Full-Stack Software Engineer, Forward Deployed (New Grad)
Posted 29 days ago
The role in short
Build and deploy full-stack identity solutions for government and enterprise clients while learning from senior engineers.
About SpruceID
SpruceID builds privacy-preserving, standards-based digital identity and credentialing solutions that give individuals control of their information while enabling governments and enterprises to deliver secure, interoperable services. We partner with public-sector organizations to modernize how identity is issued, verified, and used.
The Opportunity
We're looking for multiple Full-Stack Engineers to join our forward-deployed engineering team. You'll work alongside experienced engineers and directly with state governments, public sector partners, and enterprise clients to help design, build, and deploy impactful identity solutions.
This is an ideal role for a recent graduate who wants to grow quickly while working on technology that matters. You'll gain hands-on experience across the full stack, learn from senior engineers, and contribute to systems that serve millions of people.
This is a fully remote role open to candidates based in the United States.
What You'll Do
- Collaborate with customer delivery leads, engineers, and UX designers on real-world deployments.
- Build full-stack features for state governments and public sector partners, with guidance from senior engineers.
- Learn to translate customer requirements into technical solutions and production-ready systems.
- Develop backend services and web applications that meet public sector security, privacy, and accessibility standards.
- Contribute to codebases spanning backend, mobile, and browser environments.
- Participate in customer deployments and learn the full lifecycle of software delivery.
- Engage with open identity standards and privacy-focused engineering practices.
Our Commitment to Your Growth
We believe in investing in early-career engineers. As a new grad at SpruceID, you'll receive:
- Dedicated mentorship from senior engineers who will guide your technical development.
- Structured onboarding to get you up to speed on our stack, our standards, and our customers.
- Regular 1:1s and feedback to help you set and achieve career goals.
- Opportunities to own projects as you grow, with appropriate support and guardrails.
- Exposure to the full product lifecycle—from customer discovery to production deployment.
We're not looking for someone who already knows everything. We're looking for someone eager to learn, humble enough to ask questions, and motivated to do meaningful work.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (recent graduates welcome).
- Foundational experience with backend development in a statically typed language (Rust, Go, C#, Java, or similar)—coursework, internships, or personal projects count.
- Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and work collaboratively.
- Strong communication skills and genuine interest in working with customers and stakeholders.
- Appreciation for open-source software, clean code, and thoughtful engineering.
- Based in the U.S. (or willing to relocate without visa assistance - TN considered) and excited to contribute to impactful public sector work.
Nice to Have
- Internship or project experience in full-stack development.
- Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) through coursework or side projects.
- Interest in digital identity, cryptography, data privacy, or security.
- Familiarity with modern web frontends (React, TypeScript, or similar).
- Familiarity with databases (PostgreSQL), APIs (REST or GraphQL), or CI/CD concepts.
- Contributions to open-source projects or hackathon participation.
- Coursework or interest in accessibility, usability, or inclusive design.
- Any exposure to government technology, civic tech, or high-compliance environments.
Why SpruceID?
- Mission-driven work: Build technology that protects privacy and improves how governments serve citizens
- Remote-first culture: Work from anywhere in the U.S. with a team that values async collaboration
- Early responsibility: We're a growing company where you'll have real impact from day one
- Standards-based engineering: Contribute to open-source projects and work with emerging identity standards (W3C, DIF, IETF)
- Supportive team: Join a group of engineers who care about craft, mentorship, and doing things right
At SpruceID, we value diversity of perspectives and backgrounds. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status.
Prep for this interview
4 questions likely to come up at SpruceID, each matched to a line in this posting.
- 1Cloud, deployment and security
They wrote: “Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) through coursework or side projects.”
The customer's security team sends a 200-question review. How do you handle it?
How to answer
Why they ask: Security reviews often block deals. FDEs help get through them.
- Start from your company's standard answers (SOC 2 report, past reviews)
- Answer clearly; don't oversell
- Bring in your security team for anything you're unsure of
- Keep the new answers for the next customer
Tip: Reuse past answers, flag honest gaps, and offer a call for the hard questions.
- 2Coding
They wrote: “Foundational experience with backend development in a statically typed language (Rust, Go, C#, Java, or similar)—coursework, internships, or personal projects count.”
Build a small in-memory cache. Then add expiry. Then a size limit.
How to answer
Why they ask: Staged exercises show how your code holds up when requirements change mid-interview, like at a customer.
- Start with get and set on a dictionary, plus tests
- Store an expiry time with each value and check it on read
- Track use order and evict the least recently used entry when full
- Say what you'd change for many threads or many machines
Tip: Keep the first version simple and well tested so the next stage is a small change.
- 3Discovery and scoping
They wrote: “Learn to translate customer requirements into technical solutions and production-ready systems.”
Tell me about a time the customer asked for one thing but needed another.
How to answer
Why they ask: Good FDEs spot when a request is a guess at a solution. They want proof you can redirect a customer without losing their trust.
- What they asked for, and the detail that made you doubt it
- How you tested the doubt (shadowed users, looked at logs, ran a quick prototype)
- How you made the case to the customer
- What shipped and what changed for them
Tip: Pick a story where you checked your hunch with data or users before pushing back.
- 4Integrations and APIs
They wrote: “Familiarity with databases (PostgreSQL), APIs (REST or GraphQL), or CI/CD concepts.”
How would you set up single sign-on for a large customer?
How to answer
Why they ask: SSO (SAML or OAuth/OIDC) is a common first task in enterprise deals and a common source of delays.
- Confirm their identity provider (Okta, Entra ID, Google) and protocol
- Exchange metadata and test in a staging tenant first
- Map user groups to roles in your product
- Plan for user removal: what happens when someone leaves the company
Tip: Mention the people involved, and the protocol second. The customer's identity team usually controls the timeline.
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