Senior Forward Deployed Engineer

Company description

Nansen helps marketing and digital leaders get more done with the people, platforms and budgets they already have. We draw on AI agents, integrations and workflows proven on real client work, adapt them to each business, build what hasn't been solved yet, and measure what changes. We're a team of 25 across the US and UK, and the people who plan the work are the people who build it.

In the AI practice, that means putting agents to work inside a client's day-to-day operations. For one client, we've built 80+ agents their team uses every day, and a review that took nine people nine hours each now runs overnight and takes minutes to read. Every solution we build goes into a shared library, so each project starts further ahead than the last. The practice is small and growing, and you'd be one of its first engineers.

Role description

At Nansen you will lead the design and build of AI agents and automated workflows for marketing and digital teams, from the first client workshop to a system running in production. You'll own the technical solution end to end, work directly with client leaders, and help shape how a growing AI practice works.

As a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer, you own the technical side of a client engagement, from understanding the problem to a working system the client's team can run. You work alongside delivery and strategy colleagues who manage the project plan and the wider client relationship, so your focus stays on the problem, the architecture and the build.

• You run discovery workshops with marketing and digital leaders, map how their work actually happens, and turn it into a plan that can be built
• You design the solution end to end, including how AI agents connect to the client's wider systems such as content platforms, digital asset management and CRM
• You build and deploy agents, workflows and custom tools in TypeScript and Python, and test them at production volume
• You agree with the client what success looks like, set the measures, and report results in terms their leadership cares about
• You design solutions that are efficient to run as well as effective, and keep an eye on ongoing cost
• You train the client's team so they can run and extend what you've built
• You spot the next opportunity with a client and bring it to the team
• You mentor other engineers and turn what works into reusable patterns for future projects

Location : this is a full-time, remote or hybrid role within the United States, with regular travel to client sites during delivery and time with the team at our Chicago office.

Compensation : the salary range for this role is $130,000 to $175,000 per year. The final offer will depend on experience, skills, and qualifications.

What you'll get from Nansen:

• Up to 20 days paid vacation, 5 sick days and 13 company holidays
• Eligible for an annual discretionary bonus based on company and individual performance
• Medical: choice of three Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois plans
• Dental and vision: 100% company-paid premiums for you and your family
• Life and disability: company-paid $100,000 life and AD&D insurance and short-term disability, plus long-term disability for eligible roles
• 401(k): up to 4% company match, eligibility starts after three months
• Flexible spending accounts: healthcare and dependent care FSAs
• Optional coverage: supplemental life, accident, critical illness, and pet insurance, plus will preparation and identity theft protection
• Start date: health care coverage begins the first of the month after your start date
• The chance to help shape a growing AI practice from the ground up

The process: a conversation with the Chief Strategy Officer and practice lead, then a working session with the delivery team on a real, anonymized client problem, then a chat with the partners.

How to apply: send your resume and a note about a real problem you have solved with AI to [email protected]. The note matters more than the resume.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in a client-facing technical role, such as solutions architect, forward deployed engineer or technical consultant, including at least 2 years working with AI or large language models
• Experience shipping AI products or agentic systems to production for customers
• Strong TypeScript and Python, and experience owning a full stack
• Hands-on experience with modern AI tooling, including agent frameworks, MCP (Model Context Protocol), retrieval, prompt design and structured testing of AI output
• Experience integrating with third-party APIs and enterprise systems
• A track record of owning projects end to end, from an unclear brief to a working solution
• Strong written and verbal communication with both technical teams and executives

You might also have:

• Experience with Optimizely (CMS, Content Marketing Platform or its AI platform)
• i>Experience integrating AI with marketing technology such as content platforms, digital asset management or CRM
• Delivery experience in enterprise or regulated industries, including security and compliance reviews
• Experience with serverless platforms such as Cloudflare Workers or Vercel
• Founder, founding engineer or early-stage startup experience

Nansen is an equal opportunity employer. Applications are anticipated to close 90 days after posting. The role may remain open until it is filled.