Forward Deployed Engineer

Forward Deployed Engineer

This role is US Remote — Forward Deployed Engineers spend approximately 50% of their time on-site at customer facilities across North America.

Tulip, the leader in AI-native frontline operations, is helping companies around the world equip their workforce with composable, connected apps, leading to higher quality work, improved efficiency, and end-to-end traceability across operations. Tulip's cloud-native, no-code platform, powered by embedded AI, is driving the digital transformation of industrial environments through composable, human-centric solutions that go beyond disrupting the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) category.

A spinoff out of MIT, Tulip is headquartered in Somerville, MA, with offices in Germany, Hungary, Singapore, and Israel. Tulip has been recognized as a World Economic Forum Global Innovator, a 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast award winner, one of Energage's Top Workplaces USA, and one of Built In Boston's "Best Places to Work" and "Best Midsize Places to Work."

About you

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you work directly with manufacturers to design, build, and deploy solutions on Tulip's Frontline Operations Platform. You operate at the intersection of solution engineering, manufacturing operations, and customer outcomes, translating real shop-floor problems into scalable, production-ready solutions.

You will embed with customers at their facility to rapidly implement applications, integrations, and workflows that improve quality, productivity, and traceability across manufacturing operations.

What skills or experience do I need?

• 8+ years of experience in manufacturing, industrial software, or manufacturing-focused technology roles, with 4+ years in customer-facing or consulting capacities

• Hands-on experience with Operations Technology — MES, ERP, quality, or production systems — including architecture and implementation

• Proven ability to integrate shop-floor systems and devices (PLCs, machine data, production context) in manufacturing environments

• Strong understanding of manufacturing workflows, quality, traceability, and operational constraints; able to walk a shop floor and identify improvement opportunities independently

• Track record of leading complex technical initiatives end-to-end in ambiguous, customer-facing environments

• Willingness to travel up to 50% to customer sites; BS in Engineering or equivalent experience

Key Responsibilities

Customer-Embedded Solution Delivery

• Partner with plant-level and corporate stakeholders (operators, engineers, IT, quality, operations leadership) to design, build, and deploy Tulip solutions on-site

• Integrate Tulip with shop-floor systems including PLCs, MES, ERP, and quality systems, working with machine data, events, and production context

• Deploy solutions into live production environments with minimal disruption, troubleshooting issues that span software, data, and operational workflows

Technical Leadership

• Serve as the technical authority during customer deployments, advising on architecture, scalability, security, and reliability in regulated or high-availability environments

• Lead complex implementations end-to-end, communicating clearly with both technical and operations stakeholders

• Document solutions and share learnings across the FDE team and broader Tulip organization

Product & Platform Feedback

• Represent the voice of the customer to Product and Engineering, influencing roadmap and feature design

• Help generalize customer-specific solutions into reusable product capabilities

• Contribute to internal process development, best practices, and cross-team collaboration

Key Collaborators

• Tulip Account Executives

• Customer Success Managers

• Product Managers

• Engineering

Working At Tulip

We know even great candidates experience imposter syndrome. Even if you don't match every requirement, applying gives you the opportunity to be considered.

We're building a strong, diverse team that values hard work, families, and personal well-being. Benefits of working with us include:

• Direct impact on product and culture

• Company equity

• Competitive benefits package including Health, Dental, Vision, Short-term Disability, Long-term Disability, Life Insurance, AD&D, FSA, Commuter Benefits, Parental Leave, and 401(K)

• Flexible work schedule and unlimited vacation policy

• Virtual company events and happy hours

• Fitness subsidies

• Dog-friendly office

We are an equal opportunity employer. At Tulip, we celebrate all. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Help us build an inclusive community that will transform frontline operations.

The compensation information displayed on each job posting reflects the range for new hire pay rates for the position across all US locations. Within the range posted, actual compensation will be determined depending on multiple factors including job-related knowledge & skills, experience, business needs, geographical location, market compensation data, and internal equity. Expected compensation ranges for this role may change over time. The salary range for this position is $125,000 - $175,000 per year.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Please note that we may use AI-based tools to support parts of our hiring process. All data processing is carried out in compliance with local data protection laws, ensuring all personal candidate information is handled securely and ethically.