Forward-Deployed Engineering Lead

Who we are

Wonderful is a hyper-growth applied-AI company — 500+ people in 15 months. We operate a Palantir-style model: small teams of practitioners, augmented by AI agents, embedded directly inside large enterprises to build and manage AI systems. Two to three people deliver what a 14-person consulting team used to. Every engagement ships working software and leaves behind reusable IP.

What you'll do

This is not an advisory role. You will be the senior technical leader embedded in client environments, turning AI ambition into actual deployed systems.

• Own architecture, implementation, and deployment of AI systems and agentic workflows

• Be the senior technical face for client stakeholders and leadership

• Hire, grow, and lead delivery teams as projects scale, you'll grow teams from 5 to 50 people

• Set engineering standards, documentation, and quality benchmarks

• Translate complex technical concepts for non-technical decision makers

• Contribute reusable IP and methodology that accelerates every future engagement

• Win and deliver enterprise accounts in the Polish market — you will establish and lead the entire Poland operation from the ground up

What you need

Non-negotiable:

• 8+ years of backend, full-stack, or infrastructure experience: you must be comfortable reading and writing code

• Proven founder or co-founder experience: an exit, significant funding raised, or a team built and scaled

• Experience scaling engineering teams from under 10 to 50+ people

• Track record of delivering complex, multi-month implementations inside large enterprise clients (think tier-1 banks, not SaaS startups)

• Fluency in Polish — you will work on-site with local clients and the Warsaw team

• Willingness to work 4 days per week on-site in Warsaw

• High agency, extreme ownership, and the ability to operate independently with zero hand-holding

Strong signals:

• Pedigree from high-growth, technically respected companies (Palantir, DeepSense, GitLab, or similar)

• Mix of startup 0→1 build experience and enterprise client logos

• Direct hands-on experience with production AI, LLM, or agentic systems

• Forward-deployed or customer-facing engineering experience

• Deep backend or full-stack expertise (mobile-only or frontend-only backgrounds will not work here)

What this is not

• A stable, predictable 9-to-5 role

• A position for someone looking for a Plan B

• A role for pure people managers who haven't touched code in 5+ years

• A fit for mobile-only or frontend-only engineers

• A home for "job hoppers": if you've left roles every 12-18 months without a clear reason, this isn't it

• Open to candidates with notice periods longer than 3 months

The environment

Intense, fast-paced, high-ownership. The culture mirrors an Israeli startup ethos — assertive, direct, energized by controlled chaos. You will be surrounded by people who move fast, ship hard, and don't wait for permission. If that excites you, you'll thrive. If you want structure and predictability, keep looking.

Hiring process

1. Recruiter screening call

2. Interview with Head of Operations, Poland

3. Technical deep dive interview

4. Final interview with Pawel O (Co-founder)