Senior Forward Deployed Engineer

Retell AI is hiring a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer. It pays $160k-$300k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Retell AI.

Level's read on this job

Works on AI ●●●○ is how Level rates this forward deployed engineer role: the daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
The posting mentions visa sponsorship.
The posting mentions speech among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a senior role.
Retell AI has 27 other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

speech

ABOUT RETELL AI

Retell AI is using first-principles thinking to reimagine the call center with cutting-edge voice AI. Thousands of companies now use Retell's AI voice agents to handle sales, support, and logistics calls that once required large teams of human agents. Backed by Y Combinator, Alt Capital, and other leading investors, we've scaled to $80M in ARR with a team of 50, up from $5M at the start of 2025, and are now valued at over $1.5B.

Our vision for 2026 is to build a modern CX platform where entire contact centers are powered by AI. Instead of basic automation that needs constant human tuning, we're creating intelligent AI “workers” that act as frontline agents, QA analysts, and managers, continuously executing, monitoring, and improving every customer interaction.

We're growing fast and looking for ambitious builders who want to tackle hard technical problems, move quickly, and have a real impact on one of the fastest-growing voice AI companies in the world.

Let's build the future together.

Recent recognition:

ABOUT THE ROLE

Retell AI transforms customer experience with voice AI for enterprises, including customers like CVS/Aetna, American Airlines, Lenovo, and Grab. We have more customer stories than we can tell!

As a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer, you’ll deliver Retell’s voice AI solutions to enterprise clients, embedding with their teams to build production-ready systems. You’ll bridge technical and non-technical stakeholders with exceptional communication, driving adoption and shaping our platform through customer insights.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead end-to-end delivery of projects using Retell's voice agent platform - from prototyping to production, communicating progress and risks clearly.
Become go-to experts on building voice AI solutions, especially LLM prompting tips & tricks.
Build full-stack integrations (Python, JavaScript) with enterprise tools (e.g. CRMs, ERPs, scheduling tools)
Partner with sales to engage clients to gather requirements, prototype demos, and present system designs.
Scope projects, resolve blockers, and align teams with concise updates.
Codify reusable patterns into tools or platform components.
Translate field feedback into actionable product and GTM recommendations.

YOU MIGHT THRIVE IF

Have 2+ years in customer-facing technical roles (e.g., Solutions Engineer, Technical PM, Customer Success/Support engineer, Ex-founder).
Have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.
Excel at communication & explaining complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
Have delivered systems in fast-paced, ambiguous settings.
Write production-grade code (Python, JavaScript, or similar).
Understand LLM-powered systems and their impact on user experience.
Proactively manage risks and maintain momentum under pressure.

JOB DETAILS

Cash: 160k - 300k
Equity: Equity Provided
Location: Redwood City, CA, US - relocation provided
US Visas: Retell AI is open to sponsoring work authorization for qualified candidates, including H1B/H-1B, TN, L-1, E-3, F-1 (OPT/CPT), and O-1 visas.

OTHER BENEFITS

100% coverage for medical, dental, and vision insurance
$70/day DoorDash credit for unlimited breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks
$200/month wellness reimbursement (gym, fitness classes, etc.)
$300/month commuter reimbursement (gas, Caltrain, etc.)
$75/month phone bill reimbursement
$50/month internet reimbursement

COMPENSATION PHILOSOPHY

Best Offer Upfront: Choose from three cash-equity balance options; no negotiation needed.
Top 1% Talent: Above-market pay (top 5 percentile) to attract exceptional builders.
High Ownership: Small teams, >$1M revenue/employee, and significant equity.
Performance-Based: Offers tied to interview performance, not experience or past salaries.

INTERVIEW PROCESS

Recruiter Intro Call (15 min): Learn more about Retell and share your background and experience.
Technical Interview (60 min): Live practical coding
Product & Customer Screen (60 min): Focused on product understanding and how customers use Retell.
Onsite/Virtual Interviews (2 hrs): 90-minute technical interview followed by a 30-minute meeting with the team.

How we rate this

Senior Forward Deployed Engineer at Retell AI rates 74 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.

Classification

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.

Key facts

Senior Forward Deployed Engineer is an open job at Retell AI.
Level rates this role AI Level 3 of 4: Works on AI.
The listed salary is $160k-$300k a year.
The role is based in San Francisco Bay Area.
The job was posted on February 20, 2025.
Seniority: senior.
Applications are handled by Retell AI. Apply on Retell AI

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Speech

Also common in forward deployed engineer jobs at this level

TypeScript AI agents AWS Azure Google Cloud MLOps

Pay

This job starts at: $160k
Typical forward deployed engineer job: $182k

This posting starts 12% below the typical forward deployed engineer job. See forward deployed engineer jobs

Questions you could be asked

What have you built with speech recognition or text-to-speech, and where did it break?
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: Speech. 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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