The Role
Lead on-site AI engagements for semiconductor partners: scope and run POCs, translate fab workflows into scalable AI products, drive pilot-to-production rollouts, ensure adoption, and lead a small team of forward-deployed engineers while coordinating with cross-functional AI, data, and software teams.
Summary Generated by Built In
The Forward Deployed Product Manager is a key member of the Gauss Labs team, embedded directly with our partners and customers across the full engagement lifecycle—leading proof-of-concept (POC) engagements end to end, defining the real-world data and process problems worth solving, translating them into AI products that scale, and driving their adoption, operation, and ongoing maintenance in production. The first and most important charter is to lead our collaboration with a leading semiconductor equipment partner—defining where our AI can create the most value in customer workflows—while broadening our footprint across integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and foundries. The Forward Deployed PM brings a product mindset, proactively solving customers' future problems, and serves as the team lead for Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs), while working closely with AI Scientists, Data Scientists, Software Engineers, and Product Managers located in Palo Alto, California, USA, and Seoul, South Korea.
Responsibilities
- Own and lead our top-priority engagement with a leading semiconductor equipment partner—learning their workflows in depth, identifying high-value AI opportunities, and driving them from concept to deployed solution
- Extend our customer footprint across IDMs and foundries, tailoring AI solutions to each customer's fab environment, process steps, and data realities
- Run customer POCs end to end—from initial scoping through on-site validation and into contract; define success criteria, manage scope/timelines, and prove measurable value on-site
- Drive production rollout and adoption after a successful POC—own the transition from pilot to production, define adoption metrics, and ensure customer engineers integrate and rely on the solution in daily workflows
- Work side by side with customer engineers/process owners to uncover bottlenecks in their data & manufacturing flow, and translate them into scalable product requirements
- Lead a small team of Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs)—set priorities, remove blockers, keep delivery anchored to customer value—while feeding field insights (edge cases, gaps) back into the core product roadmap and supporting business development for contract expansion
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, data science, statistics, physics, mathematics, industrial engineering, operations research, or another quantitative or technical discipline
- 7+ years’ experience in product management and/or solutions/deployment/customer-facing technical roles, including 3+ years owning products end-to-end and leading cross-functional teams.
- Demonstrated product mindset, with a track record of anticipating customer needs and shaping solutions that create value beyond the immediate ask
- Proven ability to drive end-to-end execution of complex engagements despite ambiguity and obstacles
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills across both technical and business audiences
- Willingness to be forward deployed, spending significant time on-site at customer fabs and equipment partners, including international travel
- Fluency in verbal and written English
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience in the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem—across IDMs, foundries, equipment makers, or adjacent process domains
- Familiarity with metrology, process control, yield, defect inspection, or equipment data, and with applying AI/ML to industrial or manufacturing data
- Experience in a forward-deployed, deployment-strategist, or solutions-architect model at an AI or enterprise software company
- Experience converting POCs into commercial contracts and scaling bespoke solutions into productized offerings
- Korean proficiency given our customer and team footprint
[Interview Process]
Application review - Phone interview - Virtual onsite interview - VP interview/Core Value interview - CEO interview
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a quantitative or technical discipline (engineering, CS, data science, statistics, physics, mathematics, industrial engineering, operations research, or similar)
- 7+ years experience in product management and/or solutions/deployment/customer-facing technical roles, including 3+ years owning products end-to-end and leading cross-functional teams
- Demonstrated product mindset with track record of anticipating customer needs and shaping solutions
- Proven ability to drive end-to-end execution of complex engagements despite ambiguity and obstacles
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills across technical and business audiences
- Willingness to be forward deployed with significant on-site and international travel to customer fabs and equipment partners
- Fluency in verbal and written English
- Direct experience in the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem (IDMs, foundries, equipment makers) or adjacent process domains
- Familiarity with metrology, process control, yield, defect inspection, or equipment data and applying AI/ML to industrial/manufacturing data
- Experience in forward-deployed, deployment-strategist, or solutions-architect models at AI or enterprise software companies
- Experience converting POCs into commercial contracts and scaling bespoke solutions into productized offerings
- Korean language proficiency
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The Company
What We Do
We normalize AI. Gauss Labs aims to revolutionize manufacturing by building industrial AI systems beyond human capabilities. Founded in August 2020 with two international locations in San Jose, CA, and Seoul, Korea, Gauss Labs is home to Gaussians who are enthusiastic about pursuing this goal under balanced and inspiring leadership.
