Forward Deployed Engineer - Systems

About this role

About Us:AI needs a new infrastructure layer. We're building it at Modal.Every era of computing brought new workloads that previous infrastructure couldn't support: mainframes, databases, and the cloud. Each time, the company that rebuilt the layer underneath defined the decade. AI is no different, except it touches everything instead of one slice, and the window to build the layer underneath it is open right now.Our customers include category-defining companies like Lovable, Ramp, Cognition, DoorDash, and Suno. They rely on Modal for instant GPU access, sub-second container starts, and native storage, so it's simple to serve low-latency inference, fine-tune models, and access production-ready sandboxes at scale.We recently raised a $355M Series C at a $4.65B valuation, led by General Catalyst and Redpoint Ventures. We've crossed $300M+ ARR and grown fivefold since September.Our team includes creators of popular open-source projects (e.g.,Seaborn,Luigi), academic researchers, international olympiad medalists, and experienced engineering and product leaders with decades of experience.The Role:Modal is seeking an experienced Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to partner with our sales team and drive technical sales success. As an FDE, you will be the technical voice in our sales process, working directly with Account Executives to help enterprise customers understand how Modal can transform their AI/ML infrastructure. You will:Partner with Account Executives to identify, qualify, and close strategic enterprise opportunitiesLead technical discovery sessions with prospective customers to understand their current infrastructure, pain points, and requirementsDesign and present compelling technical solutions that demonstrate how Modal addresses customer needsArchitect migration paths from existing cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure) to Modal's serverless platformConduct technical demos, experiments, and proof-of-concepts that showcase Modal's capabilitiesNavigate complex technical evaluations and address security, compliance, and integration concernsBuild trusted advisor relationships with technical decision-makers including CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and ML Engineering leadsCollaborate with product and engineering teams to communicate customer feedback and influence product roadmapSupport contract negotiations by providing technical expertise on implementation timelines, resource requirements, and success metricsRequirements:5+ years of experience in solutions engineering, sales engineering, or customer-facing technical rolesDeep hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) including compute, storage, networking, and managed servicesStrong knowledge of containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes, container orchestration)Experience with databases (SQL/NoSQL), data pipelines, and distributed systems architectureUnderstanding of ML/AI infrastructure challenges including model training, inference, and MLOps workflowsFamiliarity with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Pulumi, CloudFormation) and CI/CD pipelinesProven track record of supporting enterprise software sales cycles ($100K+ ACV)Exceptional presentation and communication skills with ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and business audiencesStrong business acumen with understanding of enterprise buying processes and procurementExperience building migration strategies and implementation roadmaps for large-scale infrastructure changesAbility to work effectively with cross-functional teams including sales, product, and engineeringExperience selling or implementing serverless computing, container platforms, or ML infrastructure solutions preferredWillingness to travel up to 30% for customer meetings and industry eventsAbility to work in-person in our Stockholm office