Forward Deployed Engineering Manager Job at Cresta

Forward Deployed Engineering Manager

Cresta

Location:
United States

Category:
IT - Software Development

Contract Type:
Not provided

Salary:

Not provided

Save Job

Apply Position

Job Description:

At Cresta, shipping AI is only half the story. Deploying it successfully is where the real impact happens. As Forward Deployed Engineering Manager, you'll lead the team that turns cutting-edge AI into real-world customer success. You'll build, mentor, and scale a world-class team of Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) who work directly with customers to deliver AI agents that solve practical business problems and drive measurable outcomes. This is a high-impact leadership role for someone who loves building teams, refining processes, and driving product excellence through deep customer engagement. You'll be at the intersection of engineering, product, and go-to-market — ensuring that Cresta delivers exceptional value at scale. Travel Expectations: 10-25% travel for customer visits, team offsites, and company events.

Job Responsibility:

Build and Scale the FDE Team: Recruit top talent
Develop your team
Define the role
Foster culture
Refine Processes and Drive Operational Excellence: Optimize the customer lifecycle
Scale what works
Balance speed and quality
Measure what matters
Drive Product Improvements: Be the voice of the customer
Close the feedback loop
Build vs. buy vs. hack
Champion generalization
Lead Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Product
Align with Engineering
Enable Go-to-Market
Influence leadership
Stay Hands-On (When Needed): Jump into the fire
Stay technical
Lead by example

Requirements:

Engineering management experience: At least 2 years managing, mentoring, and growing engineering teams
Customer-facing engineering background: Experience as a Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Implementation Engineer, or similar role working directly with customers
Technical depth: Strong software engineering fundamentals (coding, system design, APIs, databases) — you've built production systems and can earn the respect of senior engineers
AI/LLM familiarity: Hands-on experience with AI agents, LLMs, prompt engineering, or ML deployments in production
Hiring and talent development: Proven track record of recruiting, onboarding, and developing high-performing engineers
Cross-functional leadership: Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate across Product, Engineering, Sales, and Customer Success teams
Bias toward action: You ship fast, iterate, and believe that perfect is the enemy of good
Customer empathy: Deep understanding of enterprise customer needs and the ability to translate technical concepts into business value
Startup or scale-up experience: You've been in fast-paced, high-growth environments where you wore multiple hats
Enterprise B2B background: Experience with complex, multi-stakeholder deployments and long sales cycles
Product mindset: You think like a product manager — understanding market needs, prioritization, and trade-offs
Process design: You've built processes from scratch and iterated on them based on what works
Founder or entrepreneurial experience: You've started something, built something from zero, or operated with extreme ownership

What we offer:

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with plans to fit you and your family
Flexible PTO to take the time you need, when you need it
Paid parental leave for all new parents welcoming a new child
Retirement savings plan to help you plan for the future
Remote work setup budget to help you create a productive home office
Monthly wellness and communication stipend to keep you connected and balanced
In-office meal program and commuter benefits provided for onsite employees

Additional Information:

Job Posted:
January 31, 2026

Work Type:

Remote work

Cresta - All Job Offers

Job Link Share: