Head of Forward Deployed Engineering (AI)

TL;DR

Head of Forward Deployed Engineering (AI): Building and leading the technical team responsible for deploying AI automation agents into complex enterprise environments with an accent on rapid value delivery, API integration, and system architecture design. Focus on creating repeatable deployment frameworks, solving unique customer challenges in real-time, and scaling the engineering function within a high-growth startup.

Location: Must be based in or willing to work from our San Francisco HQ, 5 days/week

Salary: $250,000 – $400,000

Company

An AI-native automation platform building intelligent agents that replace manual enterprise workflows and legacy systems.

What you will do

• Define the charter, processes, and hiring plan for the Forward Deployed Engineering function.
• Lead high-stakes pilots and customer implementations to ensure immediate value delivery.
• Write production-quality code to solve customer-specific technical challenges and integrate APIs.
• Develop reusable onboarding frameworks to transform bespoke deployments into scalable patterns.
• Partner with Product and Engineering teams to translate field insights into platform improvements.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop a world-class team of forward deployed engineers.

Requirements

• 7–10+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 3 years in leadership
• Proven track record of scaling technical or customer-facing engineering teams
• Strong technical foundation including API development and debugging distributed systems
• Experience managing enterprise deployments and architecture design
• Must be based in or relocate to San Francisco for 5 days/week on-site work
• Builder’s mindset with the ability to thrive in ambiguity and move fast

Nice to have

• Prior startup experience as an early technical leader
• Background in IT, Security, or workflow automation domains
• Experience working with LLM-based or AI agent systems in production

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to shape a fundamental new AI product from the ground up
• Growth trajectory within a high-impact, investor-backed startup
• Culture emphasizing innovation, ownership, accountability, and fun
• Equity compensation package included