AI Engineer

Forward Networks is revolutionizing the way large networks are managed. The Forward Enterprise platform delivers a vendor-agnostic "digital twin" of the network, based on a mathematical model. The platform scales to support hundreds of thousands of network devices, whether cloud, hybrid cloud, or on-prem. It serves as a single source of truth for the network, enabling network operators to instantly verify security posture, accelerate troubleshooting, avoid outages, and modernize network management.

Over the past few years, Forward Networks has received tremendous industry recognition, including “Cool Vendor in Enterprise Networking” by Gartner, “Product of the Year” by Cloud Computing, “Hot Company” by Cyber Defense Magazine, “Enterprise Cloud Computing Software of the Year,” and has been named to Fortune’s “Best Workplaces in the Bay Area” list.

The company was founded by four Stanford PhD graduates who saw a massive opportunity to improve network operations. Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, MSD Capital, Threshold Ventures, and Goldman Sachs.

Forward Networks is looking for a passionate and skilled AI Engineer. You’ll be at the forefront of building intelligent features that make enterprise networks smarter, more secure, and easier to manage. You’ll collaborate with a world-class engineering team, experiment with cutting-edge models and techniques, and see your work directly impact mission-critical systems used by Fortune 500 companies.

This is a role for someone who thrives on innovation, fast prototyping, and bold problem-solving. If you’re excited to push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI—and to do it in a collaborative, hacker-minded team—this is the place for you.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate AI-powered features into the Forward Enterprise platform.
• Prototype, test, and iterate quickly on new ideas and models.
• Apply the latest techniques in context engineering, Agentic AI and evaluation to deliver robust, real-world solutions.
• Work closely with engineers across the organization to bring intelligent automation to complex networking problems.
• Share your knowledge and insights—bringing new tools, models, and best practices to the team on a weekly basis.

Requirements and skills

• Expert in context engineering and evaluation with a track record of building practical solutions.
• Up to date with the latest best practices in AI engineering.
• At least 6 months experience working at an Agentic AI product company.
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages (e.g., Python, Java, C++, JavaScript).
• A hacker mindset—resourceful, curious, and always experimenting.
• Ability to prototype and iterate fast.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.

Expectations

• Stay up to date on the state of the art in AI models, tools, and techniques.
• Consistently teach the team something new every week—from technical insights to fresh approaches.

  The base pay range for this role is between $150,000 and $175,000. Base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location