Senior/Principal Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)
About The Position
As a Senior or Principal Forward Deployed Engineer, you will bridge hands-on software development with customer technical strategy, taking on complex, ambiguous engagements without established playbooks. You will partner with enterprise customers, often at the executive level, to architect, deploy, debug, and optimize Workday AI agents and developer platform solutions in live customer environments. You will work across the deployment lifecycle with AI Deployment Architects, Product Managers, and Workday Services leads. You will also help set the technical direction of the Forward Deployed Engineering practice by converting field-tested solutions into scalable product capabilities and mentoring other engineers. The team works across Product, Engineering, and customer execution for Agent Factory, Sana, Products, and the Developer Platform. It resolves technical friction during early deployments and channels field insights, recurring customer issues, and configuration patterns into scalable product improvements. Engagements are owned from kickoff through graduation within standard six-month deployment cycles. The role requires travel of up to 20% to customer sites as needed. Workday's Flex Work approach combines in-person and remote work, with at least half of each quarter spent in the office or in the field with customers, prospects, and partners, depending on the role.
Requirements
- Senior: 7 or more years of experience in Forward Deployed Engineering, Solutions Engineering, Technical Consulting, or Software Development.
- Principal: 10 or more years of experience in Forward Deployed Engineering, Solutions Engineering, Technical Consulting, or Software Development.
- Hands-on coding and debugging skills, for example in Python, Java, or a similar language.
- Knowledge of REST APIs, object-oriented design, and integration patterns; Principal candidates also need knowledge of system architecture.
- Knowledge of Workday, including business processes, security and permissions, tenant configuration, integrations, and how customers implement and govern Workday.
- Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% to customer sites as needed.
Responsibilities
- Architect, deploy, configure, and debug AI agents and integrations in complex live enterprise tenant environments, including situations without established precedent.
- Lead technical discovery with senior customer leaders and translate ambiguous business requirements into product configurations, proofs of concept, and integration specifications.
- Synthesize field telemetry, edge-case failures, and recurring customer friction into insights that shape the product roadmap and engineering backlog.
- Identify patterns across engagements and lead efforts to turn custom fixes into standardized, automated, out-of-the-box product capabilities.
- Serve as a trusted technical advisor to Workday Services leads, AI Deployment Architects, Account Teams, and customer executives, keeping engagements focused on core product strength.
- Own strategically important or technically complex engagements end-to-end, from kickoff through graduation within standard six-month deployment cycles.
- Coach other Forward Deployed Engineers on technical approaches and customer engagement.
Benefits
- May be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus.
- May be eligible for annual refresh stock grants.
- Flexible work schedule combining in-person time and remote work.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
