Forward Deployed AI Lead

About Climb

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Climb is a Data and AI consultancy that partners with enterprises to design, build, and operationalize modern data platforms and production AI systems. As a Databricks partner, we go deep on lakehouse architecture, machine learning, and applied AI, with a bias toward production over proof of concept. Our team brings deep technical expertise and a builder's mindset to every engagement, and we measure our work not just by what ships, but by the business impact it drives.

Role Summary

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The Forward Deployed AI Lead owns the success of a client engagement from discovery through executive handoff. You align business objectives, technical strategy, delivery execution, and client relationships into a single plan that delivers measurable outcomes. While the Forward Deployed Architect owns the system architecture, you own the engagement itself, ensuring the right problems are solved, the right team is focused on them, and the customer achieves the outcomes they invested in.

This is an individual contributor leadership role. You direct the work of Architects and Forward Deployed Engineers, lead executive conversations, shape engagement strategy, and make the technical and commercial decisions that keep delivery aligned with business value. You remain hands-on enough to guide critical technical decisions, but your primary responsibility is creating the conditions for the team and the customer to succeed.

You become Climb's trusted advisor throughout the engagement, building executive relationships, identifying future opportunities, and ensuring every engagement leaves the customer better positioned to continue their AI transformation.

Key Responsibilities

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• Own the success of AI transformation engagements from discovery through executive handoff, aligning customer outcomes, technical direction, delivery execution, scope, and long-term partnership into a single engagement plan.
• Run structured discovery across engineering, product, and business stakeholders to map context, AI readiness, and where AI changes the economics.
• Design target architectures and AI operating models that define how the organization adopts, governs, and scales AI in production.
• Define the enterprise AI strategy and operating model that guide architectural decisions, delivery priorities, governance, and long-term AI adoption.
• Set strategic and technical direction across architecture, data readiness, AI adoption, governance, and delivery priorities.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership when critical architectural or delivery challenges require it.
• Build executive relationships that position Climb as a long-term AI partner, not a one-time vendor.
• Shape follow-on scope throughout delivery; by handoff, you have a credible hypothesis for the next engagement and can present it.
• Surface expansion signals across lines of business and route them to the account team.
• Improve delivery frameworks based on engagement experience.
• Mentor Architects and FDEs on architecture, executive engagement, and the architect-engineer delivery model.

Required Qualifications

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• 10+ years of software development or technical architecture experience across varied stacks, including cloud environments.
• 3+ years in engineering leadership, technical consulting, solutions architecture, or a combination.
• Hands-on familiarity with modern AI engineering workflows, development and agentic tooling (e.g., Claude Code or equivalent), enough to set technical direction and direct an engineer's work credibly.
• Experience designing or advising on AI operating models, technology adoption strategies, or transformation programs.
• Demonstrated ability to engage across lines of business: you can talk CI/CD with a VP of Engineering and operational efficiency with a COO in the same week.
• Strong executive communication: writing and presenting to CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and line-of-business leaders.
• Demonstrated ownership of enterprise consulting engagements, including executive stakeholders, scope, delivery quality, and commercial outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

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• Hands-on experience with Databricks (Mosaic AI, Unity Catalog, model serving) is a strong plus.
• Direct experience building or operating agentic AI systems in production.
• LLM prompt engineering, RAG architecture, or AI product development experience.
• Familiarity with PE portfolio-company environments and board-level communication.
• Experience designing AI governance and adoption guardrails for enterprise organizations.

*Note on certification: Databricks experience is valued but not required at hire. Both Databricks and Anthropic certification are expected to be obtained post-hire.*

Who Thrives Here

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• You naturally take ownership of entire engagements, bringing technical teams, executive stakeholders, and business objectives together around a common outcome.
• You earn trust with executives because you connect technical decisions to measurable business value.
• You know when to dive into architecture, when to coach the team, and when to challenge the customer's assumptions.
• You recognize delivery, organizational, and commercial risks early and address them before they become problems.

Why Climb

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• Ground floor, real backing. You are joining early, with founders who have built and exited firms like this before. You help write the playbook rather than inherit one.
• Outcomes, not hours. We sell and deliver against business results. Advancement is tied to delivery performance and account impact, not utilization targets.
• Senior team, no body-shop drag. Small pods of A-players, heavy internal AI leverage, and no bloated middle layers between you and the work.
• IP that compounds. Every engagement feeds reusable accelerators, patterns, and points of view back into the practice.
• Define the methodology. You shape how AI transformation gets scoped and delivered at Climb. Every engagement you run improves the next.

What We Offer

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• Competitive base salary with performance-based bonuses
• MacBook Pro and swag kit so you can do your best work
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous holidays, flexible PTO, and remote-first work environment
• Professional development budget including Databricks and cloud certifications
• Spot bonuses for relevant certifications
• Conference attendance and thought leadership opportunities
• Collaborative, low-ego culture with direct access to leadership
• Opportunity to shape a growing practice from the ground floor

Climb is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.