Vercel is looking for a Forward-Deployed Engineer to join its Professional Services team. This is not a traditional consulting role: you embed directly with the most strategic enterprise customers to drive transformational outcomes across frontend modernization, platform migrations and AI adoption. You will lead complex Next.js migrations, architect high-performance applications and build production AI solutions hands-on within customer environments. The role reports to the Director of Professional Services and is remote-first with significant travel (25–40%) to customer sites.
Responsibilities
- ▹Lead complex frontend migrations, modernizing legacy React, Vue or other frameworks to Next.js, including Pages to App Router transitions and large-scale codebase transformations
- ▹Conduct technical assessments and code audits for performance bottlenecks, architectural anti-patterns and optimization opportunities, delivering actionable roadmaps
- ▹Architect and implement high-performance Next.js applications using App Router, Server Components, streaming, ISR, edge functions and advanced rendering strategies
- ▹Optimize Core Web Vitals and application performance using tools like Vercel Speed Insights
- ▹Build production AI solutions using Vercel's AI SDK and AI Cloud, including conversational interfaces, production agents, MCP servers and agentic workflows
- ▹Embed with strategic customers to ship production TypeScript code within their systems and constraints
- ▹Drive enablement and knowledge transfer through workshops, pair programming and documentation
- ▹Navigate complex enterprise environments and build relationships across engineering, product and executive teams
- ▹Participate in pre-sales activities: discovery calls, scoping sessions and proposal development
- ▹Contribute to service evolution by identifying repeatable patterns, building reusable components and sharing insights with Product and Engineering
Requirements
- ▹5+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 2 years in a customer-facing technical role (consulting, solutions engineering, forward-deployed engineering or technical founder experience)
- ▹Expert-level TypeScript skills as your primary language, writing production TypeScript daily
- ▹Deep Next.js expertise: App Router, Server Components, SSR, SSG, ISR and edge functions in complex applications
- ▹Demonstrated experience leading frontend migrations of large codebases to Next.js in production environments
- ▹Mastery of React and its ecosystem, including advanced state management, performance optimization, streaming, suspense and concurrent features
- ▹Production experience with LLMs and AI applications, including prompt engineering, agent development and tool-use patterns (familiarity with Vercel's AI SDK strongly preferred)
- ▹High agency and comfort with ambiguity
- ▹Exceptional communication skills: technical discovery, executive presentations, mentoring and relationship building
- ▹Business acumen to translate technical capabilities into ROI and identify expansion opportunities
- ▹Willingness to travel 25–40% to customer sites
Nice to have
- ▹Led large-scale migrations from legacy setups (Create React App, Gatsby, custom webpack) to Next.js in enterprise environments
- ▹Expertise in performance optimization and Core Web Vitals (diagnosing and fixing LCP, CLS and INP issues at scale)
- ▹Experience with Model Context Protocol (MCP), building MCP servers or complex tool-use patterns in production AI applications
- ▹Led enterprise AI transformation initiatives with production agents automating manual processes
- ▹Experience with micro-frontends, module federation or multi-team frontend architectures
- ▹Contributions to Next.js, React or AI SDK open-source projects, or maintaining popular related libraries
- ▹Experience with enterprise deployment patterns: security reviews, compliance requirements, multi-region architectures
- ▹Background in financial services, healthcare, retail/e-commerce or media
- ▹Conference speaking or published thought leadership on frontend architecture, migrations or AI applications
Soft skills
High agency and autonomy in ambiguous environmentsLow-ego, collaborative approachExceptional communication with engineers and executivesRelationship building and mentoring
What we offer
- ▹Great compensation package and stock options
- ▹Inclusive healthcare package
- ▹Mentorship and events to build your network and skills
- ▹Flexible time off: flexible vacation policy with a recommended 4 weeks per year, plus paid holidays
- ▹Remote friendly, working with teammates across time zones
- ▹Work equipment provided plus a WFH budget
About the company
Vercel is the agentic infrastructure company. As the team behind Next.js, v0 and AI SDK, it builds products that help builders move from idea to production with speed, security and exceptional developer experience. Vercel is trusted by companies like OpenAI, PayPal, Ramp and Supreme, and by millions of developers worldwide.