Forward Deployment Engineer

At FourKites we have the opportunity to tackle complex challenges with real-world impacts. Whether it’s medical supplies from Cardinal Health or groceries for Walmart, the FourKites platform helps customers operate global supply chains that are efficient, agile and sustainable.

Join a team of curious problem solvers that celebrates differences, leads with empathy and values inclusivity.

As a Forward Deployment Engineer, you sit at the intersection of software engineering and customer impact. You build and deploy AI-powered integration and agentic workflow solutions directly with enterprise customers — from the first technical discovery conversation through post-launch enhancements. You are the engineer in the room who hears a customer problem and builds the solution. Speed matters here — the ability to write optimized, production-grade code fast and deploy it to customers without long feedback cycles is what makes the FDE function valuable. Strong data structures and algorithms fundamentals and an innovative, non-obvious approach to problem solving are core to what we look for. AI fluency — building agentic workflows and using LLMs as a daily engineering tool — is a baseline expectation for everyone on this team, not a specialization.

What you'll be doing:

• Build and deploy integration solutions — EDI (214, 315), callbacks, custom payload mapping, and API integrations — with production-grade quality and full test coverage
• Deploy agentic AI workflows that orchestrate supply chain operations live with customers present — configuring and deploying in the call, not gathering requirements to build later
• Write and extend LangGraph-based workflow extensions and wrapped action customizations in Agent Studio
• Use Claude, OpenAI, and other LLMs across the entire workflow — requirements documentation, integration design, code generation, testing and deployment; LLMs are not a convenience tool, they are how this team works
• Participate in customer discovery and technical clarification calls — answering complex technical and product questions with concrete, innovative solutions in real time
• Write thorough root cause analyses for integration failures and own the fix through to resolution
• Perform code reviews on integration and AI workflow work and maintain the team's quality standards before any customer deployment
• Contribute to the team's reusable integration package and AI workflow template library as you build
• Mentor incoming FDEs — pair on hard problems, accelerate their ramp-up, and share institutional knowledge
• Collaborate with Implementation Managers, Customer Success Managers, Solutions Consultants, Product Managers, and Engineering to deliver seamless customer outcomes

About the team:

At FourKites, our teams solve complex, high-impact problems that move the world’s supply chains—from delivering critical medical supplies to keeping grocery shelves stocked. We’re a group of curious, customer-obsessed problem solvers who value empathy, inclusivity, and diverse perspectives. Working closely with Fortune 100 customers, our teams sit at the intersection of cutting-edge AI and real-world enterprise systems to build solutions that are practical, scalable, and transformative.

Who you are:

• 0–4 years of software engineering experience — what matters more than tenure is the depth and quality of what you have built
• Strong proficiency in Java (required) — writes clean, optimized, production-grade code with proper error handling, test coverage, and clear design thinking from day one
• Strong foundations in data structures and algorithms — able to reason about time and space complexity, choose the right data structures for the problem, and write code that performs at scale without being told how
• Strong software design instincts — designs integration solutions that are modular, maintainable, and built to evolve; doesn't just write code that works today, writes code that holds up over time
• Writes code at speed without sacrificing quality — can take a customer requirement from problem statement to working, deployed solution faster than traditional development cycles allow; this is a core expectation, not a nice-to-have
• Innovative problem solver — approaches integration and AI workflow challenges with genuine curiosity, finds non-obvious solutions, and doesn't default to the first approach that comes to mind
• Proficient in REST APIs, HTTP/HTTPS, SFTP, and core data formats — XML, EDI, JSON, flat files — can read, write, and transform all of them
• Working knowledge of enterprise integration patterns and how to apply them in distributed, multi-tenant systems
• Solid working understanding of LLMs, prompt engineering, and agentic workflow design — hands-on, not theoretical
• Uses Claude, OpenAI, or equivalent LLMs across the full workflow — requirements documentation, integration design, code generation, debugging, testing and deployment; not just as a coding assistant but as a core engineering tool
• Familiar with agentic frameworks such as LangGraph or LangChain and has built or configured at least one AI workflow in production or a meaningful side project
• Understands authentication patterns: OAuth 2.0, API keys, basic auth, token lifecycle management
• Comfortable on customer calls — communicates technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Able to deploy agentic workflows live with customers present, handling configuration and troubleshooting in the moment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in supply chain, logistics, transportation, or B2B SaaS platforms is a strong plus
• Familiarity with enterprise integration patterns and the ability to select the right approach for a given business and technical scenario
• Familiarity with EDI standards, carrier integrations, TMS/WMS systems, and supply chain data flows
• SQL proficiency — Snowflake experience is a plus
• Experience with low-code/no-code workflow automation platforms such as Pipedream, n8n, Temporal, or equivalent
• Proficient with Lucidchart, Miro, draw.io, or similar tools to document and communicate integration designs visually — the ability to make a complex data flow readable to a customer or a non-technical stakeholder matters as much as the build itself
• Experience working with enterprise customers in a post-sales, implementation, or technical account role
• Familiarity with webhook and callback delivery architecture

Compensation

The expected annual base salary range for this role is $80,000 - $110,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on several factors, including but not limited to experience, qualifications, skills, and business needs. In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for bonus and incentive compensation as well as participation in FourKites' employee stock option program.

Benefits

FourKites provides competitive compensation with stock options, outstanding benefits and a collaborative culture for all employees around the globe. To help you be your best, we have 5 global recharge days, in addition to generous PTO and standard holidays. Parental leave for all parents, an annual wellness stipend and volunteer days also provide you with time and resources for self care and to care for others. Throughout the year, FourKites sets aside time during the workday to learn and celebrate diversity. We're always listening for new ways to support everyone in and out of the office.

Benefits include:

• Medical, Dental & Vision benefits starting on first day of employment

• 401k Retirement savings with employer match

• Bonus and incentive compensation as well as employee stock option program

• Employer paid life insurance and short term disability insurance

• Generous PTO, global recharge days, and volunteer days

• Paid parental leave for all parents

• Family planning and inclusive wellbeing resources

• Technology reimbursement

• Commuter benefits for in-office employees (Chicago)

• Annual Wellness Stipend

• Ongoing learning & development opportunities

About FourKites

FourKites, the leader in AI-driven supply chain transformation for global enterprises and pioneer of real-time visibility, turns supply chain data into automated action. FourKites Intelligent Control Tower® breaks down enterprise silos by creating a real-time digital twin of orders, shipments, inventory and assets. This comprehensive view, combined with AI-powered digital workers, enables companies to prevent disruptions, automate routine tasks and optimize performance across their supply chain. FourKites processes over 3.2 million supply chain events daily — from purchase orders to final delivery — helping 1,600-plus global brands prevent disruptions, make faster decisions and move from reactive tracking to proactive supply chain orchestration. For more information, visit www.fourkites.com.

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FourKites is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you're excited about this role but don't meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply.