Director of Forward Deployed Engineering
Application analysis
Director of Forward Deployed Engineering at Vercel is a forward deployed frontend cloud role for engineers who want customer-facing technical work with real deployment ownership.
Reading this role
This Forward Deployed Engineer role centers on embedded customer delivery — discovery, prototyping, integration, and production rollout. Key signals from the listing: Senior scope.
About Vercel
Vercel helps teams ship modern web apps on its frontend cloud with strong developer experience expectations. The role is anchored in Hybrid - San Francisco, Austin, so expect on-site customer work in that region.
Signals in the listing
Stand out for Director of Forward Deployed Engineering
- Lead your application with one paragraph tying Director of Forward Deployed Engineering to a specific customer or deployment you owned — Vercel hires for shipped outcomes, not tool lists.
- Prepare a 5-minute “week one on site” plan: who you would meet, what you would inspect in their stack, and what artifact you would deliver by day five.
- Show you can go from discovery notes → working integration → production checklist without needing a large internal team.
- This role is tied to Hybrid - San Francisco, Austin — mention willingness to work on-site with customers and any existing ties to that market (clients, partners, or domain knowledge).
Stand out at Vercel
- Demonstrate Next.js depth with a concrete example — Vercel will probe for specifics, not buzzwords.
- Demonstrate performance optimization with a concrete example — Vercel will probe for specifics, not buzzwords.
- A deployed example on Vercel with measurable performance wins is better than resume adjectives.
- Read recent engineering blog posts, product launches, and customer stories on vercel.com — reference one explicitly in your outreach to show genuine interest.
Tailored from this listing’s title, company, and description. Always verify requirements on the company careers page before applying.
Role description
About Vercel:
Vercel is the agentic infrastructure company. We free people and agents to ship what’s next. For more than a decade, Vercel has shaped how the web is built. As the team behind Next.js, v0, and AI SDK, we create products that help builders move from idea to production with speed, security, and exceptional developer experience. Now, software is entering a new era, and the next generation of products will not just be used by people. They will be built, extended, and operated by agents. We are building the platform for that future, trusted by companies like OpenAI, PayPal, Ramp, Supreme, and millions of developers worldwide. Whether you’re building our products, supporting our customers, growing our community, or shaping our story, you’ll help define what comes next.
About the Role:
We are looking for a Director of Forward Deployed Engineering to build and lead Vercel's Forward Deployed Engineering and Professional Services function. Forward Deployed Engineers embed directly with our most strategic customers to design, build, and ship production applications on Vercel using Next.js, AI SDK, and v0, taking projects from first prototype through production rollout. You will define how this function operates: the engagement model, the delivery methodology, the commercial structure, and the team itself. You will report to the VP of Field Engineering. This is a hybrid position based in San Francisco, Austin or New York, with a required 3 days per week in office.