Forward Deployed Engineer

Overview

We're building the modern cloud platform for developers creating AI-native, full-stack applications. Our mission is to eliminate infrastructure tradeoffs so teams can ship fast and scale reliably.

The Role: Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)

You will be Render's first FDE working hands-on with our most strategic customers and high-growth AI startups. This role provides concierge-level technical partnership, defining the playbook for field engineering while proving the model at scale.

What You'll Do

• Dedicated Technical Partnership: Work closely with top accounts on architecture reviews, migration planning, and hands-on delivery.
• Onboarding Intensives: Lead scoped programs for high-growth startups from intake to production launch.
• Data Leadership: Drive the database side of engagements including Postgres architecture, performance tuning, and complex migrations from Heroku/AWS/other clouds.
• Growth & Activation: Convert credits into revenue by driving adoption in strategic accounts.
• Ongoing Relationship Management: Proactive health reviews, incident follow-up (RCA), and escalation support for hard technical problems.
• Playbook Development: Build qualification criteria, engagement templates, and reference architectures to make the program repeatable.
• Product Feedback Loop: Act as a high-signal channel translating customer friction into prioritized product input.

What We're Looking For

• Experience: 8+ years in hands-on, customer-facing engineering (solutions, professional services, or forward deployed).
• Core Skills: Strong software fundamentals with production-quality code and keyboard time inside customer codebases.
• Cloud Expertise: Deep experience with containers, CI/CD, networking, autoscaling, and running real workloads in production.
• Database Mastery: Postgres expertise including schema design, tuning, replication, and migrations. This is non-negotiable for our largest engagements.
• AI Fluency: Daily use of AI tools to accelerate delivery; understanding LLM application architectures (RAG pipelines, agents).
• Communication: Excellent ability to speak with everyone from founders to executive platform teams.
• Mindset: Self-directed, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to stand up a new function without an existing playbook. Commercial instincts connecting technical wins to revenue are essential.

Nice-to-Haves

• Migration experience from Heroku or AWS onto modern platforms.
• Hands-on shipping of AI/LLM applications (inference, agents).
• Prior experience as the first hire in a role or founding member of a new program.

Benefits

We offer 4 weeks paid vacation, fully paid parental leave, comprehensive health coverage with FSA/HSA options, and monthly lifestyle stipends for wellness. Note: This position is generally not eligible for visa sponsorship.