Staff Forward Deployed Engineer

Company Overview:

TENEX is an AI-native, automation-first, built-for-scale Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider. We are a force multiplier for defenders, helping organizations enhance their cybersecurity posture through advanced threat detection, rapid response, and continuous protection. Our team is composed of industry experts with deep experience in cybersecurity, automation and AI-driven solutions. Backed by leading investors, we are rapidly growing and seeking top talent to join our mission of revolutionizing the AI-Native MDR landscape.

We're a fast growing startup backed by industry experts and top tier investors led by Crosspoint Capital Partners and also backed by Shield Capital, DTCP (formerly Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners), Deepwork Capital, and the Florida Opportunity Fund. Seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). As an early employee, you'll play a meaningful role in defining and building our culture. Get in on the ground floor. We're a small but well-funded team that just raised a substantial round - joining now comes with limited risk and unlimited upside.

Culture is one of the most important things at TENEX.AI-explore our culture deck at culture.tenex.ai to witness how we embody it, prioritizing the irreplaceable collaboration and community of in-person work.

About the Role

As a Staff Forward Deployed Engineer, you are the technical authority of the Forward Deployed AI Engineering team. You set the standard for solution quality, own and lead the AI & Data Science function, and ensure that what the team builds in customer accounts flows back into intelligence and tooling that TENEX operates at scale. You think in systems, build for reuse, and make everyone around you better.

Job Responsibilities

• All responsibilities of a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer, operating at the highest level of technical complexity and strategic account engagement
• Serve as the technical lead and quality standard for the Forward Deployed AI Engineering team - reviewing solutions, setting architectural patterns, and ensuring consistency and excellence across all engagements
• Own and lead the AI & Data Science function - building cross-customer intelligence systems that may include vulnerability prioritization models, configuration baselines, threat intelligence pipelines, detection optimization tools, and other areas identified through active FDE customer engagements
• Ensure the feedback loop between FDE customer work and the AI & DS function is tight and continuous - no tickets, no handoffs, direct collaboration
• Work with SE&A to operationalize AI/DS-built tools - ensuring what the team builds is something SE&A engineers can run and customers can benefit from
• Define the technical direction for how FDE-built solutions are documented, packaged, and made available across the broader platform
• Mentor Senior and Forward Deployed Engineers - elevating the team's technical bar across AI, data, and security domains
• Partner with the Director on team strategy, hiring bar, and long-term capability development
• Represent the FDE team's technical perspective in cross-functional conversations with Product, SE&A, and Rapid Deployment

Required Skills & Qualifications
Technical & Industry Expertise

• 7+ years in technical roles with senior engineering or technical leadership experience
• Expert-level programming skills with experience designing data pipelines, ML systems, or AI applications
• Deep expertise across security operations, data science, and AI/ML domains
• Experience defining technical standards, architectural patterns, and quality benchmarks for engineering teams
• Proven track record building cross-customer intelligence systems or reusable technical platforms
• Strong mentorship and knowledge-transfer skills
• Experience operating at the intersection of customer problem discovery and internal platform development

Soft Skills

• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills with a bias toward action
• Excellent customer-facing communication and collaboration abilities
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-performance startup environment
• Passion for cybersecurity, automation, and continuous improvement

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, GIAC certifications, Google Cloud Professional, Microsoft SC-200/AZ-500, or AWS Certified Solutions Architect are a plus

Why Join Us?

• Opportunity to work with cutting-edge AI-driven cybersecurity technologies and next-generation security platforms
• Collaborate with a talented and innovative team focused on continuously improving security operations
• Competitive salary and benefits package
• A culture of growth and development, with opportunities to expand your expertise in AI, cybersecurity, and engineering
• Be part of building something new - TENEX's Forward Deployed Engineering organization is a greenfield opportunity to define how enterprise security is delivered at scale