Forward Deployment Engineer

Overview

The Forward Deployment Engineer is an independent, customer-centric problem solver and storyteller who owns the technical strategy for complex opportunities worldwide. As a key member of the customer success organization, you will combine deep technical expertise with consultative skills to understand customer challenges, design tailored solutions, and provide demos, deployment, and installations. The ideal candidate brings strong hands-on scripting skills, a passion for AI-driven innovation, and the ability to translate emerging technologies into production-minded solutions that create measurable customer value. 

This role is intentionally forward-deployed: you will move fluidly between customer environments and internal teams, helping shape solution direction in the field while influencing product thinking, technical best practices, and repeatable approaches based on what you learn firsthand.

Responsibilities

Customer Discovery, Design, and Validation 

• Engage directly with customers to understand business priorities, technical requirements, operational challenges, and transformation goals. 
• Architect practical solutions that improve visibility, resilience, automation, and operational efficiency, while defining scope, success criteria, and evaluation plans. 
• Design and execute complex Proof of Concept and Proof of Value engagements, validating technical fit, business value, integrations, and adoption readiness. 

AI and Automation Focus 

• Position SolarWinds solutions in the context of AI, automation, and modern IT operations. 
• Demonstrate practical use cases for AI-assisted workflows, intelligent operations, and data-driven decision support. 
• Use scripting and automation to create prototypes, integrations, technical validations, and lightweight production-oriented workflows that help customers understand real-world value. 

Technical Execution and Customer Advocacy 

• Build trust through hands-on engagement, moving from whiteboarding and prototyping to troubleshooting, configuration, and solution delivery in customer environments. 
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor throughout the deployment cycle, helping customers and internal teams navigate complexity, remove blockers, and maintain momentum. 
• Capture and share customer feedback, field insights, and repeatable best practices to influence product direction, enablement, and broader organizational success. 

Enablement, Presence, and Continuity 

• Maintain deep technical expertise across the SolarWinds portfolio, especially in observability, hybrid IT operations, automation, and AI-related capabilities, while mentoring peers, enabling partners and technical support teams. 
• Support a smooth transition to Customer Success and Customer Services, and stay engaged as needed to help ensure early deployment success and long-term customer outcomes. 

Required Skills and Experience 

• Strong hands-on scripting and automation experience using one or more of Python, PowerShell, Bash, or API-based integrations 
• Interact with customers at all levels, with demonstrated ability to communicate with both the very basic user and the technically advanced (Network Administrators, System Administrators).
• Strong understanding of observability, IT operations, infrastructure monitoring, hybrid IT, automation, incident response, or related operational technologies 
• Working knowledge of AI-focused technology trends and the ability to translate them into practical use cases for IT operations, observability, automation, or customer workflows 
• Demonstrated ability to work directly with customers in ambiguous environments, moving from problem discovery to prototype, validation, and solution refinement 
• Strong blend of technical depth, sales acumen, and customer engagement skills, with the ability to lead both executive-level conversations and detailed technical workshops 
• Strong oral and written communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical topics in clear business and technical terms 
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure, including IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and hybrid or distributed architectures 
• Strong analytical, reasoning, and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to navigate complex customer environments and technical challenges 
• Self-starter with a curious mindset, capable of learning complex technologies quickly and independently managing a portfolio of strategic engagements 
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility across customer teams, and internal product or engineering stakeholders 
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience 

Preferred Qualifications 

• 4+ years of experience in technical pre-sales or post-sales, technical support, solutions engineering, solutions architecture, technology consulting, software engineering, or a related role, or an equivalent combination of education and experience 
• 3+ years in a dedicated customer-facing technical pre-sales and post-sales, solutions engineering, solutions architecture, forward-deployed, or technical consulting role, ideally within a software vendor, cloud, cybersecurity, infrastructure, observability, or systems integrator environment 
• Experience supporting enterprise or strategic customers across the US and world market.
• Experience in observability, infrastructure monitoring, network monitoring, cloud operations, ITSM, automation, or incident response platforms 
• Familiarity with competitive solutions in observability, IT operations, automation, AI-enabled operations, or IT management 
• Experience working in roles that bridge customer engagement, technical implementation, and product feedback loops.
• Experience with modern automation, orchestration, infrastructure-as-code, or workflow tooling 
• Relevant certifications such as AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, networking, security, automation, or SolarWinds certifications 
• Knowledge of common network services like DNS, Web Servers (IIS, Apache), FTP Servers, Email Servers, and Database Systems Administration.
• Advanced troubleshooting experience (software, browsers, etc..).
• Solid understanding of networking protocols TCP/IP, SMTP, FTP, HTTP, SNMP, API, WinRM, Syslog, SSH, etc. 
• Professional certifications are a plus: Network+, CCENT, CCNA, MCSE, etc.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent education and/or work experience with installation, service, and administration of a medium to a large multi-server environment.
• Valid SolarWinds Certification (SCP) is a big advantage