Engineering Manager

forwardnetworks; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 239,000 - 249,000; Full time

Job summary

Forward Networks seeks an Engineering Manager to lead architecture and R&D of ML-powered features within the Forward platform. You will drive AI capabilities, guide multi-team coordination, and shape the roadmap for AI initiatives in a security-conscious, enterprise environment.

You will mentor ML engineers, manage hiring and performance reviews, and ensure production reliability of AI systems while collaborating with product, UX, and platform teams.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field; 24 months of experience.
• Experience leading ML system design and production deployments.
• Strong collaboration with product and UX teams.

Responsibilities

• Oversee design and implementation of ML-powered features within the Forward platform.
• Lead architecture and R&D of AI-driven capabilities for the enterprise platform.
• Coordinate ML, backend, and frontend teams to deliver AI features.
• Plan long-term AI initiatives with quarterly/annual roadmaps and prioritization.
• Mentor ML engineers and conduct hiring and performance reviews.
• Serve as primary point of contact for AI feature production issues.

Skills

Leadership

ML systems design

System design

Project management

Education

Master's degree in CS/CE or related field

Tools

JIRA

Job description

Forward was founded in 2013 by four Stanford Ph.D.s, building the industry's first network digital twin: a mathematically accurate model of the production network. It's the foundation for autonomous networking, giving engineers and AI agents the ability to know the impact of every change before it touches production. That founding instinct still defines how we work. We're accurate and evidence-driven, relentless about clarity, and we'd rather be certain than comfortable, building a groundbreaking platform that transforms how teams run and secure networks across every major cloud and vendor environment.

Global leaders like Goldman Sachs, PayPal, S&P Global, IBM, and Dell trust Forward, alongside fast-growing enterprises and government agencies, realizing an average of $14.2 million in annual benefits, according to IDC. Backed by top-tier investors, including A. Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Goldman Sachs, MSD Partners, Omega Venture Partners, Section 32, and Threshold Ventures, and headquartered in Santa Clara, we're most proud of our team: curious people who'd rather build what doesn't exist than accept how things have always been done.

Forward Networks is currently seeking a Engineering Manager: Lead architecture, research and development of machine learning systems powering AI features within the Forward platform.

Responsibilities

• Oversee design and implementation of large language model-based systems enabling natural-language interaction with the platform's network digital twin, including query generation, query summarization, and conversational AI capabilities.
• Lead development of an agentic AI system that enables users to interact with the Forward platform using natural language and automate complex network analysis workflows.
• Guide the design for system components enabling large language models to interpret user intent, plan multi-step workflows, invoke platform APIs and query engines, and synthesize results using trusted network digital-twin data.
• Plan and manage long-term AI initiatives including quarterly and annual roadmap planning, effort estimation, and prioritization of engineering work. Track development progress using project management tools such as JIRA and coordinate execution of large-scale machine learning and platform engineering projects.
• Coordinate development work across machine learning, backend, and frontend engineering teams to deliver AI-driven capabilities within the Forward Enterprise platform.
• Collaborate with product management and user-experience teams to define feature requirements, incorporate user feedback, and guide technical implementation of AI features.
• Manage and mentor machine learning engineers responsible for AI system development. Conduct hiring interviews, make hiring recommendations, perform performance reviews, onboard new employees, and guide team members in technical development and project execution.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for production issues involving AI features within the platform.
• Monitor system performance, triage incidents, coordinate debugging and resolution across engineering teams, and oversee continuous improvement of deployed AI systems.

Education and Experience Required

• Master's degree or foreign equivalent in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field and 24 months of experience.

Salary: $239,200/yr. - $249,200/yr.