Forward Deployed Engineer

 

Description:

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you are part of an elite technical hybrid—part software engineer, part strategic consultant. You don't just sell the dream; you build the reality.

You will be embedded with our most strategic customers to solve their most complex, high-stakes technical blockers. Whether it’s architecting a multi-layered AI agent, building custom data pipelines for Zendesk, or integrating our AI capabilities into a legacy tech stack, you are the "boots on the ground" builder who ensures our technology delivers measurable ROI.

What You’ll Do
 

  • Drive Outcomes and own the "Last Mile" of AI: Lead complex end-to-end deployments of Zendesk’s AI Agents and LLM-powered workflows. You own the discovery, technical scoping, system design, and production rollout.
  • Troubleshoot the "Unsolvable": Remove technical blockers and act as the final line of defense for complex technical escalations that fall outside the scope of standard Support or Professional Services.
  • Build Bespoke Agentic Solutions: Work directly with strategic clients to design and code custom integrations and agents. You will personally write critical code, configure RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architectures, and ensure seamless integration with legacy tech stacks.
  • Bridge the Gap: Work between the customer’s IT team and Zendesk’s core Product/Engineering teams. You are the field's voice, turning customer friction into product roadmap features.
     

What You Bring
 

  • The "Founder" Mentality: You thrive in ambiguity. You can walk into a messy customer environment, map their undocumented APIs, and find a path to victory without a playbook.
  • Engineering Rigor: 5+ years of experience writing production-grade code. Proficiency in Python (for AI/Data) and JavaScript/TypeScript (for frontend/integrations) is required. Familiarity with Ruby or Java (Zendesk’s core) is a plus.
  • Full-Stack Mindset: Comfortable navigating the entire stack—from React-based UIs to REST/GraphQL APIs, cloud infrastructure (AWS) and Metaflow
  • AI Fluency: Deep understanding of the LLM ecosystem. You know how to evaluate model performance, manage context windows, and implement guardrails for enterprise-grade AI.
  • Communication: Ability to explain complex architectural trade-offs to a CTO while simultaneously pair-programming with a customer’s lead dev.
     

Preferred Qualifications
 

  • Experience with Zendesk and AI Agents
  • Background in FDE, Professional Services or Technical Account Management implementing complex systems
  • Ability to travel 25-50% of the time, as needed to customer sites

Organization Zendesk
Industry Engineering Jobs
Occupational Category Forward Deployed Engineer
Job Location Illinois,USA
Shift Type Morning
Job Type Full Time
Gender No Preference
Career Level Intermediate
Experience 2 Years
Posted at 2026-07-02 4:53 pm
Expires on 2026-08-16