Forward Deployed Engineer Intern – AI Implementation

Location: This is an onsite role based at Nextiva’s Scottsdale headquarters (9451 E. Via de Ventura, Scottsdale, AZ 85256). Working together onsite strengthens how we operate, enabling faster decisions, clearer communication, and stronger execution, so you can make a greater impact and move work forward with speed and clarity. 

In-Office Expectation: This role is expected to work onsite four days per week. Specific scheduling and flexibility will be guided by your leader to support both team collaboration and individual productivity. 

At Nextiva, we build technology that helps businesses create amazing customer experiences. Our AI-powered customer experience platform brings together voice, messaging, automation, and intelligence to help organizations work smarter and serve customers better.

As a Forward Deployed Engineer Intern, you'll work directly with customers as they begin using Nextiva Expert AI. You'll help transform business requirements into working AI Employees by configuring prompts, workflows, routing logic, and AI behaviors within our platform.

This internship combines customer interaction, AI implementation, and solution design. Rather than writing production code, you'll configure AI solutions using Nextiva's platform, helping customers see value from day one while learning how enterprise AI implementations work in real-world environments.

You'll receive structured onboarding and mentorship from experienced Forward Deployed Engineers, allowing you to build technical skills while developing customer-facing consulting experience.

What You'll Do

• Partner with Sales through live customer handoffs following product purchase.
• Guide customers through Xbert AI onboarding and initial platform setup.
• Configure AI Employees for common business use cases.
• Write and refine prompts that produce reliable, predictable AI responses.
• Build deterministic conversation flows and workflow logic.
• Configure greetings, routing, transfers, business hours, and after-hours experiences.
• Configure prebuilt tools and simple API-enabled functions within the platform.
• Test AI prompts, workflows, and customer experiences before deployment.
• Train customers on how to use and manage their AI Employees.
• Document customer requirements, configurations, implementation notes, and next steps.
• Recognize when customer requirements require deeper technical expertise and partner with the Forward Deployed Engineering team.
• Maintain clear customer communication throughout implementation.
• Share customer feedback with Product, Engineering, and internal stakeholders to improve the platform.

About You

You enjoy solving problems, learning new technology, and working directly with customers. You can explain technical concepts clearly and are excited about applying AI to real business challenges.

You have:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Confidence presenting technical concepts in a simple, customer-friendly way
• Experience writing prompts, building AI assistants, or creating prompt-based automations
• Foundational knowledge of large language models such as OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, or Llama
• Understanding of prompt engineering and how prompts influence model behavior
• Basic knowledge of APIs, including inputs, outputs, parameters, and common response patterns
• Familiarity with workflows, tool calling, or function calling concepts
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills
• A collaborative mindset and willingness to ask questions and learn
• Availability to work a schedule aligned with Arizona business hours

Nice to Have:

While not required, experience with any of the following is a plus:

• Python
• Low-code or no-code automation platforms
• Conversational AI or chatbot development
• API integrations
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
• Embeddings or vector databases
• AI evaluation frameworks, prompt testing, or model benchmarking

What You'll Gain:

• Hands-on experience implementing AI solutions for real customers
• Practical exposure to prompt engineering, AI workflows, tool calling, and customer onboarding
• Mentorship from experienced Forward Deployed Engineers
• Experience working at the intersection of AI, customer success, and solutions engineering
• The opportunity to contribute to customer implementations that deliver measurable business value

Nextiva DNA (Core Competencies)

Nextiva’s most successful team members share common traits and behaviors:

• Drives Results: Action-oriented problem solvers who quickly bring clarity and simplicity to ambiguity, challenge the status quo, and lead meaningful change; celebrating wins to fuel momentum. They act swiftly and pragmatically, learning and improving as they go.
• Critical Thinker: Data-driven, forward-thinking individuals who identify key drivers, anticipate risks, and deliver clear recommendations. They confidently leverage AI and automation to reduce friction, improve decision-making, and focus on higher-value work.
• Right Attitude: Collaborative, competitive, and resilient team players who jump in to solve tough problems, learn from setbacks, and foster a culture of service, respect, and care for customers and teammates.

Our Total Rewards offerings are designed to allow Nexties to take care of themselves and their families so they can be their best, in and out of the office. 

Our compensation packages are tailored to each role and candidate's qualifications. We consider a wide range of factors, including skills, experience, training, and certifications, when determining compensation. We aim to offer competitive salaries or wages that reflect the value you bring to our team. Depending on the position, compensation may include base salary and/or hourly wages, incentives, or bonuses. 

• 🍏 Health: Multiple health plan options to suit your needs, including medical, dental, vision, and telemedicine coverage 
• 💼 Insurance: Life, disability, and supplemental indemnity plans 
• ⚖️ Work-Life Balance: Flexible Time Off for salaried employees, PTO for hourly employees, Paid Sick Time, Paid Parental Bonding Leave, and holiday pay
• 💰 Financial Security: 401(k) with company match, Health Savings Accounts with company contributions, Dependent Care FSA 
• 🤸‍ Wellness: Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and comprehensive wellness initiatives 
• 🌱 Growth: Access to ongoing learning and development opportunities and career advancement 

At Nextiva, we're committed to supporting our employees' health, well-being, and professional growth. Join us and build a rewarding career!  

Nextiva is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Nextiva participates in the E-Verify Program where and as required by law. For additional information about E-Verify visit USCIS. 

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