Director of Forward Deployed Engineering

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.  What You Will Do: Build, lead, and develop the Forward Deployed Engineering team, including hiring standards, training, career development, and compensation. Define the engagement model: how engagements are scoped, staffed, sequenced, and measured, and which accounts qualify for embedded support. Own delivery excellence for strategic customer engagements, from discovery and technical scoping through production deployment and stabilization. Establish the commercial model for professional services, including packaging, pricing, capacity planning, and resource allocation across competing customer priorities. Stay hands-on where it matters: architecture reviews, system design, and unblocking critical engagements alongside your team. Define clear handoff protocols between Forward Deployed Engineering, Sales Engineering, Customer Success, and partners. Codify field learnings into repeatable playbooks, reference architectures, and delivery patterns that scale beyond individual engagements. Synthesize customer insights into product feedback for Engineering and Product, and report delivery outcomes and customer impact to Field Engineering and executive leadership. About You: 10+ years in software engineering, forward deployed engineering, or technical consulting roles, with at least 5 years leading customer-facing engineering or delivery teams in a high-growth environment. Experience building a team, function, or service line from zero, including hiring, methodology, and operating model. Strong background in modern web technologies (JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Next.js, Node.js, cloud infrastructure) with the ability to review code and whiteboard architectures credibly. Experience buil