Field Application Engineering Director - Americas

Job description

About Us Axelera AI https://www.axelera.ai is not your regular deep-tech company. We are creating the next-generation AI platform to support anyone who wants to help advancing humanity and improve the world around us. In just five years, we have raised a total of $370 million and have built a world-class team of 250+ employees (including 60+ PhDs with more than 40,000 citations), both remotely from 20 different countries and with offices in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, the UK, headquartered at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, Netherlands. We have also launched our Metis™ AI Platform, which achieves a 3-5x increase in efficiency and performance, and have visibility into a strong business pipeline exceeding $100 million. Our unwavering commitment to innovation has firmly established us as a global industry pioneer. Are you up for the challenge? Position Overview Do you thrive where hardware meets AI, and innovation meets execution? We at Axelera AI are searching for a Field Application Engineering (FAE) Director – Americas to lead a powerhouse team supporting customers on their journey from evaluation to full deployment of our Metis AI platform. Based in Noth America, you’ll lead a small, high-performing team of two FAEs and collaborate closely with our Americas commercial leadership, as well as global R&D, Product, and Customer Success teams. Reporting to the Vice President of Customer Success (Belgium), you’ll ensure every customer interaction reflects technical excellence, reliability, and the spirit of innovation that defines Axelera AI. This hybrid role blends technical leadership, customer engagement, and strategic impact — perfect for a hands-on leader who’s as comfortable debugging code as guiding teams and influencing executives. If you love solving complex technical challenges, building world-class teams, and helping customers unlock the full potential of AI at the edge — this role is for you. Key responsibilities: Team Leadership & Development - Lead, mentor, and eventually grow the Americas FAE team to deliver exceptional technical support and customer satisfaction. - Set priorities, allocate resources, and ensure alignment with commercial goals in the Americas region. - Develop team skills in AI deployment, embedded systems, and SDK support through coaching and collaboration with global peers. - Build scalable support and knowledge-sharing processes for consistent customer engagement. Customer Engagement & Technical Leadership - Oversee all technical aspects of customer engagements in the Americas — from pre-sales to post-production. - Act as a senior technical escalation point for complex customer issues, ensuring swift resolution through collaboration with R&D and Product teams in Europe. - Support key strategic accounts directly as needed, maintaining strong customer relationships and technical credibility. - Advocate for customer needs within the organization, feeding insights into roadmap and product improvement discussions. Cross-Functional Collaboration - Partner with Sales, Business Development, and Marketing to ensure cohesive go-to-market execution and customer onboarding. - Collaborate with Engineering and Product Management to communicate customer feedback and drive continuous improvement. - Contribute to the global Customer Success strategy and coordinate activities with other regional FAE teams. Operational Excellence - Track team performance, project timelines, and customer satisfaction metrics. - Maintain accurate reporting of customer issues and opportunities. - Support hiring and scaling of the Americas FAE function as business grows. Qualifications: - BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related discipline. - 8+ years of experience in Field Application Engineering, Technical Sales, or Customer Success roles in the semiconductor, AI, or embedded systems sectors. - 2+ years of experience managing technical teams. - Strong hands-on technical expertise in: - AI/ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow) - Embedded or edge computing systems - C/C++, Python, OpenCL, or CUDA programming - Computer vision or model deployment pipelines - Proven ability to manage complex customer engagements and drive results across cross-functional teams. - Excellent leadership, communication, and presentation skills. - Self-motivated, structured, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, international environment. Travel - Up to 30–40% travel within the US/Americas for customer visits and internal meetings. - International travel few times per year for trade shows, team meetings and alignment with teams in Europe. Location This is a remote position based in the United States. What we offer  This is your chance to shape and be part of a dynamic, fast-growing, international organization. An open culture that supports creativity and continual innovation is awaiting you. Collaborative ownership and freedom with responsibility is characteristic for the way we act and work as a team. Plus: - an attractive compensation package - company shares - pension plan - 100% match on the first 3%, 50% match on the next 2% upon becoming eligible (4% match on 5% contribution) - extensive employee insurances - 15 days off per year + federal/state/local public holidays + May 1/Nov 1/Dec 24/Dec 31 are company-wide paid days off - monthly stipend for Internet/phone costs and bi-yearly stipend for mobile device expenses - ClassPass subscription - extended access to OpenUp, a well-being platform, for you and your nearest & dearest. At Axelera AI, we wholeheartedly embrace equal opportunity and hold diversity in the highest regard. Our steadfast commitment is to cultivate a warm and inclusive environment that empowers and celebrates every member of our team. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to join us in shaping the future of AI.