Forward Deployed Engineer - Lead

Whatfix Inc.; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 5,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Whatfix Inc. in Bengaluru is seeking an FDE Lead to run the forward‑deployed function for Seek, our AI-native product. You will engage with customers, map workflows, build automations, and own pilot-to-production outcomes while leading a small team of FDEs.

The role demands 6+ years in customer-facing technical roles, hands-on prompt engineering and debugging, and strong communication with executives. You will drive multi-account delivery, set technical standards, and collaborate with Product

Qualifications

• 6+ years in a customer‑facing technical role
• Ability to scope ambiguous customer problems into a working solution quickly
• Hands-on with prompts, automation logic, and debugging
• Fluent in applied‑AI toolkit (prompt/context writing, MCP configuration, tool calls, eval design)
• Experience leading or mentoring a small technical team, plus running multi-account delivery plans
• Strong communication with customers and senior stakeholders
• Systems thinking mindset; exposure to AI agents, RPA, or workflow automation; familiarity with enterprise apps (SAP Ariba, Salesforce, D365, SuccessFactors) a plus
• Comfortable with ambiguity

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery for multiple enterprise accounts: discovery, demos, scope, automation, evals, go-live
• Map customer workflows and translate SOPs into Seek prompts and configurations (incl. unattended mode)
• Build test suites and close gaps to ensure accuracy and determinism
• Lead and grow a team of FDEs: assign accounts, unblock issues, review integration architectures
• Run program management across pilots: trackers, timelines, status to stakeholders, risk escalation
• Set technical bar for the pod's AI work and review prompts, MCP design, and eval coverage
• Provide feedback to Product and Engineering on capability gaps and roadmap input
• Represent Seek in customer demos, workshops, and executive conversations
• Coordinate with global customers; plan for late-evening calls

Job description

Who are we ?

Whatfix is an AI platform advancing the “userization” of enterprise applications, empowering companies to maximize the ROI of their digital investments. Technology needs adoption. It’s no different for AI. As AI reshapes roles, workflows, and human-machine interactions, it also introduces new layers of complexity and user friction. This is where Whatfix plays a pivotal role. A decade old DNA of empowering people to succeed with technology and not replacing them. We call this philosophy Userization: the belief that technology must adapt to the user, not the other way around.

At the heart of userization philosophy is ScreenSense, our proprietary AI engine, which continuously interprets both the context of what users are doing in an application or an AI tool and the intent behind their actions. By combining these signals, Whatfix delivers real-time guidance, nudges, knowledge, and automation directly in the flow of work.

This intelligence powers our entire product suite.

• Digital Adoption helps users get productive faster.
• Product Analytics uncovers friction and closes adoption gaps.
• Mirror allows employees to train in safe, simulated environments.

These are embedded with Whatfix AI Agents which supercharge creation, insights, and user guidance.

Our upcoming AI-first products are already creating a buzz in the market.

• Seek is an AI-native assistant that not only knows your business context but can also act across applications to get work done on your behalf.
• Whatfix Mirror 2.0 is the world’s only System plus Role simulation with a complete assessment to lead the Gen AI simulation category.

Together, these products reflect Whatfix’s commitment to building enterprise-ready AI teammates that maximize productivity and ROI. It gives users a unified, intelligent way to find answers across systems, apps, and knowledge silos and helps anyone looking to deliver fast and contextual answers.

Whatfix is bridging the gap between rapid technological change and human enablement—ensuring AI is not only embedded but also usable, trusted, and outcome-driven for every employee.

At Whatfix, we’re not just making software easier—we’re making AI work for people.

The company has seven offices across the US, India, UK, Germany, Singapore, and Australia and a presence across 40+ countries.

Customers:

700+ enterprise customers, including 80+ Fortune 500 companies such as Shell, Schneider Electric, and UPS Supply Chain Solutions.

Investors:

A total of ~$270 million USD has been raised as yet. Most recently Series E round of $125 Million USD led by Warburg Pincus, with participation from existing investor SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Other investors include Cisco Investments, Eight Roads Ventures (A division of Fidelity Investments), Dragoneer, Peak XV Partners, and Stellaris Venture Partners.

Whatfix’s leadership is consistently recognized across top industry analysts and business rankings:

• Won the 2025 AI Breakthrough Award for the Overall AI-based Analytics Solution of the Year
• Only DAP to be recognized as a “Leader” across various DAP reports for the past 5+ years by leading analyst firms like Gartner, Forrester, IDC, and Everest Group.
• With over 45% YoY sustainable annual recurring revenue (ARR) growth, Whatfix is among the “Top 50 Indian Software Companies” as per G2 Best Software Awards.
• Named a Gartner Customers’ Choice for DAP for the second year in a row (2024 and 2025)—the only vendor in the market to earn this distinction consecutively.
• We also boast a star rating of 4.6 on G2 Crowd, 4.5 on Gartner Peer Insights, and a super-high CSAT of 99.8%
• Stevie Award winner in the category (Bronze): Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Software (100 or More Employees).
• Winner of the ISG Paragon Innovation Award in partnership with Sophos (customer) for the EMEA region and finalist in the Transformation Award category.
• RemoteTech Breakthrough Awards winner for “Software Asset Management Solution of the Year”

These recognitions are matched by business performance:

• Highest-Ranking DAP on 2023 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ North America for Fifth Consecutive Year
• Listed on the Financial Times & Statista's High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2025 list.
• Won the Silver for Stevie's Employer of the Year 2023 – Computer Software category and also recognized as Great Place to Work 2022-2023
• Only DAP to be among the top 35% companies worldwide in sustainability excellence with EcoVadis Bronze Medal

The Role

We're hiring an FDE Lead to run the forward-deployed function for a new AI native product within Whatfix Labs - Seek: This team will engage with customers, find the use case, build it on Seek, and own the outcome through pilot and into production. You'll be hands‑on building automations yourself using Seek while also leading a small team of FDEs and running the project management/delivery cadence across multiple active accounts.

What You’ll Do

• Own end-to-end delivery for multiple enterprise accounts at a time: discovery, building custom demos, scoping POC/Pilot success criteria, building the automation, running evals, and driving go-live.
• Work directly with customers to map workflows and translate SOPs into Seek prompts, just in time context, and configurations (incl. unattended mode).
• Build test suites and fix gaps to establish accuracy and determinism before sign-off.
• Lead and grow a team of FDEs: assign accounts, unblock technical issues, review their end-to-end integration architecture, and coach them on mapping complex data and information flows across multi‑application ecosystems.
• Run program/project management across pilots: trackers, timelines, status to stakeholders, and risk escalation.
• Set the technical bar for the pod's AI work - review each FDE's prompts, context design, MCP/tool‑call architecture, and eval coverage before customer sign-off.
• Be the feedback loop into Product and Engineering - flag capability gaps, recurring requirements, and roadmap input from the field.
• Represent Seek in customer‑facing demos, workshops, and executive conversations.
• You work with customers across the world, it means you need to plan your schedule to be available for calls in the late evenings.

What We’re Looking For

• 6+ years in a customer‑facing technical role: forward‑deployed engineering, solutions engineering, implementation consulting with enterprise software/SaaS.
• Proven ability to scope ambiguous customer problems into a working solution fast, with minimal hand‑holding.
• Comfortable being hands‑on with prompts, automation logic, and debugging, not just managing others who do it.
• Personally fluent in the applied‑AI toolkit (prompt/context writing, MCP configuration, tool calls, eval design) - enough to build it yourself and hold the bar on your team's work, not just manage others who do it.
• Experience leading or mentoring a small technical team, plus running multi‑account delivery/project plans.
• Strong communication with both customers and senior stakeholders.
• Strong systems thinking mindset with a proven ability to visualize and design how different technical components across multiple legacy and modern applications wire together. Exposure to AI agents, RPA, or workflow automation is a strong plus; familiarity with enterprise applications (SAP Ariba, Salesforce, D365, SuccessFactors) is a plus.
• Comfortable with ambiguity : this is a new role/model we’re actively shaping with the market.

What Success Looks Like

• Quickly ship demos and provide solutions to convert customers to pilots and full license.
• Ensure pilots and go live consistently hit success criteria for converting accounts to paid.
• The FDE team operates with a repeatable playbook that scales multi‑system integrations efficiently, shrinking time‑to‑value per pilot.
• Clear, current view of delivery health across all active accounts for stakeholders.

Note:

• We strive to live and breathe our Cultural Principles and encourage employees to demonstrate some of these core values - Customer First; Empathy; Transparency; Fail Fast and scale Fast; No Hierarchies for Communication; Deep Dive and innovate; Trust, Do it as you own it;
• We are an equal opportunity employer and value diverse people because of and not in spite of the differences. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status
• At Whatfix, we deeply value collaboration, innovation, and human connection. We believe that being together in the office five days a week fosters open communication, strengthens our sense of community, and accelerates innovation—ultimately helping us achieve our goals more effectively. At the same time, we recognize the importance of flexibility in balancing personal and professional priorities. To support this, we offer the option to work from home up to two days per month.