Forward Deployed Engineer
Tavily is hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer in New York, United States. Level rates it ; you can apply on Tavily.
Level's read on this job
- On Level's scale, this forward deployed engineer role is Works on AI ●●●○: the daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- The posting mentions RAG and AI agents among its tools and skills.
- Level classes it as a mid-level role.
- Tavily has 17 other open roles on Level.
AI in this role
About Tavily
We’re building the search engine for AI agents. Our API is designed from the ground up to power Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and real-time reasoning in AI systems. By connecting LLMs to high-quality, trustworthy web content, we help developers build agents that are not only intelligent — but also informed.
We work with some of the most innovative teams in AI — from small startups shaping the ecosystem to the largest enterprises deploying AI at scale. Whether it’s powering sales assistants, research copilots, or internal knowledge tools, we’re the missing link between LLMs and the real world.
Role Overview
This is a full-time, on-site role for a Forward Deployed Engineer based in our New York office.
We’re looking for a technically exceptional engineer who’s excited to work directly with our customers and partners to design, prototype, and deploy integrations of Tavily’s API into real-world agentic systems. As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you’ll be embedded with strategic partners and high-value customers—playing a critical role in both pre-sales and post-deployment success. You’ll help build RAG pipelines, production-grade applications, and industry-specific GenAI use cases built on Tavily.
You’ll operate across the customer lifecycle—from early discovery and solution design to scaling usage and identifying new opportunities. You’ll bridge product, engineering, sales, partnerships, and customer success.
Responsibilities
Work directly with customers to understand their use cases and build custom integrations using Tavily’s API.
Participate in pre-sales efforts, including sales calls, technical discovery, and proof-of-concept scoping.
Design and implement prototypes, proofs of concept, and production-ready systems alongside client teams.
Monitor API usage patterns and recommend improvements to increase reliability, efficiency, and coverage.
Collaborate with internal teams to influence roadmap priorities based on customer needs and recurring technical challenges.
Build reusable technical content including documentation, reference architectures, internal tools, and templates to scale future deployments.
Represent Tavily in customer conversations, architecture reviews, post-deployment tracking, and partner-facing technical engagements.
Ideal Profile
3+ years of software engineering experience, ideally in a customer-facing, consulting, or partner-focused role at a large company (e.g., Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Architect, Sales Engineer).
Obsession with AI ecosystem - strong engineering skills and experience working with the modern agent stack.
Deep understanding of agent architectures, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), LLMs, context engineering, and .
Strong interpersonal skills and comfort working directly with technical stakeholders at enterprises and partners.
Fast learner, highly autonomous, and excited to work in a fast-paced startup environment.
Based in New York City, Austin, SF, or willing to relocate.
Interview Process
Intro Call – An informal chat to get to know you, your background, and your interest in AI.
Take-Home Exercise – A short assignment similar to the work you’d do on the job.
Live Demo - A live demo to present the use case you built, your approach, and the business and technical value.
Final Meeting – A conversation with our leadership team.
How we rate this
Forward Deployed Engineer at Tavily rates 75 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Also common in forward deployed engineer jobs at this level
Pay
- Typical forward deployed engineer job
- $182k
This posting doesn't list pay. Use the typical forward deployed engineer figure when pay comes up. See forward deployed engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- How would you design a retrieval step so the model answers from real data instead of guessing?
- How do you decide when an AI agent can act on its own versus asking for approval first?
- Describe a typical day in a role like this one: which parts run through AI directly?
- If you removed AI from this role, what would be left, and how do you decide what still needs a human?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: RAG and AI agents. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.
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