Forward Deployed Engineering Manager, Google Public Sector

Socket.dev; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 262,000 - 364,000; Full time

Job summary

Google Public Sector Forward Deployed Engineering (GPS FDE) is a squad of direct innovators who rapidly deploy production-grade, secure AI solutions across Federal and SLED environments. Engineers code, debug, and co-build bespoke agentic workflows directly with customers, ensuring data sovereignty and security within strict compliance.

As a Manager of a GenAI Forward Deployed Engineering team, you will lead AI/ML engineers across Public Sector markets to bridge frontier AI products with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering or related field
• 8 years of experience in sales engineering or technical consulting in a cloud environment
• 5 years of experience managing a Software Engineering/Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team in a cloud environment
• Experience in Python or similar coding languages
• Experience developing AI/GenAI solutions utilizing AI tools, or designing multi-agent workflows or RAG systems
• Must possess an active Top Secret/SCI Security Clearance

Responsibilities

• Serve as the ultimate technical lead, establishing code standards, architectural best practices, and benchmarks to elevate engineering excellence across the team.
• Partner with Sales and Tech Leadership to define requirements for high-value opportunities, deploying specialized experts to key accounts.
• Lead technical hiring for FDE, evaluating AI/ML expertise, systems engineering, and direct coding skills to build an engineering squad.
• Identify skill gaps in emerging tech (MCP, tool-calling, and foundation models), ensuring the team maintains subject matter expertise in an evolving AI stack.
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering to resolve blockers and translate field insights into roadmaps while building internal tools to drive organizational efficiency.

Skills

Sales engineering

Technical consulting

Customer-facing

GenAI

Multi-agent workflows

RAG systems

Python programming

TS/SCI clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering or related field

Master’s degree or PhD in AI/CS or related field

Tools

Python

MLOps tooling

Job description

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, a related field, or
  equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience as a sales engineer or technical consultant in a cloud
  computing environment or in a customer-facing role.
• 5 years of experience managing a Software Engineering, Forward Deployed
  Engineering (FDE) or a similar direct technical customer-facing team in a
  cloud computing environment.
• Experience in Python or similar coding languages.
• Experience developing AI/GenAI solutions utilizing AI tools, or designing
  multi-agent workflows or RAG systems.
• Must possess an active Top Secret/SCI Security Clearance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree or PhD in AI, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Experience in architecting AI solutions within complex infrastructures,
  ensuring data sovereignty and secure governance.
• Experience either working within or managing across the Public Sector space
  (Federal and SLED markets).
• Expertise in designing intuitive interfaces for complex AI and agentic
  systems, prioritizing context engineering, transparency, and explainability
  to foster user trust.
• Ability to design end-to-end secure, observable multi-agent systems using
  complex design patterns (ReAct, self-reflection,etc), state management, and
  tool-calling protocols.

ABOUT THE JOB:

The Google Public Sector Forward Deployed Engineering (GPS FDE) team is a squadof direct "innovator-builders" who rapidly deploy production-grade, secure AIsolutions across Federal and SLED environments. Operating with a high-agencystartup mindset, our engineers don’t just advise; they actively code, debug, andco-build bespoke agentic workflows directly alongside our customers. We resolvecomplex integration, data sovereignty, and security challenges within strictcompliance frameworks, utilizing talent with Top Secret/Sensitive CompartmentedInformation (TS/SCI) clearances. Ultimately, the GPS FDE team accelerates thesafe, reliable adoption of generative AI across mission-critical operationswhile feeding field insights directly back to Google Cloud Product engineering.

As a Manager of a GenAI Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team, you will lead asquad of AI/ML engineers across the Public Sector (SLED and Federal markets) tobridge the gap between frontier AI products and production-grade reality withincustomers. You will be responsible for a team that doesn't just consult, butcodes, debugs and jointly deploys bespoke agentic solutions directly withincustomer environments.

In this role, you will provide deep-dive technical mentorship to your team whilebalancing high-level strategic alignment with Product, Engineering, and GoogleCloud Regional Sales leadership. You will empower and unblock your team as theyresolve production-level obstacles, including data readiness issues, integrationcomplexities, and state-management challenges that hinder AI from achievingenterprise-grade maturity.

Google Public Sector[https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/public-sector/#:~:text=We're%20committed%20to%20advancing,%2C%20research%2C%20and%20edtech%20companies.] br ings the magic of Google to the mission of government and education withsolutions purpose-built for enterprises. We focus on helping United Statespublic sector institutions accelerate their digital transformations, and wecontinue to make significant investments and grow our team to meet the complexneeds of local, state and federal government and educational institutions.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills,experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $262000 - $364000 (USD) + 25% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google[https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/benefits/].

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as the ultimate technical lead, establishing code standards,architectural best practices, and benchmarks to elevate engineeringexcellence across the team.
• Partner with Sales and Tech Leadership to define requirements for high-valueopportunities, deploying specialized experts (MLOps, GenMedia, or Agenticsystems) to key accounts.
• Lead technical hiring for FDE, evaluating AI/ML expertise, systemsengineering, and direct coding skills to build an engineering squad.
• Identify skill gaps in emerging tech (MCP, tool-calling, and foundationmodels), ensuring the team maintains subject matter expertise in an evolvingAI stack.
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering to resolve blockers and translatefield insights into roadmaps while building internal tools to driveorganizational efficiency.