Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)

Workday Limited; Pleasanton (CA); Hybrid; USD 148,000 - 222,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flex Work

Stock grants

Job summary

Workday, Inc. is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to bridge hands-on software development with high-impact customer strategy.

You will partner with enterprise clients to architect, deploy, debug, and optimize Workday’s AI agents and developer platform solutions inside live environments. You will collaborate with AI Deployment Architects, Product Managers, and Services leads across the deployment lifecycle, driving immediate customer success and embedding field-tested solutions back into the

Qualifications

• 7+ years in Forward Deployed Engineering, Solutions Engineering, Technical Consulting, or Software Development.
• Hands-on coding and debugging skills (Python, Java, or similar) with REST APIs and OO design.
• Experience with enterprise deployments, live data troubleshooting, and integration patterns.
• Willingness to travel up to 20% to customer sites.
• Ability to translate complex requirements into robust product configurations.
• Strong written and verbal technical communication; collaborative mindset.

Responsibilities

• Deploy, configure, and debug AI agents and integrations directly inside live enterprise tenant environments against complex customer workflows and real-world data.
• Lead technical discovery sessions with key customer stakeholders to translate complex business requirements into robust product configurations, POCs, and integration specs.
• Capture field telemetry, edge-case failures, and customer friction points to influence the core product roadmap and engineering backlog.
• Identify recurring deployment challenges and transform fixes into standardized, automated out-of-the-box product capabilities.
• Partner with Workday Services leads, AI Deployment Architects, and Account Teams to ensure seamless project delivery while focusing on core product strengths.
• Guide engagements through structured milestones—from kickoff to graduation—enabling self-sustaining customer ownership within a typical 6-month deployment cycle.

Skills

Forward Deployed Engineering

Solutions Engineering

Technical Consulting

Software Development

Python

Java

Tools

REST APIs

Job description

Your work days are brighter here. We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun‑drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

About the Team

The Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) organization sits at the intersection of Product, Engineering, and customer execution across Agent Factory, Sana, Products, and the Developer Platform. When Workday launches new AI agents and products, early deployments surface complex real‑world challenges—from unstructured tenant data and intricate configurations to edge‑case enterprise workflows. FDE pods deploy directly into active customer engagements to resolve technical friction, debug complex setups, and build lightweight integrations. Crucially, FDEs serve as the primary feedback engine for Product and Engineering: field insights, recurring customer friction, and configuration patterns are converted directly into scalable, out‑of‑the‑box product capabilities.

About the Role

As a Forward Deployed Engineer you will bridge hands‑on software development with high-impact customer technical strategy. You will partner with enterprise customers to architect, deploy, debug, and optimize Workday’s AI agents and developer platform solutions within live customer environments. Working across the full deployment lifecycle, you will collaborate with AI Deployment Architects, Product Managers, and Workday Services leads. Your primary objective is twofold: drive immediate customer success and eliminate implementation friction over time by embedding field‑tested solutions back into the core platform.

What you’ll do

• Technical Deployment & Engineering: Deploy, configure, and debug AI agents and integrations directly inside live enterprise tenant environments against complex customer workflows and real‑world data.
• Customer Discovery & Solution Architecture: Lead technical discovery sessions with key customer stakeholders to translate complex business requirements into robust product configurations, POCs, and integration specs.
• Product Feedback Loop: Capture field telemetry, edge‑case failures, and customer friction points to directly influence the core product roadmap and engineering backlog.
• Productization of Field Insights: Identify recurring deployment challenges and transform custom fixes into standardized, automated out‑of‑the‑box product capabilities.
• Cross‑Functional Ecosystem Alignment: Partner closely with Workday Services leads, AI Deployment Architects, and Account Teams to ensure seamless project delivery while staying focused on core product strength.
• Engagement Milestones & Graduation: Guide engagements through structured milestones—from kickoff to graduation—enabling self‑sustaining customer ownership within standard 6‑month deployment cycles.

About you

• Basic Qualifications Experience: 7+ years in Forward Deployed Engineering, Solutions Engineering, Technical Consulting, or Software Development.
• Technical Execution Hands‑on coding and debugging skills (e.g., Python, Java, or similar) with solid understanding of REST APIs, object‑oriented design, system architecture, and integration patterns.
• Customer Interaction Proven experience working directly with enterprise clients on complex software deployments, live data troubleshooting, and custom workflow integration.
• Travel Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% to customer sites as needed.
• Product Mindset Ability to abstract generalizable product requirements from bespoke customer issues.
• Communication Exceptional verbal and written technical communication skills; skilled at translating complex technical challenges for non‑technical leadership.
• Ambiguity & Agility Thrives in fast‑paced environments with evolving requirements across Product, Engineering, and Services teams.
• Collaboration Highly collaborative, low‑ego team player adept at working within multi‑disciplinary account and delivery pods.

Preferred Qualifications

• Applied experience with LLM‑powered or agentic AI systems — e.g., prompt/context engineering, retrieval‑augmented generation, evaluations, or agent orchestration frameworks — and a working understanding of how model behavior shows up as product and customer‑facing issues in the field.

Workday Pay Transparency Statement

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role‑specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please click here.

• Primary Location: USA.CA.Pleasanton Primary Location Base Pay Range: $148,000 USD - $222,000 USD
• Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $123,900 USD - $222,000 USD

Our Approach to Flexible Work

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in‑person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you’ll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote “home office” roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

Equal Opportunity and Diversity

Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

Workday is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals during our application process, in order to perform one or more essential functions of their job, as well as regarding the use of AI tools for employment decision‑making to any degree. Please see below for more details including how to request an accommodation as a qualified veteran, due to a disability or for religious reasons, or as otherwise provided under applicable law.

Workday prohibits taking adverse action against any candidate or employee for reporting a possible violation of this policy, requesting one or more work accommodations, exercising a privacy right, or cooperating in an investigation in accordance with applicable law. Any employee who retaliates against a candidate or employee for doing so may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, to the fullest extent allowable under applicable law.

If you require a reasonable accommodation, you may email [e-mail], as far in advance as possible.

Workday is a proud equal opportunity workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Workday are considered without regards to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Further, pursuant to applicable local ordinances, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Workday does not accept resumes from headhunters, placement agencies, or other suppliers that have not signed a formal agreement with us.

Read more below to learn more on our stance on being a proud equal opportunity workplace, pay transparency and accommodation support. Workday is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Workday are considered without regards to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.