# Director of Forward Deployed Engineering

**Company:** [Vercel](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/vercel)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Austin, TX
**Role:** Solutions Architecture
**Salary:** $240k – $300k/yr
**Experience:** 10+ years
**Skills:** JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Next.js, Node.js, Cloud Infrastructure, llm-powered applications
**Posted:** 2026-07-20

> Lead and build Vercel's Forward Deployed Engineering and Professional Services function. Embed with strategic customers to design, build, and ship production applications on Vercel using Next.js, AI SDK, and v0; define engagement models, commercial structures, and delivery excellence while synthesizing insights for product teams. Requires 10+ years experience including 5+ years leading customer-facing teams.

## Job Description

## What You Will Do
- Build, lead, and develop the Forward Deployed Engineering team, including hiring standards, training, career development, and compensation.
- Define the engagement model: how engagements are scoped, staffed, sequenced, and measured, and which accounts qualify for embedded support.
- Own delivery excellence for strategic customer engagements, from discovery and technical scoping through production deployment and stabilization.
- Establish the commercial model for professional services, including packaging, pricing, capacity planning, and resource allocation across competing customer priorities.
- Stay hands-on where it matters: architecture reviews, system design, and unblocking critical engagements alongside your team.
- Define clear handoff protocols between Forward Deployed Engineering, Sales Engineering, Customer Success, and partners.
- Codify field learnings into repeatable playbooks, reference architectures, and delivery patterns that scale beyond individual engagements.
- Synthesize customer insights into product feedback for Engineering and Product, and report delivery outcomes and customer impact to Field Engineering and executive leadership.

## About You
- 10+ years in software engineering, forward deployed engineering, or technical consulting roles, with at least 5 years leading customer-facing engineering or delivery teams in a high-growth environment.
- Experience building a team, function, or service line from zero, including hiring, methodology, and operating model.
- Strong background in modern web technologies (JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Next.js, Node.js, cloud infrastructure) with the ability to review code and whiteboard architectures credibly.
- Experience building or deploying LLM-powered applications and an understanding of how model behavior shapes product decisions.
- Commercial acumen: you have scoped, priced, and delivered technical engagements for enterprise customers and understand utilization, margin, and capacity tradeoffs.
- Demonstrated success embedding with customer engineering teams to deliver complex production systems.

## Bonus If You
- Have built with Vercel, Next.js, AI SDK, or v0.
- Have led forward deployed or embedded engineering teams at an AI-native or developer platform company.
- Have owned a professional services P&L or defined services pricing and packaging from scratch.
- Are comfortable representing the function externally at conferences, customer executive briefings, or large-scale events.

## Benefits
- Competitive compensation package, including equity.
- Inclusive Healthcare Package.
- Learn and Grow - we provide mentorship and send you to events that help you build your network and skills.
- Flexible Time Off.
- We will provide you the gear you need to do your role, and a WFH budget for you to outfit your space as needed.

The San Francisco, CA base pay range for this role is $240,000 -$300,000 plus bonus. Actual salary will be based on job-related skills, experience, and location. Compensation outside of San Francisco may be adjusted based on employee location. The total compensation package may include benefits, equity-based compensation, and eligibility for a company bonus or variable pay program depending on the role.

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