from work
Free lunch and dinners
Annual team offsite (previously went to Alaska, Hawaii, Jackson Hole)