Director, Forward Deployed Engineer

The Director of Forward Deployed Engineering is the executive leader responsible for bridging the gap between our core AI product capabilities and the real-world, complex requirements of our largest enterprise customers. You will lead a high-caliber team of engineers who build, integrate, and deploy production-grade Customer Experience Automation (CXA) and Agentic AI solutions.

This role requires a unique blend of strategic organizational leadership, deep technical expertise in AI/ML, and a "customer-first" mindset. You will ensure that every deployment is a technical success while feeding critical field insights back to the core Product and Engineering teams to influence the long-term roadmap.

• Strategic Field Leadership: Lead the global Forward Deployed Engineering department to successfully design and deliver complex Agentic AI and CXA deployments for Tier-1 enterprise customers.
• Operational Excellence: Develop and execute the FDE operational strategy, defining the "golden path" for deployments, ensuring scalability, security, and high performance across all client environments.
• Cross-Functional Bridge: Serve as the primary liaison between Sales, Product Management, and Core Engineering. Ensure the field team is aligned with the product roadmap while advocating for features that solve recurring customer pain points.
• Technical Governance: Identify and mitigate complex technical risks in the field. Ensure the team maintains technical excellence, following best practices for RAG systems, API integrations, and secure data architecture.
• Roadmap Influence: Synthesize field learnings into reusable solution patterns. Deliver "high-signal" feedback to core teams to proactively influence the development of the Talkdesk platform.
• Team Development & Mentorship: Hire, manage, and mentor a team of  FDEs. Foster a culture of high-stakes problem solving and continuous learning in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
• Executive Technical Authority: Act as the ultimate technical escalation point for customers. Build high-trust relationships with customer CTOs and VPs of Engineering during the most critical phases of the lifecycle.
• Budget & Resource Management: Manage the FDE budget and resource allocation, balancing the need for pre-sales technical support with post-sales deployment execution.

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, AI/ML, or a related technical field.
• Experience: Minimum of 9–12 years of experience in software engineering or professional services, including at least 5 years in a significant leadership role (Manager or above) managing customer-facing technical teams.
• AI/ML Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of Agentic AI Architecture, including multi-agent orchestration, prompt engineering, and RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation).
• Technical Depth: Strong architectural knowledge of systems integration (APIs, webhooks, message queues) and the ability to review production-grade code in Python, Javascript, or Typescript.
• Field Experience: Proven track record of delivering high-stakes technical projects in complex enterprise environments (e.g., Healthcare, Financial Services, or CCaaS).
• Leadership Skills: Exceptional ability to motivate and grow a team of high-performing, autonomous "hybrid" engineers who excel at both coding and client interaction.
• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrated success in turning one-off customer solutions into scalable, repeatable engineering patterns.

Communication: Mastery in translating "deep tech" AI concepts into business value for executive stakeholders.

Pay Range (Base Pay):   $260,000 - $409,000

Other Types of Pay: Based on level and role the employee may be eligible for long term incentives in the form of equity and short term incentives of either bonus or commission. 

Health Insurance: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life and Disability Insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Retirement Benefits: 401(k) plan

Paid Time Off: Talkdesk offers an uncapped paid time off program, subject to manager approval and consistent with business needs. 

Paid Holidays: Talkdesk offers 14 paid holidays each year. 

Paid Sick Leave: Employees have uncapped paid time off, subject to manager approval and consistent with business needs. 

Method of Application: Apply online.

Application Window: The application window is expected to close at least 7 days from the posting date. The application was posted on 4/07/2026.

All questions or concerns about this posting should be directed to the Talent team at talent@talkdesk.com.

Talkdesk is pioneering a new era of Customer Experience Automation (CXA), redefining how the world’s most admired brands interact with their customers through AI. Our global team of courageous innovators is customer-obsessed, building AI-first solutions that put empathy, trust, and transparency at the center of every interaction. We foster an inclusive culture where diverse perspectives drive our success and every voice belongs. Combining the stability of a global leader with the agility of a disruptor, Talkdeskers are empowered with the autonomy to drive meaningful impact, while giving back to the communities and environment around us.

Talkdesk has been recognized as a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) and in the G2 Overall Grid® Reports for AI Agents and Contact Center. With seven consecutive years on the Forbes Cloud 100 and multiple AI Breakthrough awards, there has never been a more exciting time to join us as we shape the future of customer experience automation!

Work Environment and Physical Requirements:

Primarily office-environment work, extended periods of sitting or standing, computer-based work. Limited lifting, and equipment usage limited to computer-related equipment (keyboards, mouse, etc.)

The Talkdesk story hinges on empathy and acceptance. It is the shared goal among all Talkdeskers to empower a new kind of customer hero through our innovative software solution, and we firmly believe that the best path to success for our mission is inclusivity, diversity, and genuine acceptance. To that end, we will hire, promote, work along, cheer for, bond with, and warmly welcome into the Talkdesk family all persons without regard to ethnic and racial identity, indigenous heritage, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status.