Principal Forward Deployed Engineer I, Frontier Engineering
Principal Engineer · Principal · Full Time
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Role
What you'll do.
Principal Forward Deployed Engineer I at Snowflake's Frontier Engineering team, working directly with enterprise customers to design, build, and deploy production-grade AI systems at scale. This Principal-level role positions you as the senior technical counterpart to CTOs and VPs of Engineering, driving architectural strategy for complex agentic systems, RAG pipelines, and enterprise AI deployments while mentoring senior engineers and maintaining hands-on technical leadership across high-stakes customer engagements.
Responsibilities
- Serve as Trusted Technical Partner to Customer Leadership: Build and maintain peer-level relationships with CTOs, VPs of Engineering, chief architects, and heads of data/AI at Snowflake's most strategic enterprise accounts. Lead architectural steering committees, conduct technical reviews, and provide executive strategy alignment to shape customer AI roadmaps. Act as the senior technical counterpart who influences enterprise-scale decision-making.
- Drive End-to-End Technical Architecture & Strategy: Own complete technical execution and outcomes across Snowflake's most complex, high-visibility AI deployments. Design production-grade AI system architectures that balance technical excellence with enterprise requirements. Set technical direction and standards that the Frontier Engineering organization follows for subsequent customer engagements.
- Deliver Production Code & Technical Implementation: Write and ship production-quality code and working prototypes on the most critical components of customer AI programs. Actively code-review designs and implementations to establish and maintain the quality bar for enterprise-scale deployments. Stay hands-on with implementation details across full AI/ML system lifecycles including model optimization and deployment.
- Establish AI Quality Standards & Evaluation Frameworks: Lead the definition and implementation of how the team measures and improves AI system quality across all dimensions. Convert ambiguous customer goals and business requirements into clear, testable, and quantifiable evaluation standards. Build evaluation frameworks and guardrails that ensure production AI systems meet enterprise reliability and performance expectations.
- Mentor & Develop Senior Engineering Talent: Provide technical leadership and mentorship to Senior and Staff engineers within the Frontier Engineering organization. Raise engineering standards across the team through code reviews, architectural guidance, and knowledge sharing. Partner with cross-functional leads to drive complex technical initiatives and develop the next generation of technical leaders.
- Conduct On-Site Customer Engagements: Spend minimum 25% of time working directly at customer sites, embedding with enterprise engineering teams. Understand customer technical environments, business constraints, and organizational structures. Build deep relationships and gather technical insights that inform both customer-specific solutions and platform improvements.
Qualifications
What we look for.
Technical
Production AI/ML Systems Architecture
Deep expertise designing and shipping production-scale AI systems including RAG pipelines, multi-step agentic systems, orchestration frameworks, and end-to-end model deployment architectures. Experience with prompt engineering, retrieval strategies, and building systems that reliably operate in complex enterprise environments.
AI Quality & Evaluation Frameworks
Demonstrated ability to define AI quality metrics, build evaluation frameworks, and implement guardrails for production systems. Experience measuring model performance, detecting degradation, and iterating on AI systems to meet enterprise SLAs and business objectives.
Large-Scale Enterprise Software Architecture
Systems design expertise for complex, mission-critical applications. Experience with distributed systems, scalability challenges, data infrastructure, and building platforms that operate reliably at enterprise scale with high availability requirements.
Multi-Language Software Engineering
Strong hands-on coding ability in modern programming languages commonly used in enterprise AI/ML environments. Ability to write, optimize, and review production code while mentoring others on best practices and architectural patterns.
Data Infrastructure & Platform Knowledge
Working knowledge of modern enterprise data infrastructure, data warehousing patterns, and ETL/ELT architectures. Familiarity with how data platforms integrate with AI/ML systems and the implications for model development and deployment.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Related Field
Foundational formal education in computer science, software engineering, mathematics, or related technical discipline. (Alternative: equivalent professional experience demonstrating advanced technical expertise.)
Experience
15+ Years Enterprise Software Engineering
Extensive track record delivering complex software systems in enterprise environments. Progressive growth through mid-level, senior, and staff-level engineering roles with demonstrated technical leadership and architectural influence.
3+ Years Production AI/ML Systems at Enterprise Scale
Proven experience building, shipping, and operating production AI and ML systems or agentic applications in complex enterprise settings. Experience iterating on models, managing technical debt, and scaling systems to meet production reliability requirements.
Technical Advisor to Executive Engineering Leadership
Documented history of serving as trusted technical advisor to CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and chief architects at large enterprises. Experience influencing technical strategy at the C-suite level and navigating complex organizational dynamics.
Field Engineering or Customer-Facing Technical Delivery
Track record converting field delivery patterns, customer requirements, and domain knowledge into reusable platforms, tools, frameworks, and libraries. Experience translating one-off customer solutions into scalable products or best practices.
Technical Leadership & Mentorship
Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop senior engineers, raise engineering standards, and lead technical initiatives across organizations. Experience influencing team culture and establishing best practices through example and advocacy.
Skills
Required
AI/ML Systems Architecture
Designing production-grade AI architectures including RAG systems, prompt engineering strategies, vector databases, and agentic systems with complex reasoning and decision-making capabilities.
Production Engineering & DevOps Mindset
Deep understanding of reliability, scalability, monitoring, and deployment strategies for production systems. Experience with SLAs, incident management, and building systems that fail gracefully under stress.
Technical Communication Across Audiences
Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both deeply technical engineers and non-technical executives. Skill in writing design documents, architectural proposals, and executive summaries that drive decision-making.
Systems Thinking & Problem Decomposition
Strong ability to break down complex problems into manageable components, identify critical path items, and understand second and third-order consequences of architectural decisions.
Enterprise Software Development
Experience building enterprise-grade software with emphasis on security, compliance, maintainability, and operational excellence. Understanding of enterprise customer requirements, procurement processes, and vendor evaluation criteria.
Preferred
Experience with Snowflake Platform
Nice to haveHands-on experience with Snowflake's data warehouse, familiarity with Cortex AI capabilities, or knowledge of Snowpark for data applications. Understanding of how Snowflake integrates with modern AI/ML infrastructure.
Commercial Data/AI Platform Development
Nice to haveTrack record shipping features into commercial data or AI platforms based on customer requirements. Experience balancing product vision with customer needs and navigating the constraints of platform-based delivery models.
Open Source Contributions & Community Engagement
Nice to haveActive contributions to open-source AI frameworks, technical publications, conference speaking engagements, or thought leadership. Demonstrated commitment to advancing the broader AI/ML engineering community.
Advanced ML Operations
Nice to haveExperience with MLOps practices, model versioning, experiment tracking, feature stores, and operationalizing ML systems at scale. Knowledge of tools and practices for maintaining model quality in production.
Enterprise Data Architecture
Nice to haveDeep understanding of modern enterprise data infrastructure, data governance, data mesh patterns, and the integration between data platforms and AI/ML systems.
Tech stack
Languages
Frameworks
Databases
Tools
Other
Compensation
Pay and benefits.
Base·USD 264,000 – 379,500
Equity·Stock options
Benefits
Comprehensive Health Coverage
Medical, dental, and vision insurance with company-subsidized premiums. Coverage extends to family members and dependents with flexible plan options.
401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match
Tax-advantaged retirement savings with competitive company matching contribution. Financial planning resources and guidance available to all employees.
Equity & Stock Options
Participation in Snowflake's equity program as a core component of total compensation. Stock options with favorable vesting schedules aligned with long-term value creation.
Flexible Time Off
Unlimited paid time off policy (PTO) with manager support to ensure meaningful time away. Separate paid leave for holidays and major life events.
Professional Development & Learning
Annual learning budget for conferences, courses, certifications, and technical development. Tuition reimbursement for continuing education and advanced degrees. Access to online learning platforms.
Remote Work & Flexibility
Flexible work arrangements with ability to work from home or Snowflake offices. Collaboration tools and infrastructure support for distributed teams. Travel support for on-site customer engagements.
Parental & Caregiver Leave
Paid parental leave for all parents regardless of gender. Fertility benefits, adoption assistance, and caregiver support programs. Backup childcare and eldercare resources.
Mental Health & Wellness
Comprehensive mental health support including counseling services, therapy sessions, and behavioral health programs. Fitness benefits, wellness programs, and on-site health resources.
Commuter & Relocation Benefits
Pre-tax commuter benefits for public transportation. Relocation assistance package for candidates relocating for the role. Home office equipment stipend.
Life Insurance & Disability Coverage
Life insurance coverage provided at no cost to employees. Short-term and long-term disability insurance for income protection. Accidental death and dismemberment coverage.
Full posting
Original listing.
At Snowflake, we are powering the era of the agentic enterprise. To usher in this new era, we seek AI-native thinkers across every function who are energized by the opportunity to reinvent how they work. You don’t just use tools; you possess an innate curiosity, treating AI as a high-trust collaborator that is core to how you solve problems and accelerate your impact. We look for low-ego individuals who thrive in dynamic and fast-moving environments and move with an experimental mindset — who rapidly test emerging capabilities to discover simpler, more powerful ways to deliver results. At Snowflake, your role isn't just to execute a function, but to help redefine the future of how work gets done.
Snowflake is about empowering enterprises to achieve their full potential, and people too. With a culture that's all in on impact, innovation, and collaboration, Snowflake is the sweet spot for building big, moving fast, and taking technology and careers to the next level.
We are hiring a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer for our Frontier Engineering team. This team embeds directly with Snowflake's most strategic customers to design, build, and deploy production-grade AI systems —. At the Principal level, you are the senior technical counterpart to CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and chief architects at our largest enterprise customers; you set the technical direction that the Frontier Engineering organization follows.
AS A PRINCIPAL FORWARD DEPLOYED ENGINEER YOU WILL:
Be the trusted technical partner to customer engineering leadership: Build durable, peer-level relationships with CTOs, VPs of Engineering, chief architects, and heads of data/AI at Snowflake’s most strategic accounts: lead architectural steering, technical reviews, and executive strategy alignment to help shape their AI roadmaps.
Drive Architecture & Technical Strategy Across High-Stakes Deployments: Own end-to-end technical execution and outcomes across Snowflake’s most complex, high-visibility AI engagements.
Stay hands-on: Write production code and working prototypes on the most critical parts of customer programs, and review designs and code to set the bar for how the team builds.
Own the AI quality bar: Lead how the team measures and improves AI quality, turning ambiguous customer goals into clear, testable evaluation standards.
Provide Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Mentor Senior and Staff engineers, raise engineering standards across the organization, and partner with cross-functional leads to drive complex technical initiatives.
Travel to Customer Sites: Spend at least 25% of your time onsite working with customers.
OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL HAVE:
15+ years of software engineering experience, including at least 3 years building and shipping production AI/ML or agentic systems at enterprise scale.
Proven track record as a trusted technical advisor to CTOs and executive engineering leaders at large enterprises.
Demonstrated success converting client/field delivery patterns into reusable platforms, tools, frameworks, or open-source libraries.
Deep expertise in production AI architectures—including RAG pipelines, multi-step agentic systems, evaluation frameworks, and guardrails.
Hands-on builder who writes and reviews production code and stays close to implementation.
Strong systems mindset with exceptional technical communication skills across both deeply technical and executive audiences.
BONUS POINTS FOR THE FOLLOWING:
Experience shipping features into a commercial data or AI platform, based on customer requirements.
Active contributions to open-source AI frameworks, technical publications, or industry speaking engagements.
Familiarity with Cortex AI, Snowpark, or modern enterprise data infrastructure platforms.
WHY JOIN FRONTIER ENGINEERING AT SNOWFLAKE?
Frontier Engineering is where Snowflake’s AI platform meets reality — you’re not building demos, you’re shipping AI applications that run in some of the world’s most complex enterprise environments. You will work on hard problems with real stakes, alongside engineers who are deeply technical and customer-obsessed.
How do you want to make your impact?
Snowflake is growing fast, and we’re scaling our team to help enable and accelerate our growth. We are looking for people who share our values, challenge ordinary thinking, and push the pace of innovation while building a future for themselves and Snowflake.
How do you want to make your impact?
For jobs located in the United States, please visit the job posting on the Snowflake Careers Site for salary and benefits information: careers.snowflake.com
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