Senior Forward Deployed AI Engineering Manager

Staples is building the future of Marketplace through practical, AI-enabled

solutions that help teams work smarter, move faster, and create measurable

business impact. The Marketplace organization sits at the intersection of

product, commercial strategy, operations, and technology—solving complex

challenges that directly support growth, efficiency, and customer experience.

As the Senior Forward Deployed AI Engineering Manager, you will be a

business-embedded technical leader responsible for identifying, shaping, and

rapidly delivering AI-enabled solutions to high-value operational and commercial

challenges. This is a hands-on builder role—not a traditional roadmap-bound

engineering role and not a sales or demo function. You will work directly with

Marketplace leaders, product managers, commercial teams, Technology, and Data/AI

partners to uncover real-world inefficiencies, translate ambiguous problems into

structured technical approaches, and develop working solution pathways that can

be validated, scaled, and operationalized.

This role will require the incumbent to work on a 4-day/week on-site schedule

from our Framingham corporate offices. We are open to candidates that are

willing to relocate and have the ability to provide assistance.

What you’ll be doing:

* Embed within Marketplace operations, product, and commercial teams to

understand end-to-end workflows, undocumented processes, edge cases, and

operational nuances.

* Identify, define, and prioritize AI and automation opportunities based on

business impact, scalability, and feasibility.

* Translate ambiguous business problems into structured technical approaches,

solution hypotheses, and build plans.

* Develop and deploy rapid prototypes or proof of concepts using internal

platforms, enterprise data, and modern AI/ML and large language model

tooling.

* Validate solutions using real-world data and workflows to demonstrate

measurable business value.

* Partner with Technology and Data/AI teams to transition validated prototypes

into scalable, production-ready solutions.

* Serve as a critical bridge between business stakeholders and technical teams,

ensuring clarity of requirements and continuity of context.

* Drive adoption of deployed solutions by staying engaged through rollout,

iteration, and performance measurement.

* Establish and track success metrics tied to business outcomes such as

efficiency gains, cost reduction, revenue impact, and user adoption.

* Contribute reusable learnings, frameworks, and enhancements to enterprise

platforms based on field insights.

* Lead or coordinate multiple concurrent, high-impact initiatives with

cross-functional stakeholders.

* Mentor less experienced team members and contribute to capability building

within the forward-deployed function.

What you bring to the table:

* Strong problem-framing and critical-thinking skills, especially in ambiguous

environments where the path forward is not predefined.

* A builder mindset with the curiosity and ownership to move from problem

discovery to working solution quickly.

* Ability to connect technical solutions to clear business outcomes and

communicate impact in practical terms.

* Effective stakeholder engagement across technical and non-technical

audiences.

* Adaptability and comfort operating in rapidly evolving technology and

business environments.

* Collaborative approach with the ability to influence without direct

authority.

* Clear, concise communication skills across all organizational levels,

including senior leadership.

* Business acumen and judgment to balance value, feasibility, scalability, and

adoption.

What’s needed- Basic

Qualifications

• * Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, a related
• technical field, or equivalent work experience.
• * 10+ years of overall experience in software engineering or technical solution
• development.
• * Experience building and deploying AI, machine learning, automation, or
• data-driven solutions in a business or enterprise environment.
• * Experience writing code and delivering working prototypes using modern
• programming languages such as Python, Java, or similar.
• * Experience translating business requirements into technical solutions in
• partnership with business stakeholders.
• * Experience delivering solutions from concept through prototype validation.
• * Experience integrating or working with structured and unstructured data
• sources.
• * Experience managing multiple complex projects or initiatives simultaneously.
• What’s needed-

Preferred Qualifications

• * Master’s degree or advanced technical training.
• * Experience in eCommerce, marketplaces, retail, or adjacent industries.
• * Experience implementing AI or automation solutions within large, matrixed
• enterprise environments.
• * Familiarity with enterprise data platforms, cloud environments, and modern
• AI/LLM tooling ecosystems.
• * Experience working at the intersection of business units and centralized
• technology or data organizations.
• * Experience contributing to or enhancing reusable platforms, frameworks, or
• internal tools.
• * Prior experience in a forward-deployed engineering, solutions engineering, or
• similar business-embedded technical role.
• * Experience quantifying and communicating the business impact of technical
• solutions.
• We Offer:
• * Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups
• * 22 days of PTO and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays + 1 floating
• holiday)
• * Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health
• Wellness programs, and more!
• The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time
• of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to
• include the candidate's experience, skill set, education, geography, business
• considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be
• eligible for bonuses, or other forms of variable compensation.
• Staples is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive
• consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex,
• gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, protected veteran
• status, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local
• law.