Sourgum is transforming the $100B+ waste and recycling industry through cutting-edge technology that makes waste removal simpler, smarter, and more cost-effective. Our innovative haulsourcing platform powers high-quality waste and recycling services for businesses at significantly lower costs—saving our customers an average of 20%. Leveraging proprietary datasets, an advanced operating system, and a carefully curated network of 5,000+ trusted vendors, we help companies of all shapes and sizes streamline their operations while advancing sustainability efforts.

We’re a fast-growing, venture-backed company (just closed our Series A!) on a mission to modernize an outdated industry — and we’re just getting started. Our investors include Spark Capital, Founder Collective, Suffolk Technologies, 186 Ventures, and River Park Ventures, the same funds that backed category-defining companies like Slack, Anthropic, Uber, Venmo, and Amazon Pharmacy.

If you’re driven by the opportunity to build something groundbreaking, we’d love to meet you.

The Team

At Sourgum, we’re building the operating system for the waste and recycling industry—bringing transparency, standardization, and accountability to a historically fragmented space. Our platform connects customers with a nationwide network of local operators, powering everything from pricing and logistics to service quality and reporting.

The Forward Deployed Engineering team sits at the center of this transformation. We work directly with customers and internal teams to design, build, and launch high-impact solutions that drive real operational outcomes across the Sourgum network.

The Role

As a Forward Deployed Engineer at Sourgum, you will partner directly with customers and internal stakeholders to architect, build, and deploy production-grade solutions on top of our platform. You’ll own the journey from initial problem discovery through deployment—translating messy, real-world operational challenges into scalable, reliable systems.

This is a hands-on engineering role that blends software development with elements of product, operations, and customer-facing work. You’ll operate at the intersection of technology and the physical world, helping customers modernize how waste and recycling is managed across their locations.

This role is ideal for entrepreneurial engineers who thrive in ambiguity, enjoy working closely with customers, and want to see their work drive tangible, real-world impact.

What You’ll Be Doing

Design, build, and maintain production-grade systems using general-purpose programming languages

Partner directly with customers and internal stakeholders to understand operational challenges and translate them into scalable technical solutions

Own projects end-to-end—from problem definition and solution design to deployment, monitoring, and iteration

Work cross-functionally with product, operations, and engineering to deliver high-impact features and workflows

Rapidly turn ambiguous goals into clear specifications, prototypes, and shipped solutions

Optimize system performance, reliability, and efficiency across pricing, logistics, and service workflows

Contribute to product development by identifying patterns across customer needs and helping shape roadmap and features

Operate as both an engineer and problem-solver, balancing speed with long-term scalability

Navigate ambiguity and make thoughtful tradeoffs to deliver simple, effective solutions

Take ownership of outcomes, holding a high bar for execution and accountability

The Qualifications You Need

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field

2+ years of experience in a fast-paced, high-growth environment

Strong experience with at least one general-purpose programming language in a production environment

Experience building and maintaining production systems that interact with real-world operations or workflows

Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights