Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) / FDE Lead

Role Purpose:We are looking for exceptional Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) and FDE Leads who can operate across the entire journey from customer problem to commercial closure to working production product.This is not a traditional Presales Engineer, Solution Architect, Product Manager, or Engineering Manager role.The FDE is a customer-facing builder.The individual must be capable of sitting directly with customers, understanding complex business and technical problems, designing the solution, personally building the demo or Proof of Concept (POC), technically driving the opportunity alongside the sales team, and then taking ownership of turning that successful concept into a fully functioning product.The defining characteristic of this role is hands-on execution. The FDE must be capable of personally writing production-quality code and building the initial product end-to-end. Once the product and architecture have been established, additional engineering resources can be assigned to accelerate and scale delivery.For an FDE Lead, the expectation extends further: lead other FDEs, establish engineering direction, manage multiple customer engagements, and remain personally hands-on with architecture and code.Core Mission:Discover → Design → Demo → POC → Close → Build → Deploy → ScaleThe FDE owns the technical journey across this entire lifecycle.The objective is to dramatically shorten the distance between a customer's business problem and a working production solution.Key Responsibilities1. Customer Discovery & Technical PresalesWork directly with customer executives, business teams, technical teams, and users to understand their problems, workflows, systems, data, and requirements.Translate often ambiguous customer needs into a concrete technical solution and product concept.Act as the primary technical counterpart to the customer throughout the opportunity.Challenge requirements when necessary and help customers identify what should actually be built rather than simply implementing what was initially requested.Partner closely with Sales to develop the technical strategy required to win the opportunity.2. Personally Build Demos & POCsThis is a fully hands-on role.The FDE is expected to personally:Design the proposed solution and architecture.Write the code.Build customer-specific demonstrations.Develop functional POCs and prototypes.Build AI agents, applications, workflows, APIs, integrations, and user interfaces where required.Integrate models, enterprise systems, databases, APIs, and third-party platforms.Deploy solutions into customer or cloud environments.Troubleshoot problems directly.Demonstrate the solution to customers and senior stakeholders.Iterate rapidly based on customer feedback.The expectation is not to produce PowerPoint concepts or hand specifications to another engineering team. The FDE should be able to turn an idea into working software personally.3. Technically Drive the Deal to ClosureOwn the technical dimension of the opportunity from first engagement through closure.Work jointly with Sales to:Define the solution.Establish technical credibility.Develop demonstrations and POCs that prove value.Resolve technical objections.Validate architecture, security, integration and deployment requirements.Define scope and technical deliverables.Support technical portions of proposals, RFPs and SOWs.Establish customer acceptance criteria.Convert successful POCs into production engagements.The FDE remains accountable for ensuring that the proposed solution is technically achievable and commercially deliverable.4. Turn the POC into a Full ProductAfter an opportunity is won, the FDE does not simply hand the project to another team.The FDE becomes the initial technical owner and builder of the product.The individual should be capable of:Designing the production architecture.Building the initial product end-to-end.Writing production-quality code.Establishing the codebase and engineering standards.Building core backend and frontend capabilities.Implementing AI and agentic components.Creating integrations and APIs.Implementing data pipelines where required.Establishing deployment and operational environments.Implementing security and observability.Testing and debugging the solution.Getting the first complete product operational.Once the foundation is established, the organization will assign additional engineers and specialists to accelerate delivery.The FDE then provides the technical leadership required to take the product from initial implementation to enterprise-scale deployment.5. Own Customer DeploymentWork directly inside complex customer environments where necessary.Navigate real-world constraints including legacy applications, incomplete APIs, fragmented data, security controls, infrastructure restrictions, regulatory requirements, and changing business requirements.The FDE must be comfortable solving problems without waiting for perfectly defined specifications.6. Productize What We LearnIdentify capabilities developed for individual customers that should become reusable platform components or products.Work with Product and Engineering to convert field-developed solutions into reusable:Product capabilitiesAgentsWorkflowsConnectorsAPIsComponentsTemplatesIndustry solutionsThe FDE therefore acts as an important bridge between customers, commercial teams, product and engineering.FDE Lead Additional ResponsibilitiesAn FDE Lead must perform all responsibilities of an FDE while also being capable of:Leading and mentoring a team of FDEs.Remaining personally hands-on with code and critical implementations.Taking technical ownership of major strategic customer engagements.Allocating FDE resources across opportunities.Reviewing architecture and code.Establishing development and deployment standards.Managing technical priorities across multiple customer projects.Coaching FDEs on customer discovery, technical selling and product development.Creating reusable engineering patterns across engagements.Working with Product and Engineering leadership to determine which customer innovations should enter the core product roadmap.Building and scaling the FDE function over time.An FDE Lead is not a people manager who has stopped building. The Lead must remain a highly capable hands-on engineer.Required ProfileWe are looking for individuals who combine capabilities that are normally found across several different roles:Software Engineer + Solution Architect + Presales Engineer + Product Builder + Technical LeadCandidates should have:Strong full-stack software engineering capability.Demonstrated ability to personally build complete applications or products.Strong architecture and system-design capability.Experience developing enterprise-grade software.Strong API, integration and data engineering knowledge.Experience with cloud-native architectures and deployment.Strong understanding of modern AI application development.Experience integrating LLMs, AI models, agentic systems, RAG, tools and enterprise data.Ability to prototype extremely quickly without sacrificing the ability to productionize.Strong debugging and problem-solving capability.Experience working directly with enterprise customers.Ability to conduct technical discovery and translate business problems into software.Strong presentation and demonstration skills.Ability to communicate effectively with both C-level executives and engineering teams.Commercial awareness and an understanding of how technical decisions influence deal closure.Ability to operate effectively under ambiguity and significant customer pressure.What We Are Specifically NOT Looking ForThis role is not suitable for someone who:Primarily creates presentations and architecture diagrams.Requires another engineering team to build their POCs.Has moved entirely into engineering management and no longer codes.Can sell technically but cannot build.Can code but cannot engage customers.Requires detailed specifications before starting development.Wants to hand the project over after the POC.Operates exclusively as a Product Manager, Solution Architect, Presales Engineer, or Engineering Manager.Ideal Candidate:The strongest candidate is someone who can meet a customer in the morning, understand a difficult business problem, design the architecture with the customer's technical team, start coding the solution that afternoon, demonstrate a working version within days, help Sales convert that work into a commercial engagement, and subsequently lead the development of the production product.They should be equally comfortable in front of a customer, at a whiteboard, inside an IDE, debugging an integration, deploying a system, and leading an engineering team.Success MeasuresSuccess in this role will be measured by:Speed from customer problem to working demonstration.Quality and relevance of demos and POCs.POC-to-commercial conversion rate.Technical contribution to deal closure.Speed from commercial agreement to production deployment.Quality and reliability of delivered products.Customer adoption and measurable business outcomes.Reusability of solutions across customers.Ability to build and subsequently scale delivery teams around successful products.The FDE StandardDo not just explain what can be built. Build it.Do not just build the POC. Turn it into the product.Do not just deliver the product. Own the technical outcome with the customer.(ONLY resumes via applications will be considered)