Forward Deployed Engineer

About the role

You operate at the critical intersection of technical solutioning and executive stakeholder management, owning the full lifecycle of complex enterprise deployments. You are the primary technical architect responsible for translating ambiguous client business challenges into concrete, scalable system designs using the MadHive platform. This role demands that you function as a hands-on coder and a strategic advisor, building trusted relationships with client leadership while navigating intricate digital transformation initiatives. You will manage the technical discovery phase, lead whiteboard sessions, and act as the ultimate problem solver for unique client constraints. You are expected to partner cross-functionally to turn client learnings into product feedback and platform features. You will serve as the main technical liaison for your accounts, aligning business goals with delivery timelines. This position requires executive presence to unblock technical hurdles and accelerate time-to-value for strategic enterprise clients.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Lead technical discovery and whiteboard sessions with enterprise clients to map business objectives to comprehensive, end-to-end technical architectures.
• Analyze client legacy systems, data landscapes, and operational bottlenecks to design solutions that seamlessly embed MadHive's platform (DSP, Workflow) into their existing ecosystem.
• Act as the ultimate technical problem solver by designing pragmatic workarounds and custom implementation strategies for unique client constraints.
• Serve as the primary technical face of MadHive for assigned clients, building deep, lasting relationships with stakeholders from AdOps managers to CTOs and VPs of Engineering.
• Navigate complex client dynamics to manage technical expectations and align client business goals with MadHive's delivery timelines.
• Partner closely with internal MadHive teams, including Sales, Client Success, Product, and Core Engineering, to ensure a unified front and seamless client experience from pre-sales through long-term stabilization.
• Synthesize on-the-ground technical learnings to create product feedback, helping translate recurring needs from custom code or workflows into scalable core platform features.
• Take responsibility for the entire technical lifecycle, including problem solving, bug remediation, release planning, and new feature rollout in a cohesive comprehensive plan.
• Act as a user, advocate, expert, and enabler of AI technologies within the Madhive ecosystem and the broader adtech domain.
• Build functional prototypes, automation scripts, and lightweight tooling to accelerate onboarding and prove technical feasibility during critical deployment phases.

Requirements

• Hybrid Experience
• 4+ years of experience in a client-facing technical role such as Solutions Architecture, Forward Deployed Engineering, Technical Consulting, or high-level Sales Engineering.
• Architectural Mindset
• Deep understanding of enterprise systems integration, AdTech integrations and value propositions, and complex data workflows.
• Programming Background
• Advanced SQL & Data Wrangler: Possess mastery of SQL (complex joins, advanced queries, reporting, and troubleshooting) paired with a "data wrangler" mindset. You do not just query data; you dive deep to understand the underlying schema, map complex data flows in your head, and master new datasets quickly and translate into meaningful reports and analytics.
• Big Data Fluency: Comfortably navigate, manipulate, and extract value from massive, complex datasets scaling up to the petabyte level across numerous disparate tables.
• 3-5 years of adtech/programmatic experience and ability to demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the digital advertising supply chain, including auctions, exchanges, demand-side platforms, and inventory evaluation.
• Enterprise Software Aptitude
• Experience integrating with third-party APIs and building robust, maintainable software integrations.
• Operational Excellence
• A bias for action and comfort operating in fast-paced, ambiguous environments while maintaining strict ownership of technical deliverables.
• Communication Skills
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to distill complex technical concepts into clear narratives for both technical and non-technical executive audiences.

Nice to have

• Experience with modern data stack components such as data warehouses, orchestration tools, and transformation layers.
• Prior work in a media or advertising technology environment.
• Familiarity with JavaScript, Python, or other general-purpose programming languages for building integrations and tooling.
• Experience with containerization or cloud infrastructure concepts.

Practical notes

This is a hybrid role, working 3 days a week at Madhive HQ in the Financial District of New York City with travel to other Madhive locations or clients approximately 25-50%.