- Build + deploy automations inside enterprises, paired with SPLs
- FDE at an AI startup, or technical at a company with FDEs
The FDE builds and deploys workflow automations inside enterprises. They work directly with customer teams to understand how a process runs today, identify where automation helps, and ship systems that hold up in production, while pairing with the SPLs (who own the customer relationship and program plan) on the technical design, evaluation, and deployment. The default state: Ambitus is in an enterprise contract and the FDE handles execution, meeting with stakeholders (for CAD modeling automation, for example, meeting and shadowing the engineers who do that work), building the automation, deploying it, and overseeing rollout. Because these are contract engagements like consulting or Palantir, there is downtime between contracts, and Akshana wants someone with enough agency to use it well, especially on go-to-market. Sales is founder-led today; he does not want FDEs to be salesmen, but the team is too small for a dedicated sales team, so the ideal person will upsell a current customer into a phase two or help lead GTM by leveraging in-network connections (PE firms, family friends at target companies). Ideally they can be trained to run a call solo and pitch the Ambitus vision and a contract. Personable matters a good amount, because they should be customer-facing without the founders checking every email or sitting in every meeting.
On background, either they have been an FDE, or they held a technical role at a company that has FDEs. FDE experience at another AI startup is the most transferable, and enterprise-AI companies with a forward-deployed motion are the right hunting ground.
What You’ll Own
- Mapping existing enterprise processes with SPLs and scoping automation workflows (success criteria, data access, constraints)
- Building evaluations that measure whether a workflow performs reliably on the customer’s real data and edge cases, before and after go-live
- Deploying automations in customer environments, monitoring performance, and fixing production failures
- Turning recurring customer needs and deployment lessons into reusable platform capabilities with platform engineers
- Using downtime for agency: upsells, phase-two scoping, and supporting founder-led GTM
Requirements
- Strong programming; shipping production software, ideally in a customer-facing or consulting engineering role
- Learns an unfamiliar business process fast and translates it into a concrete technical plan
- Can test systems whose outputs are hard to verify and judge when something is ready for production
- Clear communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders; comfortable with customers when requirements are still forming
- Bonus: AI agents, enterprise systems integration, or workflow automation in engineering/life sciences
Signal (Akshana’s stated)
- FDE experience at another AI startup is the most transferable (e.g., Netic, Decagon, Poetic and similar enterprise-AI companies with a forward-deployed motion), OR a technical role at a company that has FDEs
- Personable and customer-facing; enough agency to drive upsells and support GTM
- Brand-name signal and demonstrated agency help
Who Will Thrive Here
- An FDE from an enterprise-AI startup who likes being in front of customers and shipping automations that survive production
- A technical, personable builder who can run a customer meeting without a founder in the room
- Someone with the agency to turn downtime into upsells and GTM, without being a dedicated salesperson
- High agency and incentive-motivated