At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive AI adoption in life sciences, collaborating with top researchers and biopharma companies.
- Company: Join Manifold, a leading AI platform transforming life sciences and healthcare.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, strong benefits, and opportunities for rapid career growth.
- Other info: High-autonomy role with exposure to diverse technical challenges and a collaborative team.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on life-changing medicines while working at the forefront of AI technology.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in a technical customer-facing role; experience with AI and data infrastructure.
About Manifold
Manifold is the AI platform for life sciences, accelerating life-changing medicines to patients.
Our products speed up workflows in areas from target identification and clinical development to market access and precision medicine in the clinic, while maintaining the governance life sciences requires.
Global companies and premier research institutions use Manifold to operate faster and more effectively.
Backed by leading investors including Reach Capital, TQ Ventures, Calibrate Ventures, Silver Arc Capital, and Industry Ventures, Manifold serves tens of thousands of users across hundreds of organizations globally.
About the role
Manifold is hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDEs) to work at the intersection of AI, data infrastructure, and life sciences.
In this high-impact role, you will embed directly with leading research institutions, biopharma companies, and life sciences organizations to drive adoption, implementation, and expansion of Manifold's AI platform.
As an FDE, you’ll work closely with both Product and GTM teams, combining technical expertise with customer-facing skills to build innovative solutions that accelerate complex scientific workflows.
We expect our FDEs to operate autonomously, thrive under ambiguity, and represent Manifold at the highest level in customer environments.
Working at the intersection of AI and life sciences, you'll not only play a key role in Manifold's success but also help our customers bring life-changing medicines to patients faster.
- What You’ll Do
- Embed directly with Manifold customers to understand their research environments and workflows
- Support Terra. bio and its user migration to the Manifold platform, serving as a technical bridge between existing Terra workflows and Manifold's new infrastructure
- Scope and architect end-to-end solutions leveraging Manifold's AI platform to solve customers’ most pressing problems
- Drive rapid time-to-value by ensuring fast onboarding, successful pilots, and clear paths to platform adoption
- Develop and deliver technical artifacts purpose-built for customers: Data pipelines, agent configuration, process automation, and domain-specific tooling
- Troubleshoot complex issues across infrastructure, data, and application layers
- Identify repeatable patterns, playbooks, and tooling that accelerate future deployments
- Collaborate with the core platform team to inform product roadmaps
- Stay current regarding AI industry advancements and life sciences infrastructure
- What You’ll Bring
- A full-stack generalist with 5+ years of experience in a technical customer-facing role who thrives in ambiguity and is energized by working directly with life science researchers
- Comfort navigating complex technical environments, including cloud infrastructure, data warehouses, APIs, and diverse data formats common in life sciences and healthcare
- Hands-on experience building and deploying data pipelines, custom integrations, and AI-powered applications, ideally in complex enterprise or research environments
- Able to collaborate with diverse stakeholders, from bench scientists to C-suite executives
- High agency with a bias towards speed, pragmatism, and ownership; You've built AI into how you work.
You're curious about new tools, resourceful in applying them, and have concrete examples of how AI changed your output.
- A genuine interest in life sciences, oncology, and healthcare; You've done your homework on what it means to accelerate life sciences research and you can articulate why that mission matters to you.
- Hands-on Java, Java Script, Scala, Python, SQL, Snowflake, dbt, and Airflow experience
- Experience with cloud environments (AWS, GCP) and infrastructure-as-code patterns; Experience working in regulated data environments
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field
- Willing to travel to customer sites as needed (estimated 20%)
- What Sets You Apart
- Proficiency with Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent agentic development practices
- Prompt engineering, agent development, and eval experience
- Prior experience in life sciences, biopharma, or the healthcare data industry
- Previous experience directly supporting Terra. bio
- Why Manifold
- We offer the unique opportunity to work at the frontier of AI in life sciences, helping the world's leading research and clinical institutions adopt transformative technology.
- This is a high-autonomy, high-impact role where your work directly leads to positive customer outcomes that accelerate breakthrough science.
- You will gain exposure to a wide range of technical and business challenges across oncology, genomics, clinical data, and AI agent development.
- You will work with a collaborative team of engineers, scientists, and operators who are building something genuinely new and important.
- This is an opportunity to grow fast in a company that takes talent seriously. We offer strong compensation packages and excellent benefits.
- Salary Range
The base salary range for this position is $150,000–$210,000 annually.
- Please note: Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including prior experience and expertise, and may vary from the amount above.
This range does not represent additional compensation benefits (such as equity, 401K match or medical, dental or vision insurance).
Senior Forward Deployed Engineer in Cambridge employer: Manifold AI
Manifold is an exceptional employer, offering a unique opportunity to work at the cutting edge of AI in life sciences. With a collaborative culture that values autonomy and innovation, employees are empowered to tackle meaningful challenges that directly impact patient outcomes. The company provides strong compensation packages, excellent benefits, and ample opportunities for professional growth, making it an attractive place for those passionate about advancing healthcare technology.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Forward Deployed Engineer in Cambridge
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Manifold AI or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Manifold AI.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Manifold AI.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Manifold AI that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Forward Deployed Engineer in Cambridge
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Manifold AI.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Manifold AI and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Manifold AI
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Manifold AI uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.