Nelnet is a diversified and innovative company committed to enriching lives through the power of service as a student loan servicer, professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payments processor, renewable energy solutions, and K-12 and higher education expert. For over 40 years, Nelnet has been serving its customers, associates, and communities.

The perks of working at Nelnet go beyond our benefits package. When you join the Nelnet team, you're part of a community invested in the success of each individual. That support comes through in our work, as we are united by our mission of creating opportunities for people where they live, learn, and work.

This role is the primary technical bridge between Nelnet’s GenAI delivery team and the higher education and SLED (state, local, and education) institutions it serves. The Forward Deployed Engineer works directly with client technical stakeholders to scope solutions built on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (Google’s 2026 evolution of Vertex AI), translating requirements and technical compliance considerations into a scoped delivery backlog, and ensures the solutions being built map to real institutional needs rather than generic platform capabilities.
This role works in partnership with an Engagement Manager, who owns the overall client relationship, contract and commercial terms, staffing, and engagement reporting to practice leadership. The Forward Deployed Engineer owns the technical relationship: solution scoping, delivery backlog, and technical risk. This division of labor differentiates Nelnet’s GenAI practice from a standard Google Cloud reseller relationship, pairing commercial accountability with deep Google Cloud technical and domain credibility rather than folding both into a single role.
Compensation Range for this role: $140,000-$185,000 based on experience

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Discovery & Solution Scoping

Lead technical discovery with client stakeholders, translating institutional pain points into scoped, deliverable use cases on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform.
Run requirements-gathering sessions to define technical scope, success criteria, and delivery timelines, in coordination with the Engagement Manager.
Assess technical feasibility during the pre-sales cycle to help right-size proposed engagements; the Engagement Manager owns the commercial shape of the deal.

Delivery Backlog & Technical Translation

Build and maintain the delivery backlog, converting client requirements into clear, sequenced work for the GCP/Gemini Enterprise Engineer, Data Engineer, and AgentOps Engineer.
Prioritize backlog items against client timelines, contract commitments, and technical dependencies.
Serve as the connective layer between client-facing technical commitments and internal delivery capacity.
Validate that delivered solutions meet the acceptance criteria defined during scoping, serving as the client-facing quality gate before an engagement is considered complete.

Technical Compliance & Risk Surfacing

Identify and surface technical and data compliance requirements specific to higher education and SLED environments (e.g., FERPA data handling, state data privacy statutes, accessibility requirements) early in the solution design process.
Flag data governance, security, and technical risk to the Engagement Manager before it affects delivery timelines or client trust; contract-level and commercial compliance remain with the Engagement Manager and legal.
Ensure solution designs account for institutional compliance obligations rather than retrofitting them after build.

Domain Expertise & Trusted Advisory

Bring credible, first-hand understanding of higher education or SLED operating environments to client conversations.
Advise clients on realistic AI adoption paths given institutional constraints such as data readiness, system integration limits, and technical staff capacity.
Build trust with client technical stakeholders as a peer, not just a vendor representative.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with the GCP/Gemini Enterprise Engineer, Data Engineer, and AgentOps Engineer to ensure delivery plans are technically sound and achievable.
Partner with the Engagement Manager, providing technical status, risks, and backlog visibility so the Engagement Manager can

Forward Deployed Engineer at Nelnet