Department: Forward Deployed Engineering | Job Type: Full-time | Location: Mumbai
About the role
The automotive and manufacturing sector is at an inflection point. OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and industrial manufacturers are under pressure to deploy AI across production lines, supply chains, dealer networks, and aftermarket operations. Most of them do not have the internal capability to make it happen at production grade.
Vishleshan has spent over 20 years building enterprise platforms inside this sector. We have deployed digital systems across vehicle assembly, spare parts commerce, dealer networks, field service operations, and supply chain execution for some of India's largest automotive and industrial organisations. Now we are building our Forward Deployed Engineering practice to take AI into the same environments: embedded, hands-on, and production-ready in 90 days.
As Head of AI Forward Deployed Engineering for Automotive and Manufacturing, you will build and lead this practice from the ground up. You will own the methodology, the team, and the outcomes, combining deep domain knowledge of automotive and industrial operations with the ability to deploy frontier AI into complex enterprise environments. This is not a consulting role. You will be inside the client, driving AI from ambition to production.
What you will do
Build and lead Vishleshan's FDE practice focused on automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and industrial manufacturers across India and globally
Define the deployment methodology, playbooks, and 90-day production framework for AI engagements in manufacturing environments
Hire, develop, and manage a team of Senior FDEs and FDEs with domain expertise in automotive and industrial operations
Work directly inside enterprise client environments, at the plant floor, in the supply chain, and across dealer and aftermarket networks, to identify where AI creates the highest business impact
Lead executive-level client relationships across CTO, CDO, and Head of Manufacturing stakeholders at Fortune 500 automotive and industrial organisations
Design and oversee deployment of AI agents, agentic workflows, and intelligent systems integrated with MES, ERP, SCADA, dealer management systems, and legacy manufacturing platforms
Leverage Vishleshan's existing platforms including Vidura Agentic Platform, assembly management, replenishment and flow, and aftermarket commerce as the foundation for AI deployments
Collaborate with Vishleshan's product and AI teams to feed real deployment learnings back into platform development
Own commercial outcomes for the practice including client retention, expansion, and new engagement development within the automotive and manufacturing vertical
What we are looking for
12+ years of enterprise technology experience with a significant portion in automotive, industrial manufacturing, or supply chain environments
Proven track record leading forward deployed, embedded, or professional services engineering teams inside enterprise client environments
Deep understanding of automotive and manufacturing operations including assembly, supply chain, quality management, dealer networks, aftermarket, and field service at a level where you can immediately identify AI deployment opportunities without a learning curve
Hands-on experience with enterprise AI including LLMs, agentic frameworks, RAG pipelines, and production deployment, not just at a conceptual level
Experience integrating AI with SAP, Oracle, MES, SCADA, DMS, or other automotive and industrial enterprise systems
Ability to own and grow senior executive client relationships across CTO, CDO, VP Engineering, and Head of Manufacturing
Strong commercial instinct and comfort operating at the intersection of delivery and sales
Fluency in English required. Additional languages relevant to automotive manufacturing markets are an advantage
Nice to have
Prior experience at a forward deployed engineering firm, applied AI company, or enterprise AI consultancy
Experience deploying AI in regulated or safety-critical manufacturing environments
Network within India's automotive OEM ecosystem across major vehicle manufacturers, commercial vehicle companies, and Tier 1 suppliers.
Understanding of agentic AI infrastructure and governance frameworks with familiarity with MCP, or similar platforms being a strong advantage
About Vishleshan AI
We are an enterprise AI-native digital solutions company that helps enterprises deploy and scale AI in production. We build Agentic AI and LLM applications for global Fortune 500 enterprises across automotive, FMEG, and power utilities. Our Forward Deployed Engineers embed directly inside client environments, shipping production AI in weeks. 20+ years of enterprise technology experience. 300+ digital products delivered.
To learn more, follow Vishleshan AI on LinkedIn.
