Industrial IQ is hiring a Founding Forward Deployed Engineer to design and deploy production-grade AI systems for India's $100M+ brick-and-mortar industries.
This role focuses on moving past the AI hype to build custom Intelligence Layers that bridge the gap between abstract models and the gritty reality of manufacturing, pharma, and supply chain operations. The ideal candidate thrives in high-stakes environments where mostly works isn't an option and where success is measured by real-world operational impact, not just a successful demo.
You will work on advanced full-stack and AI systems that decouple legacy data silos, optimize middle-management inefficiencies, and automate complex industrial workflows.
You will be expected to operate with extreme agency, solving problems where existing off-the-shelf SaaS architectures fail, and building and experimenting with custom execution layers that integrate directly into the heart of large-cap enterprises.
Location: Hyderabad
Responsibilities:
- Architect Custom Systems: Design modular frameworks that integrate with legacy industrial infrastructure (ERPs, sensor networks, and siloed databases).
- Bridge Strategy and Execution: Translate high-level business bottlenecks into production-ready software, moving from whiteboard to deployment in weeks.
- Build for Reliability: Develop robust execution loops that handle the uncertainty, latency, and messy data constraints typical of brick-and-mortar environments.
- Lead a Vertical: Take full ownership of the technology lifecycle for a specific industry (e.g., Pharma or Auto), eventually building and leading a dedicated engineering team for that sector.
- Design Observability & Success Metrics: Create evaluation frameworks that prove ROI to client leadership through task success rates and operational efficiency gains.
Requirements:
- 25 years of experience building and scaling machine learning or software systems in production environments.
- High-Agency Builder Mindset: A track record of taking vague problems and delivering concrete, reliable solutions under real-world constraints.
- Engineering Rigor: Strong Python skills and a deep understanding of full-stack system design, specifically how to build software that operates reliably at scale.
- Industrial Empathy: The ability to navigate complex enterprise environments and communicate effectively with both technical teams and industrial stakeholders.
Nice To Have:
- Previous experience interacting with CXO leadership across different industries.
- A strong combination of technical depth and business acumen (the Consultant-Engineer hybrid).
Compensation:
- Salary of 15L and 25L, excluding a significant Stock Option (ESOP) pool, depending on experience.
You'll work directly with the founder who was a Founding Engineer at Common Sense Machines (acquired by Google) and holds an MBA from London Business School.
If you are interested in the position, please complete this take home assignment, and send an email to [Confidential Information] with your submission. Add - Take Home Submission as the email subject.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15VTTsXbOaEJKJJ5sSjhutzvbU-0LcUPOusp=sharing
