Lead Forward Deployed Engineer

ABOUT SOLVEAI Most enterprise problems never get solved in software, because the person who understands the problem and the person who can build the fix are never the same person. SolveAI closes that gap. Our platform lets the people closest to the problem build real, production-grade software by describing what they need in plain English. It plugs into the enterprise stack as it actually exists, and what it ships clears the bar enterprises actually hold software to: secure, compliant, reliable, maintainable, and able to scale. The result is software tailored to each customer's environment, owned by them. Unlike the wave of "vibe coding" tools squinting at the enterprise from the consumer world - hoping the hard parts can be bolted on later - we started at the hard end. For us, that bar is the foundation we build on, not a roadmap item. We can do this because of who's in the room: a team that's spent decades operating inside the world's most complex organisations, not just observing them. Backed by GV and Accel, built by an ex-Palantir team, and already live with enterprise customers. WHAT WE OFFER - High-impact environment: Join a company shaping the future of enterprise software, working with a team that's redefining how AI meets real-world business needs - Ownership and visibility: In a small, high-performing team, the impact of your work isn't theoretical - it actively shapes the company's direction - Empowerment through innovation: Use cutting-edge AI tools internally. You'll be working with the same technology we deliver to enterprises ABOUT THE ROLE We are hiring a Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to own how SolveAI is deployed inside our enterprise customers, and to build and lead the FDE team that does it. You will spend a large part of your time embedded with customers, leading deployments end to end: understanding their operations and data, scoping the work, building alongside the team, and making sure what we ship gets used and creates measurable value. You will also set the standard for how FDEs work at SolveAI, from the deployment playbook to hiring and developing the engineers who join the team. You will work directly with the founders and the product and engineering team, and what you learn in the field will shape the core product. WHAT YOU WILL DO - Lead SolveAI's most important enterprise deployments from first engagement to production, owning technical delivery and the customer relationship. - Embed with customers to understand their operational problems, data environments and constraints, and decide what gets built and in what order. - Build and ship solutions yourself. This is a hands-on role and you will write production code. - Lead, mentor and develop a team of FDEs, setting technical and delivery standards and reviewing their work. - Define the FDE operating model: how we scope, deploy, hand over and expand within accounts. - Play a central part in hiring the FDE team, including interviewing and assessing candidates. - Turn patterns from the field into product priorities, working closely with product and engineering. - Act as the senior technical point of contact for customer stakeholders, from engineers and IT to business leads and executives. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR - At least 3-5 years in a forward deployed engineering role, embedded with enterprise customers. - Experience as an Engineering Team Lead or Tech Lead on a significant, high-stakes deployment or programme. - A credible, hands-on engineer who still builds. We are not looking for a solution architect or pre-sales lead. - A track record of end-to-end ownership in client environments, from problem definition through to production use, rather than POC or solution design work alone. - Comfort working in any tech stack and with whatever infrastructure the customer has. - Sound judgement on trade-offs under pressure, including what a prototype needs versus a production system. - Clear communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders at every level. - Motivation from delivering real outcomes to real users. - Willingness to spend 50-75% of your time at customer sites, which may include offices, co-working spaces and data centres, in the UK and internationally. WHY SOLVEAI At SolveAI, you'll work alongside a team that's spent decades solving the hardest enterprise challenges, from operational inefficiencies to data fragmentation. If you want to see real change in the world, care deeply about value add, and thrive when given ownership in unfamiliar environments, we'd love to hear from you.