Senior Director, Forward Deployment Engineering

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Job Category

Customer Success

Job Details

About Salesforce

We’re Salesforce, the Customer Company, inspiring the future of business with AI+ Data +CRM. Leading with our core values, we help companies across every industry blaze new trails and connect with customers in a whole new way. And, we empower you to be a Trailblazer, too — driving your performance and career growth, charting new paths, and improving the state of the world. If you believe in business as the greatest platform for change and in companies doing well and doing good – you’ve come to the right place.

About the Role

We're seeking a highly experienced and strategic Senior Director of Forward Deployment Engineering to lead our elite team of FDEs specializing in Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) deployments. In this role, you will be responsible for defining the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of our rapid, high-impact RCA deployments, ensuring immediate customer value and setting the foundation for long-term success.

This role requires a leader who's a seasoned expert in complex SaaS and CRM deployments (particularly Salesforce CPQ/Billing/RCA) and a skilled people manager, strategic thinker, and exceptional communicator. You'll bridge the gap between technical execution and business impact, driving efficiency and excellence across our customer-facing technical operations.

Your Impact
Strategic Leadership & Vision:

• Define and execute the strategic vision for the FDE team focused on Salesforce RCA, aligning it with company goals and customer success objectives.

• Develop and refine FDE engagement models, playbooks, and best practices for rapid, high-value deployments within a defined, short-term scope (e.g., 4-week engagements).

• Identify opportunities for automation, standardization, and process improvement to scale FDE operations and increase efficiency.

Team Leadership & Development:

• Recruit, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of FDEs, fostering a culture of technical excellence, customer focus, and continuous learning.

• Provide expert-level technical guidance, coaching, and escalation support to the FDE team on complex Salesforce RCA configuration, integration, and troubleshooting challenges.

• Conduct performance reviews, set clear objectives, and manage career paths for team members.

Operational Excellence:

• Oversee the allocation and prioritization of FDE resources to make the most of utilization and impact across customer engagements.

• Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) and success metrics for FDE engagements, demonstrating clear ROI and areas for improvement.

• Collaborate with Product Management, Engineering, Professional Services, Sales, and Customer Success teams to ensure seamless customer journeys and effective handoffs.

• Manage stakeholder expectations regarding FDE scope, deliverables, and timelines.

Technical & Domain Expertise:

• Maintain deep subject-matter expertise in Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (CPQ, Billing, CLM, Order Management) and related Salesforce clouds.

• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in SaaS deployment, CRM, and revenue operations across various industry verticals.

• Guide the FDE team in addressing unique industry-vertical challenges within RCA deployments.

Customer & Executive Engagement:

• Act as an executive escalation point for critical customer deployment issues, resolving complex challenges and maintaining strong customer relationships.

• Articulate the value and impact of FDE services to internal and external stakeholders, including executive leadership.

Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive experience in technical leadership roles within SaaS or enterprise software companies, with a strong focus on customer-facing deployment or professional services.

• Minimum 7+ years of leadership experience managing and mentoring high-performing technical teams (FDEs, Solution Architects, Implementation Consultants).

• Deep hands on and architectural expertise with Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA), including extensive experience with Salesforce CPQ and Billing. Certifications (e.g., Salesforce Certified CPQ Specialist, Salesforce Certified Billing Specialist) highly desirable.

• Proven track record of successfully deploying complex