Forward Deployed Engineer I

About Ascent Ascent Developer Solutions is a leading private lending platform, serving real estate developers nationwide in the acquisition, renovation, and construction of residential real estate. Founded by a leadership team with a deep understanding and personal experience in virtually every facet of real estate development, Ascent is uniquely positioned to create custom, innovative lending solutions for a variety of real estate development business strategies. The Role: Ascent Developer Solutions is hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer to build software for the most complex workflows in real estate lending. You’ll embed with the business teams who run those workflows, learn them in detail, and build AI-powered tools alongside them that scale their expertise as we grow. This is an engineering role first: you’ll write production code, take it through security review, and support it after launch. You’ll report directly to the Head of Technology, and your scope will grow with every project you deliver. ESSENTIAL DUTIES: - Embed with an assigned business team and learn the work by doing it alongside them. - Document workflows step by step – inputs, systems, decisions, handoffs, and exceptions – including what happens upstream and downstream, in a standard format the team reviews and signs off on. - Build and ship production automations for well-defined workflows. - Work with Platform Engineering so each automation runs on the existing platform – shared data, integrations, and monitoring – and fits the systems already in place rather than standing alone. - Write clear specifications and acceptance criteria for work that belongs in the core lending platform, and hand them to Platform Engineering. - Write tests and documentation for each automation, and take it through code review and the security and AI governance gate before it reaches production. - Build with least-privilege agent identities, audit logging, and human review for any output that affects a loan decision or a disbursement of funds. - Measure time and error rates before and after each automation, and report the results. - Train users on new automations, gather feedback, and fix issues quickly after launch. - Monitor shipped automations, respond to failures, and maintain runbooks so the business team knows how to handle exceptions. GENERAL DUTIES: - Learn the lending business, from application through payoff, well enough to spot automation opportunities others miss. - Bring automation ideas to the Forward Deployed Engineer II and the Head of Technology with a rough estimate of hours saved. - Partner with Data & Analytics on data definitions and data-quality issues found in the field. - Contribute reusable components to shared libraries. - Follow engineering standards, including version control, code review, automated testing, and change management. - Protect borrower data in line with company security policies and the AI Use Policy, and raise risks early. - Keep workflow maps, specifications, runbooks, and change logs current. - Provide regular status updates to department leaders and the Head of Technology. QUALIFICATIONS: - Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. - 1–3 years of professional experience writing code that real users relied on – in software engineering, automation, data engineering, or a technical analyst role with substantial coding. - Working proficiency in Python or TypeScript and SQL, plus experience with REST APIs and unstructured data. - Hands-on experience building with LLM APIs – prompting, structured outputs, and document extraction – in professional or personal projects. - Daily use of AI coding tools, with the habit of verifying their output with tests. - Familiarity with loop engineering – agent workflows that act, check their own results, and stop or escalate to a person at the right point. - Asks good questions before building, and can explain a technical idea to a non-technical colleague. - Thinks in systems: considers how a change in one workflow affects the data, systems, and people around it. - Organized, detail-oriented writer – workflow maps and specifications are deliverables in this role, not afterthoughts. - Interest in financial services; exposure to lending, real estate, construction, or accounting a plus. - Experience with OutSystems or another low-code platform, Microsoft 365/SharePoint, or Jira a plus. - Portfolio, GitHub profile, or other examples of shipped work strongly preferred. The Pay Salary range is $90,000 to $105,000, with a discretionary bonus of 15% per year The Work Environment - This role works on-site from Ascent's Encino office, Monday - Thursday (Fridays are work-from-home). Our Benefits We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, well-being, and work-life balance. Our benefits include four health plans, two dental plans, health savings account with employer contribution, flexible spending accounts, vision coverage, a 401(k) plan, and other optional benefits from which to choose. Our Pledge We pledge to be fair and considerate in hiring and promoting individuals, ensuring everyone can contribute their fullest potential regardless of background, identity, or personal circumstances. By promoting equal opportunity, we not only enhance our workplace but also contribute to a more just and equitable society. At Ascent, we stand united in building a community where everyone is empowered to succeed. Thank you for joining us on our journey towards a more inclusive future.