Senior/Principal Forward Deployed Engineer

About Salesforce

Salesforce stands as the leading AI-powered customer relationship management platform, combining human expertise with advanced technology to fuel customer success. Innovation is embedded in our culture, driving transformation in the era of AI-enabled workforce solutions.

Role Overview

The Senior Forward Deployed Engineer plays a pivotal technical role in designing, building, and deploying complex agentic AI applications within enterprise environments. This position demands deep technical expertise, architectural decision-making, and leadership in delivery and mentorship. Working closely with Deployment Strategists who guide AI adoption strategies, you will oversee projects from architecture to production, supported by AI-enhanced engineering tools and a skilled team.

Key Responsibilities

• Take technical ownership of engagements alongside Deployment Strategists, ensuring deliverables adhere to the highest engineering standards.
• Utilize AI-assisted engineering technologies such as Cursor, Claude, and Salesforce coding products to streamline development.
• Influence product roadmaps by relaying real-world customer challenges encountered in deployment.
• Stay current by experimenting with emerging AI tools, models, and frameworks, sharing insights internally and externally.
• Handle end-to-end design and deployment of agentic AI solutions on the Agentforce platform, including agent logic, orchestration, guardrails, and enterprise integration patterns.
• Manage the data lifecycle for AI applications, involving model architecture, data pipelines, and readiness across platforms like Salesforce Data 360, Snowflake, and Databricks.
• Resolve advanced technical obstacles such as integration errors, deployment issues, orchestration failures, and performance degradation.
• Create and maintain performance dashboards and KPIs to monitor deployment success and business impact.
• Rapidly develop proofs-of-concept and minimum viable products with sound judgment on timing and quality decisions.
• Document learnings through reusable frameworks, playbooks, and assets that guide organizational practices.
• Mentor engineers through code reviews and collaborative coding within shared codebases.
• Provide expert technical guidance on high-risk or mission-critical deployments requiring senior judgment.
• Communicate complex technical solutions credibly with peers, customer architects, and executives.
• Collaborate with Deployment Strategists to translate intricate business challenges into effective AI solutions.

Candidate Profile

• 6+ years in software engineering or technical delivery with demonstrated ownership of scalable production systems in AI, cloud, or SaaS contexts.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related discipline.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language among Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Java, or Apex, with working knowledge of others.
• Experience integrating large language models (LLMs) in production environments and familiarity with frameworks such as LangChain or LlamaIndex, including responsible AI and prompt engineering practices.
• Strong background in data modeling, processing, and analytics utilizing platforms like Salesforce Data 360, Snowflake, or Databricks.
• In-depth expertise in the Salesforce ecosystem including Agentforce, Apex, Lightning Web Components (LWC), Flows, and Salesforce APIs.
• An entrepreneurial mindset with a focus on efficient delivery and sound decision-making on when to prioritize speed versus precision.
• Track record of mentoring engineering talent and creating reusable tools, playbooks, or frameworks.
• Exceptional communication skills across technical teams, customers, and leadership.
• Active engagement with evolving AI and data technologies through piloting tools and experimenting with new models.
• Willingness to travel approximately 25% of the time for onsite customer collaborations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Salesforce certifications such as Administrator, Platform Developer I/II, Agentforce Specialist, or System Architect.
• Familiarity with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, observability tools, or data governance frameworks.
• Experience architecting enterprise-scale multi-cloud AI solutions for Global 500 companies.
• Proven influence on product roadmaps through insights gained from field engineering experience.
• Contributions to open source projects, technical publications, or presentations at professional conferences.

Workplace Culture and Benefits

At Salesforce, we empower employees to balance their professional and personal lives with comprehensive benefits and resources. Our AI-enabled tools amplify your impact, allowing you to contribute meaningfully to clients and the broader AI field. Join us to be part of shaping the future of AI and business transformation.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Salesforce is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace free from discrimination based on legally protected characteristics. Employment decisions are made based on merit, competence, and qualifications. We provide reasonable accommodations during recruitment and employment processes to support all applicants and employees.