Forward Deployed Engineer

Shelf; New York (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity

Comprehensive health and wellness packages

Job summary

Shelf is seeking a Sales Engineer in New York, NY, to lead technical engagements with enterprise prospects. You will design data models and configure solutions during quick 3-5 day pilots.

The ideal candidate has 7-10+ years in technical roles and excels in data modeling and customer interactions. This position offers competitive salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits as you contribute to growing customer accounts and supporting the sales team.

Qualifications

• 7-10+ years in technical pre-sales, data engineering, solutions architecture, or similar customer-facing roles.
• Strong expertise in data modeling, data platforms, and ETL/data pipelines.
• Experience with knowledge graphs, ontologies, or semantic technologies strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead independent POV engagements with enterprise prospects, designing custom ontologies.
• Conduct technical discovery and present solutions to Data Engineers, Enterprise Architects, and AI/ML Engineers.
• Support Account Executives throughout sales cycles.

Skills

Data modeling

Customer-facing

Python scripting

Knowledge graphs

Ontologies

ETL/pipeline expertise

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or related field

Tools

AI coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, etc.)

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Job Description:

The Sales Engineer will serve as a forward-deployed technical expert, independently leading proof-of-value engagements with enterprise prospects. This role combines deep technical expertise in data modeling and ontology design with hands‑on implementation skills to deliver rapid-cycle pilots that demonstrate Shelf's value and convert to closed deals.

This is a unique opportunity to work at the cutting edge of AI and data quality, designing custom data models and configuring reasoning agents to solve complex enterprise challenges. You'll operate with significant autonomy, embedded with prospects during 3-5 day pilots, iterating quickly to prove measurable value. Your ability to understand customer data architectures, design semantic models, and deliver technical solutions will be crucial to our sales success.

Reporting to the Field CTO, you'll partner with Account Executives throughout the sales cycle, with primary responsibility during technical evaluation and POV phases. Beyond new customer acquisition, you'll support expansion opportunities within existing accounts, contributing to our land‑and‑expand growth strategy. You'll work directly alongside Engineering during POVs and collaborate on building reusable templates and best practices.

The ideal candidate brings 7‑10+ years of experience combining technical depth in data platforms and modeling with customer‑facing skills. As a self‑starter, you'll quickly ramp through hands‑on internal projects that mirror customer engagements. You're comfortable writing scripts, leveraging AI coding tools like Claude Code, and delivering approximately 8‑10 POVs per quarter. Experience with knowledge graphs, ontologies, or semantic technologies is strongly preferred, though exceptional data modeling expertise can substitute.

What We're Looking For:

• Technical Depth - Strong data modeling, data platforms, and ETL/pipeline expertise; knowledge graphs and ontologies experience strongly preferred
• Forward‑Deployed Engineer - Comfortable operating independently with prospects, leading technical engagements with minimal supervision
• Technical Problem Solver - Writes Python scripts, automates workflows, and leverages AI coding tools to rapidly build and iterate solutions during customer engagements
• Customer‑Facing Excellence - Exceptional communication skills with technical and business stakeholders; comfortable presenting and iterating with customers
• Rapid Execution - Thrives in fast‑paced 3‑5 day pilot cycles; delivers value quickly and iterates based on feedback
• Sales‑Oriented Mindset - Understands enterprise sales cycles and is motivated by converting POVs to closed deals
• Continuous Learner - Stays current with AI/GenAI trends, data technologies, and modern engineering practices

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead independent POV engagements with enterprise prospects, designing custom ontologies and configuring solutions within 3‑5 day cycles
• Conduct technical discovery and present solutions to Data Engineers, Enterprise Architects, and AI/ML Engineers
• Support Account Executives throughout sales cycles with primary ownership during technical evaluation and POV phases
• Work directly with Engineering on technical challenges and custom implementations during POVs
• Continue engagement through deal closing and initial customer onboarding alongside Customer Success
• Support existing customer expansion opportunities as part of land‑and‑expand strategy
• Collaborate with Field CTO to build reusable ontology templates and POV best practices

Qualifications:

• 7‑10+ years in technical pre‑sales, data engineering, solutions architecture, or similar customer‑facing technical roles
• Strong expertise in data modeling, data platforms, and ETL/data pipelines
• Experience with knowledge graphs, ontologies, or semantic technologies strongly preferred
• Proficiency in scripting and automation (Python preferred)
• Hands‑on experience with AI coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, etc.)
• Deep understanding of enterprise data platforms and cloud architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Proven track record in customer‑facing technical roles with demonstrated sales impact
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills with technical and business audiences
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or related field
• Experience in B2B SaaS, AI/ML, or data quality solutions preferred

Success Metrics:

• POV Conversion Rate - Achieve 70%+ conversion rate from pilot to closed deal
• POV Delivery Volume - Successfully deliver 8‑10 high‑quality POVs per quarter within 3‑5 day timeframes
• ARR Growth Contribution - Support overall company ARR growth through new customer acquisition and existing account expansion
• Technical Quality - Consistently deliver well‑designed ontologies and technical solutions that meet customer requirements

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary, equity, & benefits
• Realistic, clearly communicated expectations
• Team‑wide aligned values and goals
• Comprehensive health and wellness packages

Location:

NYC or San Francisco with flexibility to travel for high‑stakes customer meetings, industry events, and internal leadership meetings