Director, Forward Deployed Engineer
Application managed by InterviewHR
$260,000 – $409,000 / yearly
Talkdesk is seeking a Director of Forward Deployed Engineering to lead a global team responsible for bridging the gap between core AI product capabilities and real-world, complex requirements of enterprise customers. You will oversee the design, integration, and deployment of production-grade Customer Experience Automation (CXA) and Agentic AI solutions while serving as a strategic liaison between Sales, Product Management, and Core Engineering teams. In this executive leadership role, you will manage operational excellence across all client environments, ensure technical governance for complex AI/ML systems, and drive scalability and security. You'll be the ultimate technical escalation point for customers, building high-trust relationships with CTOs and VPs of Engineering while synthesizing field learnings into reusable solution patterns that influence the platform roadmap. This position requires a unique blend of strategic organizational leadership, deep technical expertise in AI/ML architecture, and a customer-first mindset. You will hire, mentor, and develop a team of high-performing hybrid engineers while managing budgets and resources to balance pre-sales technical support with post-sales deployment execution.
Responsibilities
- Lead the global Forward Deployed Engineering department to design and deliver complex Agentic AI and CXA deployments for Tier-1 enterprise customers
- Develop and execute the FDE operational strategy, defining the golden path for deployments with emphasis on scalability, security, and high performance
- Serve as primary liaison between Sales, Product Management, and Core Engineering, ensuring alignment while advocating for customer-driven features
- Identify and mitigate complex technical risks in the field, maintaining technical excellence across RAG systems, API integrations, and secure data architecture
- Synthesize field learnings into reusable solution patterns and deliver high-signal feedback to core teams to influence platform development
- Hire, manage, and mentor a team of Forward Deployed Engineers, fostering a culture of high-stakes problem solving and continuous learning
- Act as ultimate technical escalation point for customers, building high-trust relationships with customer CTOs and VPs of Engineering
- Manage FDE budget and resource allocation, balancing pre-sales technical support with post-sales deployment execution
Skills
Benefits
- Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance
- Life and Disability Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- 401(k) plan
- Uncapped paid time off
- 14 paid holidays annually
- Equity and bonus/commission opportunities based on level and role
- Inclusive and diverse work environment
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