Position Overview:This is not a traditional sales engineering role. FDEs at Relay are builders and operators first. You will architect and implement AI-driven solutions directly alongside customers, own technical deployments, and serve as the primary technical authority across the entire pre-sales and initial operationalization lifecycle.
In the manufacturing sector, this means operating at the intersection of production systems, operational data, and Physical AI - turning complex plant-floor realities into working, deployed solutions that measurably transform how manufacturers run their operations, with a focus on Automotive, Food & beverage, Steel and Paper manufacturing.
You'll work directly with plant leadership, IT and OT teams, and C-suite stakeholders. You'll write code, configure integrations, build PoCs, and run deployments in the field. You'll be the person who, when a strategic deal's technical credibility is on the line.
Key Responsibilities:- Pre-Sales & AI Solution Architecture
- Partner with Business Development and Enterprise Sales to deeply understand manufacturing customers' operational environments, technical constraints, and transformation goals.
- Architect sophisticated solutions on Relay's platform - including complex wireless deployments (Cellular/WiFi), custom integrations, and AI-driven workflow automation - tailored to production environment realities.
- Design and deliver highly customized technical demonstrations and presentations to operational, IT, and executive stakeholders, including C-suite and plant leadership.
- Own the development, hands-on implementation, and management of Proof-of-Concept deployments that prove transformative value in live manufacturing environments.
- Field Deployment & Technical Leadership
- Act as the primary technical authority for strategic customers across the full pre-sales and initial deployment lifecycle.
- Lead technical diligence processes end-to-end: RFPs, RFIs, security questionnaires, IT architecture reviews, and integration complexity assessments for AI deployments.
- Drive the discovery of "emerging solutions" - novel AI integrations, new models, custom operational intelligence tooling - directly with customers, from first deployment through initial operationalization.
- Proactively identify, address, and overcome technical objections, securing buy-in from manufacturing IT, OT teams, and operational leadership on Physical AI adoption.
- Contribute technical substance to proposals, Statements of Work, and commercial negotiations, grounding the value case in deployed reality.
- Enablement & Knowledge Transfer
- Meticulously document AI solution architectures, API utilization patterns, Relay platform configurations, and integration schemas developed during pre-sales and early deployment.
- Lead thorough handover sessions to Customer Success and Operations for standardized solutions, ensuring downstream teams have the technical context and design rationale to succeed.
- Serve as escalation point for implementation and post-deployment teams on complex technical issues.
- Directly support "emerging solutions" until they mature into standardized, transferable deployments.
- Cross-functional Influence
- Synthesize field intelligence from manufacturing deployments into structured, actionable product feedback for the Product team - identifying feature gaps, integration friction, and emerging customer requirements.
- Collaborate with Operations to build deployment playbooks for new Physical AI solution types.
- Partner with Security and Support to develop institutional knowledge around common technical and compliance diligence in manufacturing AI deployments.
- Develop technical enablement assets - capability one-pagers, architecture diagrams, and integration cheat sheets - for BD and Enterprise Sales.
- Contribute to external technical content: Physical AI whitepapers, manufacturing case studies, and conference talks.
What We're Looking For:Required Qualifications:- 1-3+ years in a customer-facing technical role - Forward Deployed Engineer, Sales Engineer, Solutions Architect, or Technical Analyst - in enterprise software, SaaS, AI, or data infrastructure.
- Demonstrated ability to translate complex manufacturing or industrial business problems into sophisticated, AI-driven technical solutions using SaaS platforms and APIs.
- Hands-on experience building, implementing, and delivering compelling technical demonstrations and working PoC deployments using modern AI/ML tooling and APIs.
- Experience leading enterprise technical diligence - RFPs, security reviews, IT architecture evaluations.
- Ability to write code and build working prototypes in the field; fluency in modern web technologies and at least one scripting or application language.
- Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to move between deep technical depth and executive-level business narrative without losing precision in either direction.
- High tolerance for ambiguity; comfortable operating in the fast-moving, undefined territory of emerging Physical AI applications.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical technical experience.
Strong Advantage:- Direct experience with manufacturing operations, OT/IT convergence, industrial systems, or plant-floor environments.
- Familiarity with real-time operational data systems, IoT infrastructure, or industrial automation platforms.
- Prior experience in a true FDE model - embedded field engineering, not demo-and-handoff.
Travel:- Up to 50% domestic travel to meet with prospective customers and support sales and initial implementation engagements, particularly for strategic AI opportunities.
This is a fully onsite role at our Raleigh, NC headquarters, with up to 50% travel expected. In-office presence is the norm when not traveling. 
