Forward-Deployed Engineer - API Platform | London, NYC, Seattle, SF at Perplexity AI

New York, New York, United States

Perplexity AI Logo
$180,000 – $220,000Compensation
Mid-level (3 to 4 years), Senior (5 to 8 years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
Technology, AIIndustries

Requirements

  • 5+ years in technical support engineering, software engineering, or solutions engineering, with direct application development experience
  • Strong API integration skills—able to design and debug REST/JSON payloads, manage auth flows, and optimize latency
  • Proven track record of diagnosing complex technical issues across distributed systems, APIs, and customer environments
  • Excellent communicator who can work with both developer teams and non-technical stakeholders
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent hands-on experience

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the dedicated technical partner for strategic API Platform customers, guiding them through architecture design, integration, and optimization
  • Troubleshoot API performance, grounding quality, and integration challenges—diving directly into code and logs when needed
  • Prototype example integrations, search workflows, and demos to accelerate adoption and inspire customer innovation
  • Collaborate with Engineering and Product to resolve high-priority escalations, ensuring minimal downtime and maximum reliability
  • Capture and synthesize customer feedback to improve API features, SDKs, and developer experience
  • Maintain deep familiarity with the API Platform's latest capabilities, competitive positioning, and best practices, and use this knowledge to advise customers

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

APIArchitecture DesignIntegrationTroubleshootingPrototypingPythonLogs AnalysisSDKsDeveloper ToolsPerformance OptimizationSearch Workflows

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the salary range for the Forward-Deployed Engineer role?

The salary range is $180K - $220K.

What are the work locations for this position?

The role is based in London, NYC, Seattle, or SF.

What are the must-have skills for this role?

Must-haves include 5+ years in technical support engineering, software engineering, or solutions engineering with direct application development experience; strong API integration skills for designing and debugging REST/JSON payloads, auth flows, and latency optimization; proven track record diagnosing complex issues in distributed systems and APIs; excellent communication with developers and non-technical stakeholders; and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent hands-on experience.

What is the company culture like at Perplexity AI?

The culture emphasizes deep customer partnerships, hands-on problem-solving, collaboration across teams like Support, Product, and Engineering, and influencing the product roadmap based on real-world developer needs.

What makes a strong candidate for this Forward-Deployed Engineer position?

Strong candidates have 5+ years in technical support, software, or solutions engineering with hands-on development; expertise in API integrations and debugging distributed systems; excellent communication skills; plus nice-to-haves like experience with search/RAG/AI APIs, developer tools, and Python/JavaScript.

Perplexity AI

Advanced answer engine providing reliable information

About Perplexity AI

Perplexity AI provides an advanced answer engine that delivers accurate and reliable responses to user queries. The platform uses current sources to ensure the information is both precise and relevant. It caters to a wide audience, including individuals looking for quick answers and businesses needing detailed information. Unlike many competitors, Perplexity AI emphasizes high-quality, source-backed answers, making it a valuable resource for users seeking trustworthy data. The company's goal is to meet the increasing demand for immediate access to reliable information, generating revenue through subscription fees, advertising, and partnerships.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters
2022Year Founded
$890MTotal Funding
LATE_VCCompany Stage
Data & Analytics, Consumer SoftwareIndustries
201-500Employees

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
Company Equity

Risks

Pending copyright infringement class action poses legal and financial challenges.
Competition from Google's AI Mode could impact user retention and market share.
Otterly.AI's brand visibility tool may pressure Perplexity to maintain high performance.

Differentiation

Perplexity AI integrates large language models with search engines for precise responses.
The platform offers an open-source environment, enhancing public access to AI tools.
Perplexity's strategic acquisition of Carbon boosts its data connectivity capabilities.

Upsides

Partnership with Tripadvisor enhances travel planning with personalized recommendations.
$500M funding round increases valuation to $9 billion, supporting growth and innovation.
Integration with FactSet attracts financial clients with enhanced data accessibility.

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