Forward-Deployed Engineer
Turning difficult customer problems into software that works.
I’m Max Li, an AI engineer and product builder based in Singapore. I bring 16+ years of engineering experience—including 12 years scaling Ahrefs’ frontend—and a hands-on approach to taking products from an ambiguous idea to a deployed application.
I’m interested in forward-deployed engineering roles where I can work directly with customers, understand their operations, and build the right solution alongside them.
What I bring
Customer discovery
Understand the workflow, constraints, and business outcome before choosing what to build.
Hands-on delivery
Prototype quickly, write production code, integrate systems, and own the path to deployment.
AI product engineering
Turn capable models into focused products with practical interfaces, guardrails, and feedback loops.
End-to-end ownership
Work across product decisions, frontend, APIs, mobile apps, deployment, and iteration.
How I would work
Forward-deployed work starts with the outcome, not the technology.
Learn the real workflow
Talk with users, observe how work gets done, and identify the bottleneck behind the feature request.
Prove value quickly
Build the smallest useful pilot, put it in users’ hands, and validate the riskiest assumptions early.
Deploy for real
Connect the necessary systems, handle edge cases, and turn the successful prototype into reliable software.
Measure and improve
Stay close to users after launch, measure the outcome, and feed what I learn back into the product.
Representative work
Products I have shipped across AI, web, and mobile.
Tulsk ↗
AI project managementAn AI-native project management platform built around autonomous multi-agent collaboration and an always-on AI project manager.
HomeworkAI ↗
AI education · iOSA PSLE-focused tutor that turns a photographed question into guided, step-by-step explanations across Math, Science, and English.
AI Banana Flow ↗
AI image generationA visual flow editor that makes complex AI image-generation workflows easier to build and use.
SG Passport Photo ↗
Consumer utilityA focused product that translates Singapore passport-photo requirements into a simple user workflow.
Example engagement
Improving operations for a childcare school
Suppose teachers spend hours recording attendance, meals, naps, and parent updates across paper forms and disconnected tools. I would first observe the daily workflow and speak with teachers and administrators to find where time is actually being lost.
I could then build a focused pilot: a tablet-friendly activity log, teacher-approved AI summaries for parents, and secure access for each family. After testing it at one location, I would use staff feedback and time-saved measurements to improve the product before a wider rollout.
This is an illustration of my approach, not a completed client engagement.
Have a difficult workflow to solve?
I’m open to forward-deployed engineering opportunities and conversations with teams building ambitious AI products.
me@maxlibin.com →