Harper

AI-native commercial insurance brokerage

Forward Deployed Engineer

$140K - $200K0.05% - 0.25%San Francisco
Job type
Full-time
Role
Engineering, Full stack
Experience
3+ years
Visa
US citizen/visa only
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About the role

The Problem

36 million businesses in America need insurance—it’s not optional. 77% are underinsured. 40% have no coverage at all. The distribution system failed them: too slow, too opaque, too confusing.

Over 90% of commercial insurance is still human-led. We’re building the inverse: 90%+ AI-led, pushing toward the higher 90s. Not by patching legacy workflows—by building AI that makes humans more effective, improves the customer experience, and eliminates friction at every step.

We’re adding ~1,000 customers per month. We’ve grown 100x since last year. We’re looking to do even more this year—and that’s why we’re hiring.

Somewhere in that transition, there’s leverage hiding everywhere—inefficiencies the right engineer could eliminate with the right solution built in the right week.

The Thesis

Turning judgment into compute isn’t a one-time project. It’s a constant hunt for leverage. New models drop monthly. What was impossible in January is table stakes by June. Someone needs to be on the frontier—figuring out what’s newly possible and applying it before anyone else does. That’s this role.

The Role

You’re a technical generalist who views engineering as a tool for solving business problems—not the end goal itself. You embed with operations: sales, customer service, underwriting, carrier relations. You see where things break. You identify the 20% of problems that cause 80% of friction. Then you build the solution.

Prototype Monday, ship Tuesday, measure Wednesday. If it works, push to production. If not, try something else.

What You’ll Do

  • Find leverage — Sit with teams, discover what nobody’s automated because nobody knew it could be

  • Build solutions fast — AI agents, automations, internal tools—prototype in days, ship in weeks

  • Stay on the frontier — New model drops? You’re testing it that day

  • Prove impact — Set up metrics, track results, show what worked

  • Communicate what you learn — Present to the company; shape the roadmap

You Might Be a Fit If…

  • You get energy from business impact, not code elegance

  • You’re a technical generalist (Python, TypeScript, SQL—you learn new tools in days)

  • You write code with AI (Cursor, Claude Code) and can manage multiple coding sessions

  • You can present to non-technical people and explain why conversion dropped

  • You think in business terms: “we increased conversion by 15%,” not “we shipped the feature”

  • You’re 2-5 years into your career

Requirements

  • 2-5 years software engineering experience

  • Proficiency in Python, TypeScript, or similar

  • Experience building and shipping internal tools or automations

  • Ability to work autonomously and move fast

  • Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate

Nice to Have

  • Experience with LLMs, AI agents, or voice AI

  • Background in operations, sales tech, or workflow automation

  • Prior startup experience

Compensation

  • Salary: $140,000–$200,000 + performance bonuses & equity

  • Location: San Francisco, in-office

Benefits

  • Health, dental, and vision insurance

  • Commuter benefits

  • Team meals and snacks

The Process

  1. 15-min founder call — Alignment on mission and pace

  2. If in SF: Super Day on-site

  3. If outside SF: Technical phone screen, then on-site

To Apply

If you want autonomy, impact, and the chance to build AI capabilities against business problems you discover yourself—send your resume and tell us about something you built that had measurable business impact.

About Harper

Harper
Founded:2024
Batch:W25
Team Size:25
Status:
Active
Location:San Francisco
Founders
Tushar Nair
Tushar Nair
Founder
Dakotah Rice
Dakotah Rice
Founder