Director, Forward Deployed Engineer

Overview

We are the leading provider of professional services to the middle market globally, our purpose is to instill confidence in a world of change, empowering our clients and people to realize their full potential. Our exceptional people are the key to our unrivaled culture and talent experience and our ability to be compelling to our clients. You’ll find an environment that inspires and empowers you to thrive both personally and professionally.

There’s no one like you and that’s why there’s nowhere like RSM.

A Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) is a hands‑on technical professional who sits close to clients and close to product/engineering teams and within the business. The role bridges solution architecture, engineering, and client delivery—deploying, adapting, and operationalizing complex technical solutions (often AI, data or platform‑driven) in real client environments. In AI‑enabled managed services, FDEs are positioned to embed AI capabilities into client operations, stand up point‑in‑time or always‑on AI services, customize “platform + services” offerings at scale, and accelerate value realization post‑sale.

• Client‑Facing Solution Deployment
  • Work directly with client stakeholders (technical and business) to optimize current client environments and/or implement solutions in live environments.
  • Translate ambiguous business problems into deployable technical architectures and solutions.
  • Customize, configure, and extend platforms to meet client‑specific requirements.
  • Troubleshoot production issues and optimize performance post‑deployment.
• Engineering & Technical Execution
  • Write production‑quality code, scripts, and integrations (Python, SQL, APIs, cloud services).
  • Build proofs‑of‑concept and evolve them into scalable implementations.
  • Integrate client systems (ERP, finance, data platforms, cloud infrastructure).
  • Work with clients to ensure solutions meet security, compliance and reliability requirements.
• Product & Platform Feedback Loop
  • Act as a conduit between clients and internal product/engineering teams.
  • Provide structured feedback on feature gaps, usability issues, and scalability constraints.
  • Influence product roadmap based on real‑world deployment learnings.
• Managed Services Lifecycle (Outsourced & Co‑Sourced)
  • Embed throughout transition‑to‑run and steady‑state operations to optimize delivery, accelerate time‑to‑value, and drive measurable outcomes (adoption, reliability, cost‑to‑serve).
  • Own transition‑to‑run (handoff + stabilization) with defined hypercare window and exit criteria (SLO attainment, runbooks complete, monitoring/alerting live, knowledge transfer signed off).
  • Operate an ongoing change/enhancement intake: shape requests into deployable backlog items (sizing, dependencies, risk/impact) and coordinate release readiness with delivery teams.
  • Work with Service Integration to identify Continuous Service Improvement (CSI) items to maintain a recurring optimization plan tied to outcomes (automation opportunities, defect reduction, performance improvements, cost‑to‑serve reduction).
  • Support renewal and expansion motions with an executive‑ready technical narrative backed by evidence (adoption, reliability, automation ROI, realized business value).
  • Outsourced solutions (RSM runs operations): partner with service delivery leadership to manage service performance (SLA/OLA attainment plans, incident trends, problem management/root‑cause analysis, prevention engineering).
  • Build and maintain runbooks, automations, and guardrails that standardize delivery and improve scalability (reduce hero‑dependency).
  • Continuously improve observability (dashboards, alert thresholds, key health metrics) to detect issues early and shorten mean time to restore.
  • Co‑sourced solutions (shared operations with client): define and maintain the joint operating model (RACI, integration points, escalation paths, change/release responsibilities) so shared delivery is predictable.
  • Run enablement and knowledge transfer as an ongoing motion (playbooks, office hours, paired troubleshooting) to upskill client teams and sustain outcomes.
  • Establish shared telemetry (dashboards and outcome metrics) so both sides manage…