Director, Forward Deployed Solution Architect – Applied AI FDE

Company Description

It all started in sunny San Diego, California in 2004 when a visionary engineer, Fred Luddy, saw the potential to transform how we work. Fast forward to today — ServiceNow stands as a global market leader, bringing innovative AI-enhanced technology to over 8,100 customers, including 85% of the Fortune 500®. Our intelligent cloud-based platform seamlessly connects people, systems, and processes to empower organizations to find smarter, faster, and better ways to work. But this is just the beginning of our journey. Join us as we pursue our purpose to make the world work better for everyone.

Job Description

Team Bio:

ServiceNow’s Applied AI Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team is where bold ideas meet transformative action. We partner with our most strategic customers to shape the future of enterprise AI. Together, we identify high-value opportunities, accelerate business outcomes, and build reusable AI-native solutions that advance the Now AI Platform. 

Our mission: We partner deeply with our customers to build intelligent, scalable AI solutions that solve their most mission-critical challenges. By embedding in real-world complexity, we deliver fast, iterate with purpose, and transform every success into reusable patterns that accelerate transformation across the Now Platform and the broader enterprise. 

Why This Role Matters:

Enterprise leaders aren’t just experimenting with AI—they’re demanding outcomes. The next wave of adoption will be led by organizations that can move fast, deliver measurable value, and transform isolated wins into scalable success. 

As a Director, Forward Deployed Solution Architect (FDSA), you lead a high-impact team of Forward Deployed Solution Architects embedded with customers to drive that transformation. You guide your team in uncovering opportunities, designing AI-powered systems that deliver ROI, and ensuring those solutions scale effectively across the Now Platform. You serve as a strategic partner to both customers and internal stakeholders, shaping the vision for applied AI and operationalizing innovation at scale. 

This is a rare opportunity to define what great looks like in the field—mentoring top talent, influencing product direction, and setting the standard for enterprise AI adoption. 

Who You Are:

You are a visionary leader and strategic thinker who thrives in dynamic, fast-paced environments. With a deep understanding of AI and enterprise architecture, you excel at turning ambiguity into clarity—not just for yourself, but for your team and your customers. You bring a strong analytical mindset and a passion for innovation, enabling your team to deliver intelligent solutions that align with business goals. 

You empower your team to work cross-functionally with engineers, designers, and stakeholders, fostering collaboration and accountability. You guide them in navigating complex environments, identifying friction points, and architecting scalable systems that solve mission-critical challenges. 

You embody ServiceNow’s values and instill them in your team: 

• Customer First: You champion business outcomes and ensure your team delivers measurable value. 
• Bold Innovation: You encourage creative thinking and challenge conventional approaches. 
• One Team: You foster a culture of shared ownership and deep collaboration. 
• Integrity and Belonging: You lead with empathy, build trust, and create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. 

What You’ll Do:

• Lead and Empower Teams: Guide a team of forward-deployed architects and engineers in identifying high-impact AI opportunities through strategic discovery workshops and stakeholder alignment. 
• Architect Scalable AI Solutions: Oversee the design of AI-native systems leveraging LLMs, RAG pipelines, retrieval logic, and workflow orchestration—ensuring technical excellence and business relevance. 
• Accelerate Delivery Through Collaboration: Partner with FDSEs and cross-functional teams to drive rapid prototyping, testing, and iteration, enabling fast time-to-value for customers. 
• Establish and Scale Best Practices: Develop and disseminate repeatable frameworks, reusable templates, and modular components that elevate solution quality and consistency across engagements. 
• Drive Strategic Alignment: Influence executive stakeholders through compelling storytelling, solution framing, and clear articulation of business impact. 
• Champion Field Insights: Capture and synthesize feedback from customer deployments to inform product strategy, sh