Forward Deployed Engineer /Technical Customer Success

Polymerize; München; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Polymerize is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer / Technical Customer Success in Germany/EMEA. You will act as a trusted technical advisor across the customer lifecycle, driving pre-sales validation, platform adoption, churn mitigation, and expansion opportunities to secure technical wins and long-term partnerships.

The role emphasizes deep technical engagement, cross-functional collaboration, and a proactive approach to customer success within a fast-moving AI-driven materials software context.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in relevant field is mandatory.
• Strong understanding of polymer science and materials characterization/analysis.
• Python programming and familiarity with AI/data analytics tools.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills in cross-functional teams.
• Self-motivated and proactive with a passion for innovation and continuous learning.
• Experience in the polymer industry or materials research is a plus.
• German and English fluency is a must.

Responsibilities

• Pre-Sales Technical Validation: lead technical demonstrations, architecture design, and requirement validations to secure agreements.
• Platform Adoption & Value Realization: ensure platform integration and monitor usage for continued adoption.
• Technical Churn Mitigation: identify at-risk accounts and execute rescue plans to secure renewals.
• Expansion Pipeline Generation: uncover unmet needs and pass qualified upsell/cross-sell opportunities to Sales.
• Polymerize One Project Creation: propose specialized services to deepen partnerships and expand contracts.
• Knowledge Asset Creation: produce case studies, technical blogs, and FAQs.
• Cultural Leadership: embody company values and maintain high ethical standards.

Skills

Polymer science

Python

Data analytics

Cross-functional collaboration

German/English fluency

Education

Bachelor’s / Master’s / PhD in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science

Job description

At Polymerize, we provide materials informatics software for materials companies to accelerate their product development and efficiently manage data while bringing operational efficiency and AI-driven material innovation to their R&D. We work at the intersection of AI and materials science and use our years of material research & experience background.

Position: FDE (Forward Deployed Engineer) / Technical Customer Success.

Location: Germany / EMEA

Core Objective

To act as the trusted technical advisor across the entire customer lifecycle. The FDE secures technical wins during pre-sales and drives deep platform adoption, technical churn mitigation, and high-value pipeline generation post-sales.

Key Responsibilities

• Pre-Sales Technical Validation: Partner with Sales team to remove technical blockers during the evaluation phase. Lead technical demonstrations, architecture design, and requirement validations to secure technical agreements, allowing Sales to focus purely on commercial negotiations.
• Platform Adoption & Value Realization: Take full ownership of the customer’s post-sale technical success. Ensure the platform is completely integrated into the client’s workflow by proactively monitoring core feature usage (e.g., API calls, model executions) and driving continuous adoption.
• Technical Churn Mitigation: Serve as the ultimate defense against downgrades or churn caused by technical dissatisfaction. Proactively identify at-risk accounts and execute technical rescue plans to ensure contract renewals.
• Expansion Pipeline Generation: Leverage deep technical engagement to uncover unmet customer needs. Translate these gaps into actionable Upsell or Cross-sell opportunities, passing highly qualified, revenue-generating pipeline to the Sales team.
• Polymerize One Project Creation: Identify deep R&D challenges that cannot be solved by standard SaaS solution alone. Propose specialized domain expertise, testing, and prototyping services (Polymerize One) to deepen partnerships and expand contract scope.
• Knowledge Asset Creation: Prevent knowledge silos by formalizing individual technical expertise. Consistently produce case study drafts, technical blogs, and FAQ documents to accelerate marketing lead generation and improve support efficiency.
• Cultural Leadership: Embody the company’s global core values. Act as a cultural evangelist by maintaining high ethical standards, executing diligently through challenges, and inspiring the team without resorting to excuses or defensive behavior.

Strategic Division of Labor

• FDE Owns: Technical scoping, platform onboarding, usage monitoring, technical troubleshooting, and identifying the technical justification for expansion.
• Sales Owns: Budget qualification, pricing negotiations, commercial terms, contract execution, and closing the expansion pipeline generated by the FDE.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s / Master’s / PhD degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, or a related field is mandatory.
• Strong understanding of polymer science principles and experience in materials characterization and analysis.
• Good to have experience with programming languages such as Python and familiarity with AI and data analytics tools and platforms.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams and with clients.
• Self-motivated and proactive, with a passion for innovation and continuous learning.
• Having experience in the polymer industry or materials research is a plus.
• Native or business fluent in German and English is a must, proficiency in additional languages is a plus.