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Forward Deployed Engineer

Published · Updated

$170,000–$225,000Austin, TX · Menlo Park, CA · +1 moreAustin, TX +2Hybrid

Forward Deployed Engineers embed with enterprise client teams to take AI systems from proof of concept through secure, production-grade deployment.

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View posting at Seekr

At a glance

Posted base pay

$170K–$225KLevel with the median

The work

Builds what the customer runs

Balance

  1. Mostly building
  2. Mixed
  3. Mostly pre-sales or support

Project stages

  1. Pre-sales (not covered)
  2. Proof of concept
  3. Implementation
  4. Operations

Travel Up to 75%

Coding
Writes production code
Builds for
External customers
Level
Senior
Role
Individual contributor

What they ask for

Experience

  • 6+ yearsprofessional experience in software engineering, data engineering, or applied ML, including building and deploying production systems

Background

  • Software engineering
  • Implementation and data engineering

Tools

  • SeekrFlow
  • PyTorch
  • Hugging Face
  • LangChain
  • vLLM
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • AWS
  • Azure
  • GCP

Less common in FDE jobs

  • Company stage: Growth16%
  • Company size: About 51–200 people18%
  • Hybrid38%
  • Covers proofs of concept39%

Share of US FDE postings that state each fact.

The job description from Seekr

Posted by Seekr on

Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) work alongside our clients, embedding with their teams to tackle their hardest technical and operational problems. You won’t just design solutions — you’ll deploy AI systems in production, applying large language models, fine-tuning, and agentic workflows to unlock real business value.

With SeekrFlow, our platform for trustworthy, document-grounded, agentic AI, you’ll transform how organizations leverage their data — building solutions that are explainable, scalable, and production-ready. As an FDE, you’ll be on the front lines of AI adoption, shaping how enterprises bring advanced AI into their most critical missions.

Core Responsibilities

As an FDE, your work will directly shape our clients’ missions and create real-world impact. Operating in small, dynamic teams, you’ll take full ownership of high-impact projects from start to finish, including:

  • Operationalizing AI PoCs by transforming demos and prototypes into robust, production-grade AI systems.
  • Designing and deploying data pipelines and retrieval frameworks that prepare enterprise data for LLM training, fine-tuning, and RAG-based applications.
  • Fine-tuning, evaluating, and deploying large language models and agentic workflows, ensuring outputs remain grounded, explainable, and compliant.
  • Integrating SeekrFlow AI agents with customer environments, containerizing and orchestrating them across cloud, hybrid, and on-prem deployments (AWS, Azure, GCP, private cloud).
  • Embedding with client engineering teams to debug model behavior, optimize inference performance, and implement monitoring/guardrails for safe operation.
  • Codifying best practices into reusable playbooks, evaluation frameworks, and deployment accelerators that scale AI adoption across industries.

In This Role We Value

  • Capacity to continuously learn, operate independently, and make decisions with minimal guidance.
  • Ability to work effectively in teams with both technical and non-technical members, thriving in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment with evolving goals and user collaboration.
  • Enthusiasm for tackling technical challenges creatively using data structures, storage systems, cloud infrastructure, front-end frameworks, and other technical tools.
  • Passion for leveraging large-scale data to address significant business challenges.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or Data Science (advanced degree a plus).
  • 6+ years of professional experience in software engineering, data engineering, or applied ML, with a track record of building and deploying production systems.
  • Hands-on expertise with AI/ML and LLM frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, Hugging Face, LangChain, vLLM), including model fine-tuning and agent deployment.
  • Proven experience designing, deploying, and maintaining production-grade systems that meet enterprise security, compliance, and performance standards.
  • Strong background in on-premise, private cloud, and multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP), including experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
  • Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (Python, Java, C++, TypeScript/JavaScript, or similar), with the ability to learn and adapt quickly.
  • Ability to work directly with client stakeholders — technical teams, business leaders, and end users — to translate needs into deployed solutions.
  • Willingness to travel 25–75%, depending on client and team needs.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Familiar with common graph databases and graph languages (e.g., Neo4j, AGE, SPARQL, Cypher)
  • Familiar with front end frameworks (e.g., React) and capable of building insightful and engaging application front ends
  • Experience with CI/CD pipelines, version control (GitHub/GitLab), and infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation, etc.).
  • Familiarity with vector databases, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) architectures, and enterprise data integration patterns.
  • Exposure to monitoring, logging, and observability frameworks for deployed AI/ML systems.
  • Background in responsible AI practices and familiarity with Trustworthy AI principles.
  • Experience building custom client-facing applications or agentic workflows from prototype to scalable deployment.
  • Strong communication skills — ability to present complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences.

About the Company:

Seekr is a leader in explainable and trustworthy artificial intelligence designed to power mission-critical decisions in enterprises, government, and regulated industries. SeekrFlow™, our end-to-end AI platform, provides secure, auditable AI solutions tailored to sectors where transparency, accuracy, and compliance are paramount. Available across cloud, on-premises, and edge environments, SeekrFlow reduces bias, strengthens data integrity, and simplifies model oversight so organizations can rely on trusted AI decisions in high-stakes settings that impact society’s most sensitive and vital systems. Trusted by leading enterprises and government agencies, we partner with defense, finance, telecom, and critical infrastructure leaders to enable AI solutions that drive real-world results with unmatched transparency and control. We are a team of strategic thinkers and problem-solvers tackling the toughest challenges facing critical infrastructure and global enterprises through best-in-class AI models and customer deployment. Our team operates with unwavering commitment to our core values and mission:

  • We are driven by outcomes—our customers' success is what we strive for every day.
  • We believe trust is earned, which is why we build explainability and transparency into the entire AI lifecycle.
  • We take our responsibility to deliver secure AI seriously.
  • We believe innovation drives progress—we are building the technologies that power the systems our society depends on.

Company Benefits

  • Meaningful Mission & Impact - Work with a deeply talented, collaborative team solving some of the toughest AI challenges that matter.
  • Equity Ownership – RSUs that let you share directly in Seekr’s long‑term success and growth.
  • Time Off That Respects Real Life – Unlimited PTO plus 14 paid company holidays to truly recharge.
  • Work Your Way – A flexible hybrid work environment with offices in Reston, VA and Austin, TX, plus remote options and flexible working hours.
  • Competitive Total Rewards – A role‑appropriate compensation structure that supports long‑term growth, including base salary, bonuses, or commission plans depending on role.
  • 401(k) with Company Match – Build your future with a retirement plan that includes employer matching.
  • Comprehensive Health & Wellness – Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage starting day one—for you and your family.
  • Parental Leave – Paid parental leave to support employees as they welcome a new child through birth, adoption, or foster placement.

This range reflects Seekr’s good faith estimate of what it expects to pay for this role at the time of posting. Placement within the range depends on a number of factors, including but not limited to geographic location, applicable labor categories under Seekr’s federal government contracts, relevant prior work experience, specific skills, education, and certifications. This role may also be eligible for annual bonus, equity, other other incentive compensation.

The proposed salary range for this position is:

$170,000—$225,000 USD

About the Company

Seekr is a leader in explainable and trustworthy artificial intelligence designed to power mission-critical decisions in enterprises, government, and regulated industries. SeekrFlow™, our end-to-end AI platform, provides secure, auditable AI solutions tailored to sectors where transparency, accuracy, and compliance are paramount. Available across cloud, on-premises, and edge environments, SeekrFlow reduces bias, strengthens data integrity, and simplifies model oversight so organizations can rely on trusted AI decisions in high-stakes settings that impact society’s most sensitive and vital systems. Trusted by leading enterprises and government agencies, we partner with defense, finance, telecom, and critical infrastructure leaders to enable AI solutions that drive real-world results with unmatched transparency and control. We are a team of strategic thinkers and problem-solvers tackling the toughest challenges facing critical infrastructure and global enterprises through best-in-class AI models and customer deployment. Our team operates with unwavering commitment to our core values and mission:

  • We are driven by outcomes—our customers' success is what we strive for every day.
  • We believe trust is earned, which is why we build explainability and transparency into the entire AI lifecycle.
  • We take our responsibility to deliver secure AI seriously.
  • We believe innovation drives progress—we are building the technologies that power the systems our society depends on.

Company Benefits

  • Meaningful Mission & Impact - Work with a deeply talented, collaborative team solving some of the toughest AI challenges that matter.
  • Equity Ownership – RSUs that let you share directly in Seekr’s long‑term success and growth.
  • Time Off That Respects Real Life – Unlimited PTO plus 14 paid company holidays to truly recharge.
  • Work Your Way – A flexible hybrid work environment with offices in Reston, VA and Austin, TX.
  • Competitive Total Rewards – A role‑appropriate compensation structure that supports long‑term growth, including base salary, bonuses, or commission plans depending on role.
  • 401(k) with Company Match – Build your future with a retirement plan that includes employer matching.
  • Comprehensive Health & Wellness – Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage starting day one—for you and your family.
  • Parental Leave – Paid parental leave to support employees as they welcome a new child through birth, adoption, or foster placement.

Important Notice

To conform to U.S. Government international trade regulations, applicant must be a U.S. Citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.

Seekr is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

View posting at Seekr

About Seekr

Builds secure, explainable AI platforms and agents for enterprises, government, and regulated industries that need auditable decisions across cloud, on-premises, and edge.

Series C · 50–100 people

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Pay and conditions

Posted pay
$170,000–$225,000
Pay details

The proposed salary range for this position is: This range reflects Seekr’s good faith estimate of what it expects to pay for this role at the time of posting. Placement within the range depends on a number of factors, including but not limited to geographic location, applicable labor categories under Seekr’s federal government contracts, relevant prior work experience, specific skills, education, and certifications. This role may also be eligible for annual bonus, equity, other other incentive compensation. USD 170000–225000.

Location
Austin, TX · Menlo Park, CA · Reston, VA
Work arrangement
Hybrid
Remote work restrictions
Flexible hybrid environment with offices in Reston, Virginia and Austin, Texas; remote options are also stated.
Travel
Up to 75%
Experience requirements
  • 6+ years: professional experience in software engineering, data engineering, or applied ML, including building and deploying production systems (required)