The Datadog for Startups (DDFS) program helps the next generation of fast-scaling companies adopt best-in-class observability and security from day one. We're looking for the technical engine of this program - someone who can sit across from a startup CTO, earn credibility in the first five minutes, and help them see how Datadog fits into their stack before they've even finished describing it. You'll be the first technical member on a lean, five-person team, owning the technical motion end-to-end: discovery calls, demos, startup enablement, forward-deployed engineering projects, and representing Datadog at founder events across San Francisco. This isn't a traditional SE seat - it's part solutions architect, part technical consultant, part startup evangelist, and it requires someone adaptable, proactive, and ready to take initiative without being told what to do next.

At Datadog, we place value in our office culture - the relationships and collaboration it builds, and the creativity it brings to the table. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them.

What You'll Do:

Run discovery calls with startup CTOs and engineering leads to identify quick wins, validate technical needs, and position Datadog against alternatives like Grafana, New Relic, Sentry, and Clickhouse
Deliver tailored Datadog demos and help startups get instrumented quickly - removing friction, showcasing value, and ensuring smooth technical onboarding, particularly around AI/ML observability, infrastructure scaling, and security
Manage forward-deployed engineering (FDE) projects embedded directly with client teams, translating their workflows and pain points into Datadog adoption and communicating customer needs back to product and engineering
Build automation to improve internal team workflows - EX: outreach, reporting, the application process, and website updates
Represent Datadog for Startups at accelerator demo days, hackathons, conferences, founder dinners, and workshops across San Francisco
Build relationships across SF's startup ecosystem - founders, VCs, accelerator partners, and technical communities - and develop thought leadership content for technical founder audiences

Who You Are:

5-7+ years in solutions architecture, pre-sales engineering, technical consulting, or a similar customer-facing technical role at a SaaS or cloud company, with broad fluency across cloud infrastructure, containers, Kubernetes, CI/CD, and modern application frameworks
A tinkerer with genuine, personal interest in AI and emerging technologies - you've used tools like Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, or Cursor outside of work and follow what's happening with agentic workflows, vibe coding, and codegen because you find it interesting
Consultative mindset - you do the overview first, then go deep. You identify customer needs and quick wins in a first conversation, not just recite product features
Strong presence and communication skills - you can command a room of technical founders, run a compelling demo, and hold your own in an unscripted conversation with a CTO
Adaptable and flexible - comfortable shifting between contexts, priorities, and audiences quickly, and thrive in ambiguity on a small, lean team
Based in San Francisco and actively engaged in the local tech/startup community, with startup experience (founded a company, early-stage engineer, or consulting/advisory to founders) strongly preferred

Datadog values people from all walks of life. We understand not everyone will meet all the above qualifications on day one. That's okay. If you're passionate about technology and want to grow your skills, we encourage you to apply.

Benefits and Growth:

New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)
Continuous professional development, product training, and career pathing
Intradepartmental mentor and buddy program for in-house networking
An inclusive company culture, ability to join our Community Guilds (Datadog Affinity Slacks)
Access to Inclusion Talks with a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Free, global mental health benefits for employees and dependents age 6+
Competitive global benefits

Benefits and Growth listed above may vary based on the country of your employment and the nature of your employment with Datadog.

Datadog offers a competitive salary and equity package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Datadog offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, parental planning, and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements, and a discounted employee stock purchase plan.

The reasonably estimated yearly salary for this role at Datadog is:

$205,000—$240,000 USD

About Datadog:

Datadog is the leading observability and security platform for the AI era, providing businesses with unified visibility across the technology stack to manage complexity at scale. It brings applications, infrastructure, data, models, and security into one place, using AI to detect and resolve issues before they impact customers. Trusted globally by Fortune 500 companies and high-growth AI leaders, Datadog enables businesses to move faster with clarity and confidence. Learn more about #DatadogLife on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Datadog Learning Center.

Equal Opportunity at Datadog:

Datadog is proud to offer equal employment opportunity to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Here are our Candidate Legal Notices for your reference.

Datadog endeavors to make our Careers Page accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please complete this form. This form is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

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Any information you submit to Datadog as part of your application will be processed in accordance with Datadog’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice. For information on our AI policy, please visit Interviewing at Datadog AI Guidelines.

Datadog for Startups Founding Engineering Lead