Forward Deployed Engineer II

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 assigned business teams to learn how their work gets done – the systems, documents, decisions, and handoffs – by working alongside the people who do it. 
• Map each workflow end to end – inputs, systems, decision rules, handoffs, and exceptions – including how it connects to the processes upstream and downstream, and keep those maps current as the source of truth. 
• Identify and size automation opportunities by hours saved, error reduction, and risk, and agree on priorities with department leadership and the Head of Technology. 
• Write build-ready specifications for Platform Engineering – data requirements, business rules, edge cases, and acceptance criteria – for work that belongs in the core lending platform, and co-ship it. 
• Work with Platform Engineering so every automation runs on the existing platform – shared data, integrations, identity, and monitoring – and turn recurring patterns into reusable components, so each automation strengthens the systems already in place rather than adding a standalone tool. 
• Build and ship production automations across lending workflows using Python or TypeScript, APIs, and LLM-based agents. 
• Design each agent workflow as an engineered loop – a clear goal, the right tools, verification against expected results, defined stop conditions, and a human checkpoint wherever a decision requires one. 
• Take every automation through the security and AI governance gate: sandboxed development, least-privilege agent identities, audit logging, human review of any output that affects a loan decision, and independent security review before production. 
• Measure each automation against a pre-launch baseline and report the results. 
• Drive adoption: train users, update procedures so each automation becomes the standard way the work gets done, and resolve issues quickly after launch. 
• Monitor and support shipped automations, and maintain runbooks so the business team knows how to handle exceptions. 

GENERAL DUTIES 

• Partner with Data & Analytics on data definitions, data-quality issues found in the field, and automation metrics. 
• Follow engineering standards, including version control, code review, automated testing, and change management. 
• Protect borrower data in line with GLBA, company security policies, and the AI Use Policy, and raise risks early. 
• Evaluate AI tools and vendors when a workflow calls for one, and recommend whether to build or buy. 
• Keep workflow maps, specifications, runbooks, and change logs current so every automation is easy to maintain and hand off. 
• Rotate to a new department once the current department’s automations are stable and documented. 
• Provide clear, regular updates on progress, blockers, and results 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. 
• 3–5 years of professional software engineering experience, including systems that non-technical business users relied on daily. 
• Production experience with Python or TypeScript, SQL, and REST API integrations. 
• Hands-on experience shipping LLM-based features to production – tool use, structured outputs, document extraction, retrieval, and evaluation. Experience with agent frameworks a plus. 
• Daily use of AI coding tools, with the discipline to review and test what they produce. 
• Experience with loop engineering – designing agent loops that act, check their results against clear goals, and stop or hand off to a person at the right point. 
• Proven ability to run discovery with business users and turn it into clear process maps and specifications; consulting, solutions engineering, internal tools, or business systems experience strongly preferred. 
• Systems thinker who designs for the whole process, not just the task in front of them. 
• Sound security habits – least-privilege access, secrets management, logging, and safe handling of sensitive personal and financial data. 
• Experience in lending, real estate finance, or another regulated financial services environment a plus. 
• Experience with OutSystems or another low-code platform, Microsoft 365/SharePoint, and Jira a plus. 
• Clear writer and communicator who can explain technical tradeoffs to business partners and executives. 
• High ownership and comfort starting from an incomplete problem statement. 

The Pay

Salary range is up to $130,000 per year, 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.