Head of Forward-Deployed Engineering & Strategic Services

vercel.com; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 240,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Healthcare

Mentorship & events

Flexible Time Off

WFH budget

Job summary

Vercel is seeking a Director of Forward Deployed Engineering to build and lead our FDE and Professional Services function. Embedding with strategic customers, you’ll design, build, and ship production apps using Next.js, AI SDK, and v0, from prototype to production rollout.

You will define the operating model, engagement approach, and commercial structure for the team. You will report to the VP of Field Engineering.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software engineering or related fields with 5+ years leading customer-facing teams.
• Experience building teams or services lines from zero, including hiring and operating model.
• Strong web tech background: JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Next.js, Node.js, cloud.
• Experience deploying LLM-powered apps and understanding model-driven product decisions.
• Commercial acumen: scoped, priced, and delivered enterprise engagements.

Responsibilities

• Build, lead, and develop the Forward Deployed Engineering team with hiring standards and career growth.
• Define engagement model, staffing, sequencing, and account eligibility for embedded support.
• Own delivery excellence from discovery to production deployment and stabilization.
• Establish the commercial model for professional services including pricing and capacity planning.
• Stay hands-on with architecture reviews and unblocking critical engagements.
• Define handoff protocols with Sales Eng, Customer Success, and partners.
• Codify learnings into repeatable playbooks and reference architectures.
• Synthesize customer insights into product feedback for Engineering and leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Web technologies

LLM apps

Customer delivery

Commercial acumen

Tools

Next.js

AI SDK

v0

Node.js

React

Job description

Vercel is seeking a Director of Forward Deployed Engineering to build and lead our FDE and Professional Services function. Embedding with strategic customers, you’ll design, build, and ship production apps using Next.js, AI SDK, and v0, from prototype to production rollout.

You will define the operating model, engagement approach, and commercial structure for the team. You will report to the VP of Field Engineering.