At Sift, we're redefining how modern machines are built, tested, and operated. Our platform gives engineers real-time observability over high-frequency telemetry—eliminating bottlenecks and enabling faster, more reliable development.
Sift was born from our work at SpaceX on Dragon, Falcon, Starlink, and Starship—where scaling telemetry, debugging flight systems, and ensuring mission reliability demanded new infrastructure. Founded by a team from SpaceX, Google, and Palantir, Sift is built for mission-critical systems where precision and scalability are non-negotiable.
As an early engineer at Sift, you won't just write code—you'll help define the architecture, shape the product, and influence the culture of a company focused on solving real engineering problems. If you're looking for complex technical challenges and the opportunity to build foundational systems supporting complex machines from the ground up, we want to hear from you.
About the RoleThe Forward Deployed Infrastructure team is responsible for maintaining our cloud, private VPC, and on-premise deployments. We have an increasing number of environments to deploy and maintain. As a Forward Deployed Engineer, Infrastructure, you'll bridge the gap between Sift's cutting-edge infrastructure capabilities and our customers' complex deployment challenges. You'll work directly with customer teams to deploy and maintain scalable, resilient infrastructure solutions while partnering with customers to understand their technical challenges and adapt Sift's deployment to meet their needs.
You will report to our Forward Deployed Engineering Lead and play a critical role in delivering infrastructure solutions that enable our customers' success with next-generation machines.
In This Role, You'll:Deploy and maintain scalable, resilient infrastructure solutions to support our growing platform and customer base
Collaborate with forward deployed software engineers to optimize application performance and reliability
Partner with customers to understand their technical challenges and adapt Sift's deployment to meet their needs
Implement monitoring, alerting, and logging systems to ensure proactive identification and resolution of issues
Reduce manual deployment processes and streamline infrastructure management using modern DevOps tools and methodologies
Troubleshoot production issues, ensuring timely resolution and minimal impact on operations
Participate in an on-call support schedule
Build strong, trust-based relationships with customers, acting as a technical partner and advocate
3+ years of relevant distributed systems experience focusing on designing and managing cloud-based (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and on-prem environments
Hands-on experience with containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and container orchestration platforms
Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and version control systems
Knowledge of automated testing best practices and frameworks, ensuring software reliability through integration, performance, and end-to-end testing in distributed systems
Experience with our tech stack: AWS, Docker, Flink, Go, Java, Kubernetes, React, Redpanda, Rust, TypeScript, and Terragrunt (or equivalent technologies)
Good knowledge of cloud, on-prem, networking, and service architecture in multi-region multi-cloud setups
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to diverse audiences
Strong problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail
Bachelor's degree in computer science, data science, engineering, math, physics, or a STEM discipline
Someone who's excited by the ambiguity and high-ownership culture of early-stage startups
An engineer who is pragmatic, solution-oriented, and scrappy
A collaborative team player who can work effectively with customers, engineers, and go-to-market teams
Someone comfortable interfacing directly with customers, particularly during deployment and operational support, and can communicate technical concepts clearly and professionally
Willingness to travel up to 50%
Willingness to obtain a U.S. security clearance
You'll have the opportunity to help evolve and scale our platform because we're still in the early stages of building the product. Relevant technologies include:
Web frontend & backend: ECharts, Go, gRPC, PostgreSQL, Protobuf, Radix, React, Redux, and TypeScript
Data: Arrow, DataFusion, Flink, Parquet, and Rust
Infrastructure: Argo CD, AWS, Docker, GitHub Actions, Grafana, Kubernetes, Kustomize, Linux, Prometheus, and Terragrunt
Sift’s headquarters is in El Segundo, CA. We collaborate in person twice a week—on Mondays and Thursdays—and come together for a full week every two months. While we prefer team members to be local, we’re open to relocating candidates to LA or considering remote work from the San Francisco area for the right candidate.
Salary range: $150,000 - $200,000 per year. Plus equity and benefits.
Eligibility:US Person Required: Must be a U.S. Citizen or Green Card Holder due to ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) / EAR (Export Administration Regulations) compliance requirements.
Top Skills
What We Do
Sift is transforming how modern machines are built and operated. Our platform goes beyond traditional monitoring, enabling automated data review that catches unusual conditions in systems too complex for manual checks. This not only enhances reliability but also dramatically speeds up development cycles.
At our core, we provide a unified solution for ingesting, storing, and analyzing vast amounts of machine data. By combining powerful data processing with easy-to-use visualizations, we help engineers make sense of enormous amounts of information. From spacecraft to self-driving cars, Sift is the backbone of innovation for companies pushing technology to new limits.
Born from the challenges of spaceflight, Sift aims to accelerate technological progress. We believe that by giving engineers better tools to understand and improve their creations, we can unlock a new era of innovation. Our mission goes beyond solving today's engineering problems; we're building the foundation for a future where the most ambitious machines are developed with confidence, run with precision, and constantly improved.
We're also tackling related challenges like simplifying regulatory compliance, and improving manufacturing processes. By connecting data from various sources—from sensors to manufacturing records to regulatory requirements—we're empowering a new generation of engineers to build the technologies that will shape our world.
Join us in our journey to usher in this new age of reliable, groundbreaking technology. Whether you're launching rockets, developing autonomous systems, or advancing energy and transportation, Sift is your partner in turning vast amounts of data into insights that drive innovation forward.
