Forward Deployed Engineer

About Tenzai

Tenzai is building autonomous AI hackers that think like the world's best offensive security experts, act like them, and then help fix what they find before the real ones do. If this mission speaks to you, come defend the world's software: autonomously, continuously, and in-depth.

About the role

This is a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of offensive security, AI, and enterprise architecture. As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) for our largest enterprise clients (including top-tier banks and financial institutions), you will be the critical technical bridge between our autonomous AI hackers and the complex, highly regulated environments of our customers. You’ll guide CISOs, Security Architects, and DevSecOps teams on how to safely deploy our platform to protect their entire application landscape—from core web infrastructure and legacy banking APIs to cutting-edge Generative AI applications. Work closely with our internal engineering teams to shape a platform used at massive enterprise scale.

• Serve as the lead technical expert for enterprise customers, guiding them from complex deployment phases through to continuous infrastructure optimization.
• Lead deep-dive technical discovery sessions to scope continuous testing across the client's entire software portfolio, covering everything from standard web applications and APIs to emerging enterprise GenAI chatbots and RAG pipelines.
• Present high-level architectural proposals, post-mortem analyses, and vulnerability findings to diverse stakeholder groups, seamlessly pivoting between technical security operators and business-focused executives (CISOs, Risk Officers).
• Navigate and resolve high-pressure enterprise technical friction, such as managing deployment roadblocks or clarifying automated testing traffic with a customer's Security Operations Center (SOC).
• Immerse yourself in the client's broader technical ecosystem and product roadmap to uncover adjacent security blind spots, organically scaling Tenzai's footprint across new business units and engineering teams.
• Act as the ultimate feedback loop, translating client infrastructure constraints and AI performance gaps back into actionable engineering requirements for Tenzai's core Product and Engineering teams.

• 3+ years of experience in a Forward Deployed Engineering, Technical Account Management, Security Consulting, or Enterprise Architecture role facing large corporate or financial clients.
• Strong foundational grasp of enterprise infrastructure, hybrid-cloud architecture, network security concepts, and data privacy regulations.
• Conceptual understanding of Application Security (OWASP Top 10, API security) alongside emerging AI vulnerability landscapes (LLM risks, prompt injection, data poisoning).
• Elite presentation and communication skills; ability to articulate complex technical systems clearly to non-technical stakeholders and command a room of skeptical infrastructure leads.
• Proven ability to handle high-stress situations, drive technical discovery on the fly, and manage client technical relationships without being defensive.
• Willingness to travel to Toronto and US customer sites about once a month.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment with a high degree of ownership and ambiguity.

• Working on problems that matter - Software is now written and deployed faster than it can be secured. Attackers are beginning to use AI to find vulnerabilities at scale. Tenzai exists to close that gap. It's a mission that requires elite hackers, and also sharp storytellers, wicked-smart operators, and experienced market builders.

• Building a category in the making - Tenzai is defining a new category in cybersecurity. That means every team — from research and engineering to product, brand, and go-to-market — has a chance to shape how the industry understands and adopts autonomous security. If you thrive building something from zero and helping a new idea take hold in the world, keep reading.

• Talent density - We believe small teams of exceptional people outperform large organizations. Tenzai was founded by veteran security experts and repeat entrepreneurs. We hire deliberately and value curiosity, initiative, and craftsmanship, whatever your discipline.

• Creating real impact, quickly - Whether you're building systems, shaping product experiences, telling the story, or helping customers succeed, your work will immediately influence how organizations secure their software. We move quickly, keep teams lean, and give humans ownership.

•  Ambition with humility - We're tackling hard problems with a team that values deep expertise and thoughtful collaboration. Everyone here is learning, experimenting, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Plus, we love eating lunch together.