Forward Deployed Engineer - AI Security

Ffive; Illinois; On-site; USD 138,000 - 208,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Commission eligible

Job summary

F5 is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to drive post-sales success for clients in the CST/MST US region. You will lead onboarding, deployment planning, and cross-functional collaboration with Solutions Engineering and Support to accelerate time-to-value.

You will own the technical relationship, guide complex deployments (on-prem, hybrid, SaaS), and help customers navigate security and networking challenges. Strong PM and communication are essential.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in a post-sales technical role such as TAM, Solutions Engineer, Implementation Consultant, or similar.
• Experience building and deploying AI systems/Applications.
• Strong understanding of enterprise infrastructure (networking, containers, security).
• Experience leading technical deployments (on-prem, hybrid, or complex SaaS integrations).
• Experience with enterprise customers in regulated industries (AI/ML or cybersecurity products is a bonus).
• Excellent communication and project management skills - ability to set expectations, drive timelines, and align stakeholders.
• Ability to thrive in a high growth environment - self-directed and proactive.
• Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration - nice to have.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical onboarding and implementation for new customers, including planning, scoping, milestones, and success metrics.
• Own the post-sales relationship from a technical standpoint, acting as the main point of contact for customer engineering and security teams.
• Develop and execute structured implementation plans to achieve First Time to Value quickly and reliably.
• Proactively manage risk by identifying blockers, misaligned expectations, or skill gaps and escalate as needed.
• Collaborate with Sales, Engineering, Services and Product to ensure successful handoffs and knowledge sharing.
• Document repeatable processes, technical guides, implementation templates, and internal runbooks.
• Coordinate support needs, triage technical issues, and ensure collaboration with Support and Development teams.
• Act as a customer advocate, gathering feedback to inform roadmap and future services.

Skills

Post-Sales experience

AI/ML deployments

Enterprise infrastructure

Deployment leadership

Regulated industries

Communication & PM

Ambiguity tolerance

OpenShift Administration

Job description

At F5, we strive to bring a better digital world to life. Our teams empower organizations across the globe to create, secure, and run applications that enhance how we experience our evolving digital world. We are passionate about cybersecurity, from protecting consumers from fraud to enabling companies to focus on innovation.

Everything we do centers around people. That means we obsess over how to make the lives of our customers, and their customers, better. And it means we prioritize a diverse F5 community where each individual can thrive.

About F5:

At F5, we strive to bring a better digital world to life. Our teams empower organizations across the globe to create, secure, and run applications that enhance how we experience our evolving digital world. We are passionate about cybersecurity, from protecting consumers from fraud to enabling companies to focus on innovation.

Everything we do centers around people. That means we obsess over how to make the lives of our customers, and their customers, better. And it means we prioritize a diverse F5 community where each individual can thrive.

About the Role :

• Central / MidEast / Midwest US opportunity - This role will be located in the CST / MST time zone and work with clients in that territory.

As our Forward Deployed Engineer, you'll play a critical role in ensuring customer success from the moment a deal is signed. You'll lead technical onboarding and implementation efforts, serve as the customer's primary post-sales technical point of contact, and work closely with Solutions Engineering, and Support to drive adoption, reduce time-to-value, and lay the foundation for successful long-term partnerships.

Key Responsibilities :

• Lead technical onboarding and implementation for new customers, including planning, scoping, milestones, and success metrics
• Own the post-sales relationship from a technical standpoint, serving as the main point of contact for customer engineering and security teams
• Develop and execute structured implementation plans to ensure customers achieve First Time to Value quickly and reliably
• Proactively manage risk by identifying blockers, misaligned expectations, or skill gaps - on either side - and escalating as needed
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Engineering, Services and Product to ensure successful handoffs and knowledge sharing
• Document repeatable processes, technical guides, implementation templates, and internal runbooks
• Coordinate support needs, triage technical issues, and ensure efficient collaboration with Support and Dev. teams
• Act as a customer advocate, gathering feedback and insights to inform roadmap and future services

Skills & Experience :

• 8+ years in a Post-Sales technical role (e.g., TAM, Solutions Engineer, Integration Engineer, Implementation Consultant, or similar)
• Experience building and/or deploying AI Systems/Applications
• Strong understanding of enterprise infrastructure (e.g., networking, containers, security protocols)
• Experience leading technical deployments (on-prem, hybrid, or complex SaaS integrations)
• Experience working with enterprise customers in regulated industries (huge bonus: AI/ML or cybersecurity products)
• Excellent communication and project management skills - you can set expectations, drive timelines, and keep everyone aligned
• Ability to thrive in a high growth environment - comfortable with ambiguity, self-directed, and proactive.
• Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration - nice to have

We offer a competitive salary, commission, and benefits package, as well as opportunities for career growth and advancement.

F5 maintains broad salary ranges for its roles in order to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience, geographic locations, and market conditions, as well as to reflect F5's differing products, industries, and lines of business. The pay range referenced is as of the time of the job posting and is subject to change. You may also be offered incentive compensation, bonus, restricted stock units, and benefits. More details about F5's benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.f5.com/company/careers/benefits. F5 reserves the right to change or terminate any benefit plan without notice.

The Job Description is intended to be a general representation of the responsibilities and requirements of the job. However, the description may not be all-inclusive, and responsibilities and requirements are subject to change.

The annual base pay for this position is: $138,400.00 - $207,600.00

F5 maintains broad salary ranges for its roles in