Forward Deployed Engineer

About the role

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will ensure the right technical solution gets built for Sight Machine's category-defining Manufacturing Data Platform, driving Industrial AI and firmwide digital transformation for some of the world's most iconic manufacturers and technology providers, including industry leaders like Microsoft, Siemens, and Databricks. If you are interested in technical coordination, quality assurance, hands-on problem solving, and working at the intersection of complex manufacturing operations and cutting-edge AI/ML technologies, please apply for this position. You will drive sustainability and game-changing results for global leaders in manufacturing while continuously developing your skills as a technical leader in the Data Era.

Why Join Sight Machine's Services Team

Our team is a hungry, humble, smart group of outcomes leaders, data scientists, data architects and engineers, software developers, and customer engagement managers who collaborate to solve some of the most complex challenges facing our manufacturing customers. We are laser-focused on trusting and empowering each other, solving today's problems (while knowing tomorrow will bring a few more), and getting a little better every day.

What you'll do

A team-based model is essential to our success. As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will work in close partnership with an Account Lead and a Forward Deployed Strategist (FDS). The FDS provides business context and defines what needs to be built; you translate that into technical reality by coordinating specialists and contractors, validating quality, and maintaining delivery momentum. The Account Lead ensures strategic alignment and removes organizational barriers. Success requires continuous collaboration, clear communication, and mutual accountability across all three roles. You cannot operate effectively in isolation - the interdependence of these roles is what enables us to deliver comprehensive transformation for complex manufacturing enterprises.

Technical Coordination & Accountability:

• Own end-to-end technical delivery outcomes, serving as the single point of accountability for technical execution
• Coordinate work across data architects, data engineering teams, and contractors to ensure seamless integration
• Set design criteria and parameters for what needs to be built, ensuring alignment with customer requirements and Sight Machine platform capabilities
• Define detailed data modeling specifications, including KPI formulas, field requirements, and data model structures
• Work with data architects to create clear specifications for cleansing rules, derivations, and edge cases

Quality Assurance & Oversight:

• Evaluate deliverables from contractors and internal teams against requirements, ensuring quality and completeness
• Validate that data architecture is delivering what the client needs and meeting business objectives
• Raise red flags early when projects are off track, communicating risks and mitigation strategies
• Ensure everyone building anything understands what needs to be built and why, maintaining clarity across all contributors

Documentation & Planning:

• Outline technical requirements and specifications with clarity and precision
• Document decisions and rationale to maintain institutional knowledge
• Divide work appropriately and create evaluation criteria for contractors to follow
• Maintain technical documentation that enables efficient knowledge transfer and onboarding

Contractor Management:

• Brief contractors on what needs to be built, providing clear technical specifications
• Review contractor work for completeness and accuracy against defined criteria
• Coordinate multiple contractors working on different aspects of the solution
• Escalate when contractors drop off or deliverables are at risk

This position requires up to 40% domestic and international travel to client business and factory sites to kick off engagements, walk factory floors, and lead on-site technical coordination sessions. The frequency of travel will vary depending on the client.

Qualifications

• Strong technical background with experience coordinating complex technical delivery across multiple workstreams
• Ability to quickly assess technical deliverables and identify quality issues or gaps
• Pragmatic, resourceful approach to problem-solving with comfort managing ambiguity
• Experience working with modern data technologies and understanding of data engineering principles
• Clear communication skills with both technical teams and non-technical stakeholders
• Demonstrated ownership mentality and ability to escalate early when things go off track
• Capability to execute quick technical changes to maintain momentum

Also helpful, but not required

• Experience in manufacturing environments and understanding of manufacturing processes
• Background in data science or analytics in manufacturing contexts
• Prior experience managing or coordinating contractor teams
• Familiarity with Azure-based data platforms and cloud infrastructure

Qualifications

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with other teams to achieve goals and represent the business
• Experience working with batch or streaming data processes
• Strong analytical ability and problem-solving skills
• Comfortable working with customers to understand how we can help improve their process

Also helpful, but not required

• Experience with technologies such as Python, Java, Git, and Pandas or R
• Experience working in a manufacturing environment or on 6 sigma projects
• Experience in data analysis with SQL or NoSQL databases

The pay range for this role is:

140,000 - 175,000 USD per year (Hybrid (San Francisco, California, US))