What are the responsibilities and job description for the Sr Forward Deployed Engineer (Foundry) position at Trinity Careers?
About Trinity Industries
Trinity Industries is a leading provider of rail transportation products and services in North America. Our analytics team drives data-informed decisions across manufacturing, leasing, supply chain, and logistics operations. We're seeking a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to act as a technical lead, bridging deep Foundry expertise with business acumen to deliver transformative solutions. In this senior role, you'll autonomously architect end-to-end data solutions, collaborate with team members, and foster innovations that outperform stakeholder expectations, such as optimizing supply chain efficiencies or cost estimation in industrial contexts.
Key Responsibilities
End-to-End Solution Delivery:
- Autonomously lead the design, development, and deployment of scalable data pipelines, full applications, and workflows in Palantir Foundry, integrating with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and external sources (e.g., Snowflake, Oracle, REST APIs). Ensure solutions are reliable, secure, and compliant with industry standards (e.g., GDPR, SOX), while handling ambiguity and delivering on-time results in high-stakes environments. Demonstrate deep expertise in Foundry's ecosystem to independently navigate and optimize complex builds
Full Application and Workflow Development:
- Build comprehensive, end-to-end applications and automated workflows using Foundry modules such as Workshop, Slate, Quiver, Contour, and Pipeline Builder. Focus on creating intuitive, interactive user experiences that integrate front-end interfaces with robust back-end logic, enabling seamless operational tools like real-time supply chain monitoring systems or AI-driven decision workflows, going beyond data models to deliver fully functional, scalable solutions
Data Modeling and Transformation for Advanced Analytics:
- Architect robust data models and ontologies in Foundry to standardize and integrate complex datasets from manufacturing and logistics sources. Develop reusable transformation logic using PySpark, SQL, and Foundry tools (e.g., Pipeline Builder, Code Repositories) to cleanse, enrich, and prepare data for advanced analytics, enabling predictive modeling, AI-driven insights, and operational optimizations like cost reductions or efficiency gains. Focus on creating semantic integrity across domains to support proactive problem-solving and "game-changing" outcomes
Dashboard Development and Visualization:
- Build interactive dashboards and applications using Foundry modules (e.g., Workshop, Slate, Quiver, Contour) to provide real-time KPIs, trends, and visualizations for business stakeholders. Leverage these tools to transform raw data into actionable insights, such as supply chain monitoring or performance analytics, enhancing decision-making and user adoption
AI Integration and Impact:
- Elevate business transformation by designing and implementing AIP pipelines and integrations that harness AI/ML for high-impact applications, such as predictive analytics in leasing & logistics, anomaly detection in manufacturing, or automated decision-making in supply chains. Drive transformative innovations through AIP's capabilities, integrating Large Language Models (LLMs), TensorFlow, PyTorch, or external APIs to deliver bottom-line results
Leadership and Collaboration:
- Serve as a lead FDE on the team, collaborating with team members through hands-on guidance, code reviews, workshops, and troubleshooting. Lead by example in fostering a culture of efficient Foundry building and knowledge-sharing to scale team capabilities
Business Domain Strategy and Innovation:
- Deeply understand Trinity's industrial domains (e.g., leasing financials, manufacturing processes, supply chain logistics) to identify stakeholder needs better than they do themselves. Propose and implement disruptive solutions that drive long-term productivity, retention, and business transformation, incorporating interoperable cloud IDEs such as Databricks for complementary data processing and analytics workflows
- Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement:
- Work cross-functionally with senior leadership and teams to gather requirements, validate solutions, and ensure trustworthiness in high-stakes projects
- Work cross-functionally with senior leadership and teams to gather requirements, validate solutions, and ensure trustworthiness in high-stakes projects
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Financial Engineering, Econometrics, or a related field required (Master's preferred).
- 8 plus years of hands-on experience in data engineering, with at least 4 years specializing in Palantir Foundry (e.g., Ontology, Pipelines, AIP, Workshop, Slate), demonstrating deep, autonomous proficiency in building full applications and workflows.
- Proven expertise in Python, PySpark, SQL, and building scalable ETL workflows, with experience integrating with interoperable cloud IDEs such as Databricks.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver end-to-end solutions independently, with strong evidence of quantifiable impacts (e.g., "Built pipeline reducing cloud services expenditures by 30%").
- Strong business acumen in industrial domains like manufacturing, commercial leasing, supply chain, or logistics, with examples of proactive innovations.
- Experience collaborating with team members and leadership in technical environments.
- Excellent problem-solving skills, with a track record of handling ambiguity and driving results in fast-paced settings.
Preferred Qualifications
- Certifications in Palantir Foundry (e.g., Foundry Data Engineer, Application Developer).
- Experience with AI/ML integrations (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, LLMs) within Foundry AIP for predictive analytics.
- Familiarity with CI/CD tools and cloud services (e.g., AW, Azure, Google Cloud).
- Strongly Desired: Hands-on experience with enterprise visualization platforms such as Qlik, Tableau, or PowerBI to enhance dashboard development and analytics delivery (not required but a significant plus for integrating with Foundry tools).