Senior Forward Deployed AI Engineer

Join Smartsheet as a Senior Forward Deployed AI Engineer, where you will lead complex AI deployments, own the full engagement lifecycle, architect multi-agent solutions, and mentor junior engineers. You will collaborate with various stakeholders, manage multiple enterprise customer engagements, and work within Smartsheet's platforms and tools. This role requires a strong technical background, excellent communication skills, and the ability to navigate ambiguity in a fast-paced environment.

• Independently lead complex AI deployments, owning the full engagement lifecycle from technical discovery to production deployment.
• Architect multi-agent solutions, design client-personalized MCP resource packs, and build Deployment Kits that transform how solutions consultants operate.
• Mentor junior Field Deployment Engineers, drive the intelligence loop, and present field findings at weekly Applied AI strategy sessions.

• Deep production LLM experience spanning multi-agent orchestration, MCP and tool-use patterns, RAG optimisation, evaluation frameworks, and agent deployment at scale
• A proven track record leading complex enterprise technical engagements, including managing customer relationships, navigating security reviews, and delivering production systems that organisations depend on — this may be evidenced through equivalent industry experience as well as formal qualifications
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken, required for all technical and customer-facing communication
• A consistent track record of leaving teams in a stronger position — ensuring the people around this role understand what was built, why it works, and how to own it without ongoing dependency
• System architecture expertise across enterprise systems, cloud infrastructure, and AI services, with the ability to communicate architectural decisions clearly to both a CIO and a junior engineer
• Demonstrated ability to create reusable technical assets that others use in production — the ability to think in platforms rather than individual projects is essential to this role
• Eligibility to work in Germany on an ongoing basis
• A BS or MS in Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent industry experience that demonstrates the same depth of knowledge and problem-solving capability
• Strong written and verbal communication skills evidenced through architecture documents, runbooks, strategic memos, and training materials; Deployment Kits produced in this role serve as a direct portfolio of that communication quality
• 6–10+ years of production software engineering experience, including at least 3 years deploying AI and ML systems to production, with deep expertise in Python and strong proficiency in TypeScript and JavaScript — demonstrating the depth of technical knowledge and educational foundation expected at principal level
• No direct financial budget ownership is expected in this role, though the person will operate with an awareness of customer investment scale and the business impact of deployment outcomes
• A technical founder background, or hands-on experience with Databricks, AWS Bedrock, or Temporal
• Experience founding or scaling a Field Deployment Engineering or solutions engineering function
• Deep domain knowledge in healthcare, financial services, or government
• Contributions to agent frameworks such as Strands SDK, LangChain, or open-source MCP servers
• Proficiency in German or French is an advantage for regional customer engagement
• Familiarity with AI governance, ethics, and regulatory requirements including GDPR and the EU and UK AI Acts