| Location | New York, New York |
| Website | https://www.getclera.com/ |
This is a rare opportunity to join a fast-growing, early-stage AI startup — backed by Y Combinator — that is building agentic AI systems for the acquisitions and private equity space. As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you'll sit at the intersection of customers and product, translating complex, real-world business problems into autonomous software that actually ships. You'll report directly to the C-suite, own customer deployments end-to-end, and help shape the core platform alongside a lean, high-velocity team in New York.
This role is ideal for a scrappy builder with a business mind — someone equally comfortable talking to a CFO as they are writing a SQL pipeline. Prior exposure to private equity, M&A, or roll-up environments is a strong plus.
Note: US citizenship or valid work authorization is required. Visa sponsorship is not available.
Own customer deployments end-to-end — from scoping and business logic translation to data ingestion, pipeline delivery, and ongoing optimization — primarily with mid-market to large-cap operators.
Build and extend an agentic AI platform in close collaboration with the core engineering team.
Translate real-world operational complexity into scalable, autonomous software solutions.
Join sales calls and identify customer expansion opportunities in support of go-to-market efforts.
Work directly with non-technical stakeholders (executives, operators, business leaders) to surface requirements and turn them into technical specifications.
Required:
2+ years of experience in consulting, finance, data engineering, or analytics roles.
Strong SQL proficiency — querying, transforming, and wrangling messy data.
Demonstrated ownership of end-to-end data projects including ingestion, pipeline development, and production deployment.
Python proficiency (or a clear track record of picking up languages quickly) for data engineering and AI integration tasks.
Experience with ETL processes, data modeling, or data warehouse design.
Ability to translate business requirements into technical specifications and data solutions.
Excellent communication skills — comfortable working with executives and operators, not just engineers.
US citizenship or existing work authorization (no sponsorship available).
Nice to Have:
Hands-on experience building with LLM APIs, AI tools, or agentic workflows (personal projects count).
Experience building internal data platforms, migration pipelines, or process automation systems.
Domain knowledge in private equity, roll-ups, M&A, or multi-system enterprise environments.
Proficiency with Excel for data analysis and business logic modeling.
You'll thrive here if you are:
Scrappy, autonomous, and action-oriented — you ship first and iterate fast.
Comfortable with ambiguity and unstructured problems.
Energized by direct customer interaction and real-world business complexity.
Salary: $110,000 – $150,000 USD annually, based on experience.
Early-stage equity participation.
High-ownership, high-impact role with direct access to company leadership.
This is a full-time, on-site role based in New York, NY. Candidates must be willing to work in-office. Remote or hybrid arrangements are not available for this position.