Forward Deployed Engineer

Runtime; Dallas (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Runtime is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to work with enterprise clients, translating business challenges into technical solutions. You will lead cross-functional delivery, coordinate multiple Scrum teams, and partner with pre-sales on proofs of concept.

This hybrid role requires travel up to 50% and involves both software and hardware domains. You will engage with executives and technical teams to ensure the deployment aligns with the SOW, delivering real-time inventory intelligence

Qualifications

• Client-facing technical role experience.
• Foundations in software engineering, systems, or solution architecture.
• Ability to code; Python experience is relevant.
• Strong systems thinking and understanding of dependencies.
• Translate customer requirements into technical solutions for engineering teams.
• Excellent communication and executive-facing presence.
• Leadership to coordinate cross-functional teams without formal authority.
• Curious, driven, and comfortable in fast-moving environments.
• Willingness to travel domestically up to 50%.

Responsibilities

• Define milestones, scope, and statements of work with customers before signature.
• Break down the solution across digital and physical components for deployment.
• Lead a customer scrum after signature with cross-functional teams.
• Own the overall customer engagement, aligned with the SOW.
• Translate customer requirements into technical problems and workstreams for engineering.
• Troubleshoot complex issues spanning software, hardware, data, and RF.
• Communicate progress, risks, and technical concepts to teams and executives.
• Coordinate multiple scrums across enterprise customers as needed.
• Collaborate with pre-sales on proofs of concept.

Skills

client-facing

software-engineering

solution-architecture

python

systems-thinking

requirements-translation

communication

leadership

fast-paced

travel

Job description

Salary: $180,000 - $220,000 + Performance Bonus (up to $70k/annum)

Location: New York or Dallas | Hybrid

We're partnering with a fast-growing enterprise IoT and supply chain intelligence company to find a Forward Deployed Engineer. Our client's platform gives enterprises continuous, real-time visibility into the location and condition of items across their supply chains, combining low-cost sensing hardware, network infrastructure, and a cloud platform where purpose-built AI/ML models turn that data into inventory intelligence, condition monitoring, alerts, and workflow optimization.

The Role

This is a highly customer-facing role that bridges deep technical problem solving with exceptional customer leadership. You'll work directly with enterprise customers to scope complex deployments, translate business and operational problems into technical requirements, and lead cross-functional scrums through successful delivery. You'll need enough technical depth to understand systems, code, and architecture, while being just as comfortable leading conversations with senior stakeholders and aligning multiple teams around a solution.

What you'll do:

• Partner with customers before contract signature to define milestones, scope, and statements of work
• Break down the solution across digital and physical components and determine what's required for successful deployment
• Lead a customer scrum after signature, coordinating software engineering, operations/project delivery, field/hardware, and data specialists
• Own the overall customer engagement, keeping delivery aligned with the agreed specification and SOW
• Translate customer requirements into clear technical problems, features, and workstreams for engineering teams
• Troubleshoot complex issues spanning software, hardware, data, wireless/RF behavior, and real-world operating environments
• Communicate progress, risks, trade-offs, and technical concepts clearly to both technical teams and executive stakeholders
• Work across multiple enterprise customers, potentially leading multiple scrums depending on engagement complexity
• Partner with pre-sales teams when required, including involvement in proofs of concept
• Travel to customer sites across the US when projects require hands-on support

What you'll bring:

• Strong experience in a genuinely client-facing technical role
• Technical foundations in software engineering, systems, solution architecture, technical product management, or a comparable discipline
• Ability to code and reason through technical problems; Python experience is highly relevant
• Strong systems and algorithmic thinking, able to understand how events, dependencies, and components connect
• Experience translating customer requirements into technical solutions and working directly with engineering teams to deliver them
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and executive-facing presence
• Leadership capability and the ability to coordinate cross-functional teams without relying solely on formal authority
• High curiosity, drive, and comfort operating in a fast-moving, high-intensity environment
• Willingness to travel domestically up to 50% at times, including occasional short-notice travel

Nice to have:

• Experience with hardware, IoT, embedded systems, RF/wireless technology, or other physical-world systems
• Experience in supply chain, logistics, retail, warehousing, or large-scale enterprise deployments
• Background as a customer-facing Solutions Architect, Forward Deployed Engineer, or B2B Product Manager
• Experience leading complex POCs, implementations, or multi-disciplinary technical delivery teams