Forward Deployed Engineer
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Sep 26, 2026. First seen by Alion on Jun 15, 2026.
About Special
Special is a new kind of holding company. Our mission is to maximize the efficiency of American taxpayer dollars by transforming its critical industries with AI. We acquire and operate businesses that form the backbone of the American economy and deploy SpecialOS, our proprietary operating system, to make them run more efficiently.
Special is backed by leading investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Human Capital and former members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team. Our team is small, technical, and systems-oriented. Everyone is an individual contributor. We expect strong work ethic and clear communication.
About The Role
When Special acquires a business, you're the one who goes in, learns how it runs, and turns SpecialOS into the system that runs it. This is not a single-vertical role - you'll deploy across every company we own and every vertical we enter.
One week you're in the field watching operators do a job by hand. The next you're shipping the software that does it for them. You'll own integrations into the messy, legacy systems these businesses depend on - billing, payroll, scheduling, ERPs, EHRs - and you'll write the code that connects them to SpecialOS and makes the work more efficient.
Responsibilities
Deploy and configure SpecialOS at newly acquired companies, from first day in the field to production
Deeply understand the owners who use our OS every day, including time on-site at our companies
Build integrations, pipelines, and automations that connect SpecialOS to the systems our businesses already run on
Turn manual, repetitive operational processes into reliable software
Rapidly prototype and ship using both traditional and AI-assisted engineering tools
Partner closely with founders, operators, and the core engineering team to ship polished, production-quality systems
Carry lessons from each deployment back into the core product so the next one is faster
Basic Qualifications
Have shipped meaningful production software
Care deeply about craft, reliability, and the experience of the people using what you build
Are comfortable working in fast-moving, ambiguous environments where the org and the product are both being built in real time
Enjoy spending time in the field, on-site with operators, away from a desk
Are interested in real-world industries - healthcare, services, the physical economy - not just consumer software
Expertise with modern engineering and AI-native tools
Communicate clearly and collaborate well across disciplines, including with non-technical operators
Preferred Skills and Experience
Full-stack ability - comfortable across backend, data, and front-end
Strong track record building integrations and working with messy, real-world data and legacy systems
Experience translating requirements from non-technical users into shipped software
Experience working closely with founders and operators in early-stage or deployed environments
Comfort owning a problem from ambiguous first contact through production
Location
In-person in NYC.
Compensation and Benefits
$150,000-$300,000 USD
Base salary is one part of our total rewards package at Special, which also includes meaningful equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k), short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and additional benefits.
Special is an equal opportunity employer.