Description

The Product Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team is Salesforce's zero-to-one engine for new product innovation. We embed directly with our most strategic customers to validate emerging capabilities, harden the platform under real-world conditions, and transform every field insight into repeatable patterns that shape the product roadmap.

This role sits at the intersection of Data 360 and Core Salesforce Clouds (Sales, Service). You will design, validate, and operationalize enterprise-grade data architectures—centering on Salesforce Data 360 (D360). You will work directly with customer architects, data engineers, and platform owners to design, validate, and operationalize enterprise-grade data architectures that integrate D360 into complex enterprise ecosystems—including hyperscalers, data lakes, real-time pipelines, identity systems, and governance frameworks.

Most technical roles ask you to implement what already exists. This role asks you to define what comes next. You'll work with data and activation features before they're named, solve problems before there are playbooks, and build the artifacts that the rest of the field will use for years. Your work doesn't just help one customer—it hardens the Data 360 platform for every customer that comes after.

The ideal candidate brings high agency and self-motivation to ambiguous, high-stakes environments. You thrive when there's no established answer, move fast without losing rigor, and treat every customer engagement as a learning opportunity that makes the platform better for everyone. You're endlessly curious, quick to adapt, and energized by problems that haven't been solved yet.

Your Impact

Research & Field Validation

Deploy and stress-test pilot features with customers on Data 360, identifying platform gaps and feeding structured findings back to Technology & Product
Conduct feasibility research on novel use cases—determining what's possible, what's not, and what needs to change in the product to get there
Own and drive the full technical lifecycle, from deep technical discovery and system design to architecture validation and technical close, across in-person and virtual engagements
Co-develop hypotheses with Technology & Product and design experiments to validate them in the field
Execute hands-on technical validation (POCs, architectural walkthroughs, reference implementations) to de-risk complex deals and accelerate Data 360 adoption
Document and escalate critical engineering issues with detailed evidence packages to accelerate resolution

Customer Engagement

Lead technical engagement of new Data 360 products and features
Embed directly with customer teams to deeply understand their operational environment and architect solutions that solve real problems at scale
Design and validate end-to-end data architectures integrating Salesforce D360 with enterprise systems (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift, streaming platforms, MDM, and source systems)
Own technical architecture decisions, including data modeling, identity resolution, real-time vs. batch patterns, data graph design, and activation strategies within D360
Run rapid prototyping and POC cycles to validate technical feasibility
Serve as the primary technical advisor and escalation point for your customer portfolio
Serve as a trusted technical advisor to customer Chief Data Officers, Enterprise Architects, and Platform Owners
Partner with Account Executives to shape technical close strategy, grounded in architectural feasibility, scalability, and customer data realities

Product Acceleration & Feedback

Build reusable accelerators, playbooks, reference architectures, and industry-specific patterns that address critical product gaps and directly shape the Data 360 platform roadmap
Partner directly with Product Managers and Engineers to influence roadmap priorities based on evidence captured directly from customers
Represent the voice of the customer in internal product discussions and planning cycles
Collaborate deeply with Salesforce Product & Engineering teams to influence roadmap through high-signal Voice of the Customer feedback and validate architectural patterns against upcoming D360 capabilities
Analyze competitive landscape to identify and validate Salesforce's key differentiators—informing both field engagements and product feedback loops
Produce thought leadership, best practices, enablement content, and high-fidelity technical assets (architecture diagrams, demos, governance models, activation patterns) that raise the bar for new product releases across the Salesforce community
Act as a technical authority during escalations, architecture reviews, and executive-level design discussions

Trust & Governance

Ensure D360 architectures align to security, privacy, compliance, and trust requirements—especially in regulated industries
Establish enterprise data governance: data quality, lineage, enrichment, privacy, retention, and compliance
Represent Salesforce's technical point of view for modern data architectures, with D360 as the system of activation, at customer briefings and technical forums

Required Qualifications

10+ years of hands-on experience designing and delivering data, analytics, and platform architectures in enterprise environments, with a strong foundation in Salesforce and enterprise data

Data 360 & Data Architecture

Proven experience integrating complex, distributed data ecosystems with Data 360 to drive business outcomes
Design and validate end-to-end data architectures integrating Salesforce D360 with enterprise systems (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift, streaming platforms, MDM, and source systems)
Strong background in data modeling, identity resolution, entity relationships, and Data 360 data graph design
Experience with batch, real-time, and hybrid ingestion patterns into D360 (including CDC and streaming)

Salesforce Platform

Deep hands-on knowledge of Salesforce architecture; Admin or Advanced Admin–level proficiency
Experience designing scalable, secure solutions using D360 as the activation layer across Salesforce Clouds (Sales, Service, Experience, Marketing Cloud)
Architect multi-cloud Salesforce implementations spanning industry solutions and core clouds

Integration & Engineering

Design and govern enterprise integration architectures using REST/SOAP, GraphQL, middleware, and event-driven patterns
Advise on DevOps and release frameworks using Salesforce DX, CI/CD pipelines, Git/version control, environment strategy, and release governance

Leadership & Communication

Translate business requirements into scalable technical architecture, solution blueprints, and phased implementation roadmaps
Lead architecture risk assessments, performance impact analysis, and serve as escalation authority for complex issues
Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear architectural guidance for both technical and executive audiences
Experience guiding architectural conversations with senior technical stakeholders and influencing platform and data strategy decisions
Exceptional written communication skills: able to document builds, failures, and field observations in structured form that Product & Engineering can act on without a follow-up call
Certifications: Salesforce Certified Data 360 Consultant, Platform Developer I, and Salesforce Platform Application Builder Salesforce System Architect or Application Architect

Preferred Qualifications

Prior experience in forward deployed engineering, solutions engineering, or embedded technical advisory roles
Expertise in enterprise data architecture, security, and integrations, including REST/GraphQL APIs, SaaS platform architecture, and common data integration patterns
Experience with analytics and BI tools: Tableau, Looker, Power BI
Proficiency in one or more programming languages:, JavaScript, Apex, or Java
High agency, self-motivation, and agility quotient—you thrive in ambiguous, high-stakes environments, operate without a playbook, and default to experimentation and fast iteration over certainty
BS in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or equivalent technical field (advanced degree preferred)
Experience operating in large, matrixed organizations with complex stakeholder environments