Forward Deployed Engineer

Runtime; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Runtime, a fast-growing enterprise IoT and supply chain intelligence company, is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to partner with enterprise customers on deployments combining software, hardware, and data solutions.

You will bridge technical problem solving with customer leadership, translating business needs into technical requirements and guiding cross-functional teams through delivery. Role requires deep communication skills and hands-on engagement with executive stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Experience in a genuinely client-facing technical role.
• Strong foundations in software engineering, systems, or architecture.
• Ability to code; Python experience is highly relevant.
• Excellent communication and executive-facing presence.
• Leadership to coordinate cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Define milestones, scope, and statements of work with customers before signature.
• Break down the solution across digital and physical components and determine what's required for successful deployment.
• Lead a customer scrum post-signature with cross-functional teams (engineering, operations, field/hardware, data).
• Own the overall customer engagement and ensure delivery aligns with the SOW.
• Translate customer requirements into technical problems and workstreams for engineering.
• Troubleshoot issues spanning software, hardware, data, RF, and real-world environments.
• Communicate progress, risks, and trade-offs to technical and executive stakeholders.
• Coordinate multiple scrums across enterprise customers as needed.
• Collaborate with pre-sales on proofs of concept.
• Travel to customer sites across the US when required.

Skills

Client-facing

Software engineering

Python

Systems thinking

Requirements translation

Stakeholder communication

Cross-functional leadership

Travel readiness

Tools

Python

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