Sr. Deployment Strategist, FDE - Public Sector
About this role
Professionals who thrive at the intersection of product strategy, technical delivery, and executive-level consulting will find an ideal home in this position. Operating within a new strategic initiative sponsored by the CEO and Founders, the Forward Deployed Engineering team aims to secure high-value artificial intelligence opportunities by delivering tangible business outcomes rather than just software platforms.
In this capacity, the strategist acts as a crucial bridge between complex customer problems and technical execution. Responsibilities include defining minimum viable products, authoring product requirement documents, managing engineering backlogs, and guiding multi-million-dollar engagements from discovery through production launch in Washington, D.C. Ideal candidates bring a combination of executive presence, rigorous product thinking, technical depth, and a willingness to travel onsite with customers.
What you will do
- Partner with sales to conduct deep customer discovery, quantify high-value business problems, and define pilot success criteria and timelines.
- Author product requirement documents, prioritize engineering backlogs, and manage scope as the primary hands-on quality assurance tester.
- Drive the engineering build team through agile delivery processes while managing stakeholders ranging from C-suite executives to individual engineers.
- Lead technical discovery and design reviews to understand customer data flows, platform constraints, and operational environments.
- Own production readiness across data quality, security, performance, and operations from launch to full adoption.
- Codify reusable solution patterns and translate field insights back to product and engineering teams.
What you need
- Demonstrate strong executive presence and communication skills to serve as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders.
- Apply product judgment to define requirements, prioritize work, manage scope, and lead complex agile software projects.
- Understand modern data and AI architectures, cloud platforms, data pipelines, distributed systems, and security governance.
- Possess hands-on technical ability in at least one language such as Python, Java, or SQL to explore data and review code.
- Bring typically 7+ years of experience delivering complex customer-facing data, analytics, AI, or software engagements.
- Willingness to work onsite with customers frequently to drive project delivery.
Nice to have
- Experience as a founder or technical builder
- Background in a high-growth technology company or forward-deployed organization
- Experience working in a leading consultancy
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the work location and travel policy for this role?
The position is based in Washington, D.C. It requires working onsite with customers, often 25% to 50% of the time, and sometimes higher to drive delivery.
What is the compensation range for this position?
The pay range for Zone 2 is $219,765 to $302,220 USD. Actual compensation packages are based on factors such as job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications, and specific work location.
What does the interview or team structure look like?
You will be part of a new strategic Forward Deployed Engineering team sponsored by the CEO and Founders. In this role, you act as the product manager for the customer's problem while engineers serve as your partners responsible for the technical execution.
What technical skills are expected from day one?
You must be proficient in at least one language such as Python, Java, or SQL. Additionally, you need to understand modern data and AI architectures, cloud platforms, data pipelines, and machine learning application patterns.