Wonderschool
Forward Deployed Engineer - Applied AI
Python
Edtech.com's Summary
Wonderschool is hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer - Applied AI. This role involves working directly with customers to identify pain points and develop AI-powered solutions that enhance revenue, operational efficiency, and user experience. The engineer will write production code, automate workflows, and collaborate with multiple teams to drive growth and improve childcare services.
Highlights
- Lead product development on strategic AI initiatives impacting early childhood education.
- Collaborate with customers and internal teams to identify and solve high-leverage problems.
- Write production code approximately 50% of the time using Python, JavaScript, or similar languages.
- Utilize AI and developer tools like Windsurf and Cursor to accelerate development.
- Build and deploy AI-powered tools to automate onboarding, reporting, proposal generation, and other workflows.
- Work closely with sales, onboarding, and account management teams to enhance customer experiences and unlock growth.
- Ownership of the full product development loop from discovery through deployment and adoption monitoring.
- Qualifications include experience launching products, acquiring users, business acumen, and comfort operating independently with ambiguity.
- Department: Engineering.
- Located in multiple U.S. locations including San Francisco.
Forward Deployed Engineer - Applied AI Full Description
About Wonderschool
Wonderschool’s mission is to ensure every child has access to early childhood education that helps them realize their full potential. We empower small business owners—childcare providers—to launch and grow in-home programs through cutting-edge software, personalized coaching, and responsive support. We also partner with governments to modernize public childcare infrastructure. Our team is small, fast-moving, and deeply motivated by the impact we create in families and communities across the country.
Wonderschool’s mission is to ensure every child has access to early childhood education that helps them realize their full potential. We empower small business owners—childcare providers—to launch and grow in-home programs through cutting-edge software, personalized coaching, and responsive support. We also partner with governments to modernize public childcare infrastructure. Our team is small, fast-moving, and deeply motivated by the impact we create in families and communities across the country.
About the Role
We are looking for a Forward Deployed AI Engineer to lead product development on some of the most strategically important initiatives at Wonderschool. You’ll spend your time working directly with customers (traveling as needed), uncovering pain points, and building AI-powered solutions that drive measurable impact across revenue, operational efficiency, and user experience. You’ll act like a founder inside the company: identifying problems, shipping code, driving adoption, and iterating quickly based on what you learn. This role blends engineering, product, operations, and business leadership—and is ideal for someone who has launched products, acquired users, and driven growth independently. You will work closely with our sales, onboarding, and account management teams to automate workflows, build better customer experiences, and unlock new growth.
This role is inspired by best-in-class FDSEs at companies like Palantir and is perfect for builders who love solving real-world problems in the field, not from behind a desk.
What You’ll Do
Work directly with users and internal teams to identify high-leverage problems and ship product solutions. Write production code (approximately 50% of your time) and ship weekly improvements across the customer journey. Use tools like Widesurf, Cursor, and other AI accelerators to increase your velocity and quality of output. Build and deploy AI-powered tooling that eliminates manual effort and improves the experience for providers, parents, and government partners. Automate onboarding flows, proposal generation, reporting processes, and other operational workflows. Own full loops: talk to users, design solutions, write code, test, deploy, and monitor adoption. Prioritize based on business impact and collaborate across teams to drive measurable results.
Work directly with users and internal teams to identify high-leverage problems and ship product solutions. Write production code (approximately 50% of your time) and ship weekly improvements across the customer journey. Use tools like Widesurf, Cursor, and other AI accelerators to increase your velocity and quality of output. Build and deploy AI-powered tooling that eliminates manual effort and improves the experience for providers, parents, and government partners. Automate onboarding flows, proposal generation, reporting processes, and other operational workflows. Own full loops: talk to users, design solutions, write code, test, deploy, and monitor adoption. Prioritize based on business impact and collaborate across teams to drive measurable results.
What Success Looks Like
You uncover user pain points faster than anyone else and consistently ship solutions that address them. You deploy AI-infused internal tools or product experiences that improve core metrics (conversion, retention, revenue). You fully own feedback loops—from discovery to deployment—and iterate rapidly. Internal teams rely on your tools to operate faster and with fewer resources. You’re moving fast, staying close to the customer, and operating with very little hand-holding.
You uncover user pain points faster than anyone else and consistently ship solutions that address them. You deploy AI-infused internal tools or product experiences that improve core metrics (conversion, retention, revenue). You fully own feedback loops—from discovery to deployment—and iterate rapidly. Internal teams rely on your tools to operate faster and with fewer resources. You’re moving fast, staying close to the customer, and operating with very little hand-holding.
Who You Are
A builder and founder at heart—you’ve started a company, built products that got users, or made revenue independently. Comfortable talking to users weekly and distilling insight into product decisions. Technical enough to ship production code on your own—experience with Python, JavaScript, or similar languages. Experienced using AI/LLMs and developer tools like Windsurf and Cursor to move faster and smarter. Business-minded—you’ve worked in consulting, managed a P&L, or attended business school and know how to prioritize based on ROI. Comfortable operating in ambiguity and energized by a high-trust, high-impact, in-person environment.
A builder and founder at heart—you’ve started a company, built products that got users, or made revenue independently. Comfortable talking to users weekly and distilling insight into product decisions. Technical enough to ship production code on your own—experience with Python, JavaScript, or similar languages. Experienced using AI/LLMs and developer tools like Windsurf and Cursor to move faster and smarter. Business-minded—you’ve worked in consulting, managed a P&L, or attended business school and know how to prioritize based on ROI. Comfortable operating in ambiguity and energized by a high-trust, high-impact, in-person environment.
Why Join Us
Make a direct impact on families, small business owners, and communities. Operate with founder-like ownership on the company’s most important priorities. Join a small, fast-moving team with a bias for action. Talk to users, ship weekly, and see your work go live and drive real-world outcomes. Help reimagine early education and child care for the modern era.
Make a direct impact on families, small business owners, and communities. Operate with founder-like ownership on the company’s most important priorities. Join a small, fast-moving team with a bias for action. Talk to users, ship weekly, and see your work go live and drive real-world outcomes. Help reimagine early education and child care for the modern era.
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