Principal Forward Deployed Engineer

Workday · Pleasanton, CA · $206,400 USD - $309,600 USD · hybrid We’re Workday, a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents. We're shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. As a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer, you'll bridge hands-on software development with high-impact customer technical strategy , taking on the most complex, ambiguous engagements where no existing playbook applies. You will partner with enterprise customers, often at the executive level, to architect, deploy, debug, and optimize Workday's AI agents and developer platform solutions inside live customer environments. Responsibilities Technical Deployment & Engineering: Architect, deploy, configure, and debug AI agents and integrations inside the most complex live enterprise tenant environments, frequently in situations with no established precedent. Customer Discovery & Solution Architecture: Lead technical discovery sessions with senior leaders at customer organizations, translating ambiguous business requirements into robust product configurations, POCs, and integration specs. Product Feedback & Influence: Synthesize field telemetry, edge-case failures, and recurring customer friction into insights that directly shape the product roadmap and engineering backlog. Productization of Field Insights: Identify patterns across many engagements and lead the work of turning custom fixes into standardized, automated, out-of-the-box product capabilities. Cross-Functional & Executive Alignment: Act as a trusted technical advisor to Workday Services leads, AI Deployment Architects, Account Teams, and customer executives, keeping every engagement focused on core product strength. Engagement Leadership & Mentorship: Own the most strategically important or technically complex engagements end-to-end , from kickoff through graduation , within standard 6-month deployment cycles, while coaching other FDEs on technical approach and customer engagement. Requirements Experience: 10+ years of experience in Forward Deployed Engineering, Solutions Engineering, Technical Consulting, or Software Development, including experience leading complex, high-stakes enterprise technical engagements. Technical Execution: Hands-on coding and debugging skills (for example, Python, Java, or similar), with deep knowledge of REST APIs, object-oriented design, system architecture, and integration patterns. Workday Knowledge: Working knowledge of Workday, including business processes, security and permissions, tenant configuration, integrations, and how customers implement and govern Workday. Travel: Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% to customer sites as needed. Benefits Annualized base salary ranges: $206,400 USD - $309,600 USD Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus Annual refresh stock grants Comprehensive benefits Flexible work arrangements: spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field