Manager of Forward Deployed Engineering

• Snorkel AI is hiring a Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering to build and lead our Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) function within the Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) organization
• This team is responsible for the technical execution layer of DaaS delivery — owning the systems, workflows, and quality frameworks that power high-quality dataset production at scale
• You will lead a team of engineers who operate across the full AI data lifecycle: designing evaluation systems, building ML-assisted workflows, and developing the technical foundations that make human-in-the-loop (HITL) data generation faster, more reliable, and scalable
• This is a where you’ll both help define the strategy and architecture of our data pipelines while staying close to implementation. As a founding leader, you will establish how FDE partners with Delivery, Engineering, and Research to ensure consistent, high-quality execution across all DaaS projects
• You’ll operate at the intersection of data engineering, ML engineering, and production operations, driving the evolution of our technical delivery capabilities and enabling Snorkel to scale its impact across increasingly complex AI workloads
• Build and lead the Forward Deployed Engineering function, defining the team’s operating model, technical roadmap, and standards for execution
• Hire, mentor, and develop a high-performing team, fostering strong ownership, velocity, and engineering excellence
• Own the design and evolution of end-to-end AI data pipelines, including dataset generation, evaluation systems, and quality frameworks
• Establish and standardize measurement, benchmarking, and validation systems to ensure consistent, high-quality dataset delivery
• Develop scalable internal tooling and workflows for orchestration, monitoring, and delivery, reducing bottlenecks and improving throughput
• Partner cross-functionally with Delivery, Engineering, and Research to productionize new approaches and continuously improve DaaS capabilities

Benefits

• Health: Snorkelers and their dependents are covered by comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Wellness: All Snorkelers get a yearly wellness stipend to use on anything related to health and well-being.
• PTO and rest days: We provide unlimited personal time off so you can find your work-life balance. Plus, two company-wide rest days per quarter in addition to company holidays.
• One global team: From our headquarters in Redwood City, CA, to regional offices in San Francisco and New York, we work together as one global team.
• Events: Get to know your fellow Snorkelers outside of work! We host regular events and learning opportunities for our teams across our offices and virtually to connect, have fun, and grow.
• Family leave: Snorkel offers generous parental leave for both birthing and non-birthing parents based on eligibility.- Strong systems thinking — ability to design scalable, reusable solutions rather than one-off implementations
• Proficiency in Python, SQL, and modern data tooling; experience integrating systems via APIs. Has written code in the last 2 years
• Experience designing evaluation frameworks, quality measurement systems, or benchmarking approaches for ML systems
• 6+ years of experience in AI/ML/GenAI engineering, forward deployed engineering, solution engineering or applied AI roles, with strong hands-on technical depth
• Proven ability to operate in ambiguous, fast-paced environments and drive execution across cross-functional teams. Start-up or growth-stage experience is strongly preferred
• Customer-facing, consulting, or services experience is strongly preferred
• Strong experience building and operating data pipelines and ML/LLM-based workflows in production environments
• 2+ years of experience leading or managing engineers in a hands-on, player-coach capacity
• Familiarity with synthetic data generation or model-assisted labeling techniques
• Experience with human-in-the-loop (HITL) systems, data annotation workflows, or data-centric AI approaches
• Experience building internal platforms or tooling for delivery or operations teams