Forward Deployed Engineer, Routines

Athena US Corp; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Athena is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer, Routines to work directly with clients and XPs to configure, customize, and troubleshoot Routines so they fit each client's workflow. You will help turn learned insights into templates and product improvements, bridging client problems with the Athena AI/Routines roadmap.

This role requires a technical/product background and hands-on AI automation experience, with a focus on building integrations and shaping core products for real-world use cases.

Qualifications

• Experience in software engineering or technical product roles with hands-on AI automation.
• Forward-deployed or client-embedded engineering experience preferred.
• Strong API/integration and workflow tooling familiarity.
• Bachelor's or higher in CS/Engineering or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Partner Directly with Clients and XPs: configure, test, and troubleshoot Routines against client workflows, tools, escalation rules, and edge cases.
• Help XPs Build and Polish Their Own Skills: develop and refine the individual skills needed for use by the Athena AI agent or a Routine.
• Customize and Extend Routines for Real Cases: build custom skills, integrations, or tools when stock templates don't fit, and determine if it should become a core product.
• Curate What Graduates into a Template: decide whether client-specific builds become reusable templates or archetype variants, coordinating with product and engineering.
• Strengthen the Core Routine Set: contribute to pre-installed Routines such as Morning Brief, Inbox Sweep, Calendar Audit, Travel Dossier, Meeting Prep Pack, and more.
• Turn Onboarding into Routines: collaborate with the onboarding team to automate and productize ramp-up processes inside Athena.
• Feed the Product Roadmap: capture recurring client pain points, failure patterns, and feature requests as clear, prioritized requirements.

Skills

AI automation

Client-facing engineering

APIs & integrations

Technical product management

Problem solving

Education

CS/Engineering degree

Tools

Claude Code

Codex

Cowork

Job description

Overview

Athena pairs world-class leaders with elite executive assistants, combining trained Executive Assistants with AI to help leaders stay organized, follow through on priorities, and operate at their highest level. Athena serves 3,000+ clients with global reach and significant annual revenue, including partnerships with Uber, Shopify, and Goldman Sachs.

Role

Forward Deployed Engineer, Routines — work directly with Athena's clients and XPs to configure, customize, and troubleshoot Routines so they fit each client\'s real workflow. You will help turn learned insights into better templates and product improvements. This role sits between client problems and the Athena AI/Routines roadmap and requires a technical/product background, hands-on experience building AI automations, client empathy, and product judgment.

Responsibilities

• Partner Directly with Clients and XPs: configure, test, and troubleshoot Routines against client workflows, tools, escalation rules, and edge cases.
• Help XPs Build and Polish Their Own Skills: develop and refine the individual skills needed for use by the Athena AI agent or a Routine.
• Customize and Extend Routines for Real Cases: build custom skills, integrations, or tools when stock templates don\'t fit, and determine if it should become a core product.
• Curate What Graduates into a Template: decide whether client-specific builds become reusable templates or archetype variants, coordinating with product and engineering.
• Strengthen the Core Routine Set: contribute to pre-installed Routines such as Morning Brief, Inbox Sweep, Calendar Audit, Travel Dossier, Meeting Prep Pack, and more.
• Turn Onboarding into Routines: collaborate with the onboarding team to automate and productize ramp-up processes inside Athena.
• Feed the Product Roadmap: capture recurring client pain points, failure patterns, and feature requests as clear, prioritized requirements.

Qualifications

• Experience in software engineering, technical product management, or similar technical/product roles with hands-on AI automation experience; demonstrated personal automation using tools like Claude Code, Codex, or Cowork (demonstrations expected).
• Prior experience as a forward-deployed engineer, solutions engineer, or other client-embedded technical role is strongly preferred.
• Technical Skills: comfortable with integrations and APIs, LLM-based agent systems, and automation/workflow tooling; familiarity with orchestration frameworks or evaluation pipelines is a plus.
• Problem-Solving: strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with client-facing empathy to uncover underlying problems.
• Product Judgment: ability to identify when a one-off solution should become a template and to shape the first version.
• Collaboration: excellent teamwork and communication, able to translate client conversations into clear product/engineering requirements.
• Adaptability: able to manage multiple client engagements in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent work experience.

Equal Opportunity

At Athena, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents.