Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering

HackerRank • Full-time • Hybrid in Santa Clara, California, United States • $225,000 - $250,000 / year • 1w ago

Fast Facts

HackerRank is seeking a Manager for its Forward Deployed Engineering function to lead a global team, set strategies, and engage directly with customer solutions.

Responsibilities: Lead and develop FDE teams, partner with various departments to deliver client solutions, provide technical leadership, and create scalable standards and best practices.

Skills: Requires 8+ years in engineering or solutions delivery, leadership experience, strong communication skills, and a background in technical teams and customer engagement.

Qualifications: Preferred experience includes roles such as Forward Deployed Engineer or Solutions Engineer, and familiarity with developer tools or API-first SaaS platforms.

Location: Hybrid position based in Santa Clara, CA.

Compensation: $225000 - $250000 / Annually

About the Role

HackerRank is scaling its Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) function globally. We are hiring a Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering (Global) to set the strategy, standards, and execution bar for this team. This is a hands-on leadership role. You will lead the global FDE function, directly manage FDEs in the U.S., and partner closely with regional GMs in EMEA and APAC.

What you’ll do

Lead, coach, and grow a team of FDEs that lead customer engagements (pre- and post-sales) to define and deliver solutions.
Partner with Sales, Product, Engineering, and Customer Success to shape solutions that solve real customer problems.
Work with Product and Engineering to incorporate customer-specific solutions into the product roadmap.
Provide hands-on technical leadership across APIs, integrations, and platform capabilities.
Elevate how we run demos, proofs of concept, and onsite engagements.
Build repeatable playbooks, delivery standards, and best practices to move fast at scale.

Who you are

A seasoned technical leader with 8+ years in engineering, solutions engineering, or technical delivery, and 2+ years leading high-performing technical teams.
Obsessed with operating alongside the team, reviewing designs, challenging assumptions, and stepping in when problems get ambiguous or high-stakes.
Highly experienced in leading customer-facing technical teams where success depends on credibility, clarity, and execution, not scripts or handoffs.
Fluent across engineering and business contexts, you can debate architecture with engineers and align outcomes with sales, product, and customer leaders.
Excellent presenter and communicator who can modulate the message across both technical and non-technical audiences.

Even better if you have

Experience as a Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Engineer, or Technical Consultant.
Background in developer tools, HR tech, or API-first SaaS platforms.
Experience working in globally distributed or matrixed teams.

You will thrive in this role if

You enjoy building teams, systems, and standards from the ground up.
Ambiguity energizes you, especially in fast-moving environments.
You hold high standards for ownership and quality, with a bias toward action and urgency.

Compensation

Base salary range: $225,000 - 250,000
This range doesn’t include bonuses, stock options, or benefits for which you will be eligible.
Final offer may vary based on skills, experience, location, and other compensation components.