Forward Deployed Software Engineer

Job summary

Own client engagements end to end, from discovering business needs and setting priorities to planning, building, testing, and delivering software. Manage client communication, estimates, demos, and scope discussions, while leading additional engineers or specialists when needed.

Job details

FORWARD DEPLOYED ENGINEER Thrive Creative Inc. | Calgary, Alberta (Hybrid or Remote)We put you in front of the client and trust you to deliver.This role comes with no product manager, no spec, and nobody checking in. We're hiring a senior engineer who takes a client engagement and runs it: works out what the business needs, decides what gets built first, builds it, and keeps the client informed. If you need a specialist or a second opinion, you ask. Otherwise, the engagement is yours. HOW THRIVE WORKS Thrive Creative is a Calgary-based engineering firm that works as our clients' on-demand engineering department, embedded in their business. Usage-based billing, no minimums, and clients own everything we build from the moment it's written. Engagements are long-running relationships, not fixed-scope projects. You're the client's point person, and when the work needs more hands, you lead engineers from our senior team and 50+ specialist network. WHAT YOU'LL DO Run the engagement from day one. Start with little or no brief, interview the people doing the work, read the codebase and the spreadsheet everyone depends on, and come back in week one with a plan you'll stand behind. Make the calls on scope, priority and approach. Escalate only what sits above the engagement, with a recommendation attached. Build it yourself: TypeScript, React, Node, AWS, real integrations, tested code. Own the unglamorous parts: migrations, legacy auth, the import that has to be right. Manage the client directly: weekly updates, demos, estimates, and the hard scope conversations. Use AI tools well. Faster without getting sloppier. MUST-HAVES 5+ years of software development with production ownership. A track record of delivering for a client or stakeholder end to end without a project manager in the loop. Strong modern web stack and real cloud experience (AWS preferred). Integration experience with systems you didn't design. Daily use of AI coding tools. Comfort being the only technical person in the room, and knowing which questions to answer yourself and which need someone else. NICE-TO-HAVES Agency, consulting or solutions engineering experience. Infrastructure-as-code or CI/CD. A second discipline (design, product, data, security). Domain depth in logistics, healthcare, field services or manufacturing. WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU Real ownership from week one across very different businesses. Competitive Western Canada senior salary with clear paths up. Hybrid or remote with flexible hours. AWS certification support and a learning budget. HOW TO APPLY Send something that shows your work: a portfolio, GitHub, Loom or side project. A resume is welcome. Then tell us about a time you delivered for a client with very little direction: what you walked into, what you decided on your own, and how it turned out.Apply to: Kevin@thrivecreative.ltd

What you’ll do

Own client engagements end to end, from discovering business needs and setting priorities to planning, building, testing, and delivering software. Manage client communication, estimates, demos, and scope discussions, while leading additional engineers or specialists when needed.

Requirements

Requires at least five years of software development experience with production ownership, a record of delivering end-to-end for clients or stakeholders, and strong modern web and cloud experience, preferably AWS. Candidates should have integration experience, use AI coding tools daily, and be comfortable making technical decisions independently while knowing when to seek support.

Benefits

• Flexible Hours
• Learning Budget
• AWS Certification Support

Listed skills

• Node.js · Preferred
• React · Preferred
• TypeScript · Preferred
• Amazon Web Services · Preferred
• Prioritization · Preferred
• Requirements gathering · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• TypeScript
• React
• Node.js
• AWS
• Software Development
• Production Ownership
• Client Engagement Management
• Requirements Gathering
• Scope Management
• Prioritization
• System Integration
• Legacy System Migration
• Authentication
• Testing
• AI Coding Tools
• Client Communication

Job areas

• Software
• Technology
• Engineering
• Consulting
• Management & Leadership

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