USD per year
Promise
Better payment systems for governments and the communities they serve.
Forward Deployed Software Engineer
$160K - $240K3Washington, D.C. / Oakland, CA, US Job type Full-time Role Engineering, Full stack Experience 3+ years Visa US citizen/visa only Apply to Promise and hundreds of other fast-growing YC startups with a singleprofile. Apply to role 7
About the role
Company Overview
Promise modernizes how government agencies and utilities support people in financial difficulty. We build technology that makes it simple for residents to receive benefits, engage with assistance programs, set up flexible payment plans, and stay on track1while helping agencies increase efficiency, recover revenue, and deliver services with dignity. Our mission is to transform public systems so they work better for everyone, especially the most vulnerable. Our team includes experts from companies like Palantir, Google, Stripe , and esteemed government leaders. We work hard and believe deeply in what we do. We're looking for excellent people to build innovative, resilient technology. Backed by over $50 million in funding from top investors 6 such as Reid Hoffman, Howard Schultz, Michael Seibel, Y Combinator, 8VC, The General Partnership, First Round Capital, Kapor Capital, XYZ Ventures, and Bronze Investments 6 Promise has been recognized as one of Fast Company's "World's Most Innovative Companies of 2022, Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2024, and Y Combinator s #1 GovTech startup.
About the Role
We re looking for a Forward Deployed Software Engineer who s driven by impact, excited by challenge, and motivated by Promise s mission: helping low-income families catch up on past-due bills and access the relief they deserve. This is not your typical engineering role. You ll be on the front lines1working hand-in-hand with utilities and government partners, solving complex integration challenges, and making sure our technology actually delivers where it matters most: in people s lives. You ll bring strong technical fundamentals together with empathy, patience, and the kind of customer savvy that turns a deployment into a long-term partnership.
Impact in Action
In Washington State, Promise distributed $100M of energy aid in just three months, reaching nearly 700000 households. In Virginia and Florida, we helped ensure millions of dollars in water assistance funds reached families who might have otherwise gone without. Our AI-powered eligibility verification now cuts approval times for programs like SNAP and LIHEAP from weeks to hours. As a Forward Deployed Software Engineer, ll be on the front lines making this kind of impact possible.
What You ll Do
- Be the bridge: Work directly with utilities and government agencies to integrate Promise s payment and relief products into their existing systems.
- Problem-solve in the wild: Dive into customer environments,untangling complexity and crafting creative technical solutions that actually work in the real world.
- Level up the product: Improve Promise s products -- you will have the first hand context of what works and doesn t, if you see something to build, build it!
- Travel occasionally: Join customers on-site to make sure things run smoothly and strengthen our relationships in person.
What Will Help You Succeed
- Engineering chops: 4+ years of experience building and deploying production software, with fluency in environments that require adaptability and fast learning.
- Customer instincts: Experience in a customer-facing technical role where you balanced empathy with technical rigor.
- Tools of the trade: We use JavaScript / TypeScript, ETL tools, SQL, React you don t need to be an expert on any of these! You do need to come with a willingness to learn.
- Curiosity & grit: You don t wait for someone to tell you the answer you explore, experiment, and document so others can follow.
- Collaboration : This is a cross-functional role where you will be working across engineering, design, product, delivery, and sales. FDEs work across team boundaries to get things done.
Who Thrives at Promise
You l love it here if:
- You are energized by big, complex challenges and the opportunity to solve them.
- You want your work to have a real measurable impact on people s lives.
- You take ownership and run toward problems, not away from them.
- You value clear, candid, and constructive communication.
Promise is not for you if:
- You prefer hierarchy and rigid structures. We operate with freedom and responsibility.
- You are uncomfortable with change. We move fast, adapt often, and expect agility.
- You want a typical corporate culture. We are mission-driven, ambitious, and direct.
- You believe efficiency means “doing less.” We believe efficiency means doing better.
How We Support Our People
- 100% paid health coverage
- Generous PTO and sick leave
- Lunch, snacks, and coffee provided
- Company retreats
- Opportunities to travel and see the impact of your work
- Hybrid work: we deeply value in-person collaboration and are in-office at least 3 days a week,
but are flexible on working from home