Head of Forward Deployed Engineering at AI startup building the OS for global commodities
Jack & Jill · San Francisco, CA
- On site
- Full-time
- $150,000 / year
- San Francisco, CA
Job highlights
- Lead post-sale customer lifecycle as first FDE.
- Build FDE function from scratch with full autonomy.
- Deploy AI systems for global commodities market.
- Translate customer needs into product specifications.
- Requires 5+ years in high-growth startup roles.
About the role
Head of Forward Deployed Engineering
As the first Head of Forward Deployed Engineering, you will bridge the gap between sales and product by owning the entire post-sale customer lifecycle. You will design deployment plans for complex global trade workflows, build the FDE function from scratch, and lead technical implementations that transform messy legacy data into automated intelligence.
Company Description
Stealth-mode AI startup building the operating system for the global commodities industry.
Why this role is remarkable
- High-agency leadership opportunity to build the entire FDE function from the ground up, including hiring plans, playbooks, and internal tooling.
- Tackle the massive global commodities market by replacing legacy spreadsheets and PDFs with a sophisticated AI-driven operating layer.
- Work directly with the founding team in a fast-paced environment where product-market fit is driving demand faster than the current onboarding capacity.
What You Will Do
- Lead technical deployments from contract signature to go-live, configuring LLM-based systems and data models for complex trade workflows.
- Translate real-world customer pain into crisp product specs, influencing the engineering roadmap based on deployment patterns.
- Develop repeatable onboarding templates and AI-assisted workflows to drastically reduce time-to-value for global trading enterprises.
The ideal candidate
- 5+ years of experience in Forward Deployed Engineering, Solutions Engineering, or Technical Product roles at high-growth startups.
- Technical proficiency to write code, debug complex APIs, and reason through structured and unstructured data models.
- Exceptional communicator capable of navigating conversations with both executive stakeholders and technical engineering teams.
Key skills/competency
- Forward Deployed Engineering
- Solutions Engineering
- Technical Product Management
- AI
- Commodities Market
- LLM Systems
- Data Models
- Technical Deployments
- Customer Lifecycle Management
- Startup Environment
Skills & topics
- Head of Forward Deployed Engineering
- AI
- Startup
- Commodities
- Solutions Engineering
- Technical Product
- LLM
- Data Models
- Technical Deployments
- Customer Success
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight experience in Forward Deployed Engineering, Solutions Engineering, or Technical Product roles within high-growth startups.
- Showcase technical skills: Emphasize your ability to write code, debug APIs, and work with data models.
- Demonstrate communication prowess: Provide examples of successfully engaging with executive stakeholders and engineering teams.
- Understand the industry: Research the commodities market and AI applications to show industry insight.
- Engage with Jack: Utilize the AI platform to refine your application and prepare for discussions with Jill.
Technical preparation
Practice coding and API debugging scenarios.,Review LLM systems and data modeling principles.,Prepare to discuss complex trade workflows.,Familiarize with legacy data transformation.
Behavioral questions
Describe building a function from scratch.,How do you bridge sales and product gaps?,Share experience managing post-sale customer lifecycle.,How do you influence an engineering roadmap?
Frequently asked questions
- How does the Jack & Jill recruitment process work for the Head of Forward Deployed Engineering role at the AI startup?
- Jill, the AI Recruiter, is sourcing candidates from Jack's network for this Head of Forward Deployed Engineering position. After an initial assessment, promising candidates are introduced to the hiring team. Jack, your AI career coach, assists with applications and interview preparation throughout the process.
- What is the role of an AI Recruiter like Jill in this hiring process?
- Jill acts as the AI Recruiter for the company, understanding their specific hiring needs. She then leverages Jack's network to find and present suitable candidates, like you, for this Head of Forward Deployed Engineering opportunity.
- What makes this Head of Forward Deployed Engineering role at the AI startup 'remarkable'?
- This role is remarkable because it offers high-agency leadership to build the FDE function from the ground up. You'll also tackle the significant global commodities market with cutting-edge AI and work directly with the founding team in a rapidly growing startup.
- What technical skills are essential for the Head of Forward Deployed Engineering position?
- Essential technical skills include proficiency in writing code, debugging complex APIs, and reasoning through structured and unstructured data models. Experience configuring LLM-based systems and data models for trade workflows is also crucial.
- How does Jack & Jill ensure that job postings are legitimate?
- Jack & Jill emphasizes that they never post fake jobs. This is an open role that Jill is actively recruiting for from Jack's network, ensuring its authenticity.
- Can you describe the ideal candidate for the Head of Forward Deployed Engineering role?
- The ideal candidate has 5+ years of experience in Forward Deployed Engineering, Solutions Engineering, or Technical Product roles at high-growth startups. They must possess strong technical skills and exceptional communication abilities to interact with both executives and technical teams.
- What is the company building, and in which industry?
- The company is a stealth-mode AI startup focused on building the operating system for the global commodities industry, aiming to replace legacy systems with advanced AI solutions.