Portfolio Forward Deployment Engineer

We are currently recruiting a Portfolio Forward Deployment Engineer to support the practical deployment of AI initiatives across Waterland Private Equity’s portfolio companies, with an initial focus on Belgium and France.

In this role, you will help portfolio companies move from AI ambition to AI execution. Rather than focusing on strategy alone, you will work hands-on to identify high-impact use cases, develop and implement practical solutions, and ensure adoption by business teams.

You will work closely with Waterland’s investment and value creation teams, as well as management teams and functional stakeholders within our portfolio companies.

What will be your impact?

As a Portfolio Forward Deployment Engineer, you will play a key role in translating AI opportunities into measurable business impact across our portfolio.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Identifying, prioritising and implementing AI use cases with tangible impact on revenue growth, operational efficiency, margin improvement, customer experience and scalability;
• Mapping business processes and workflows to identify automation and AI opportunities;
• Translating business challenges into practical AI use cases and implementation plans;
• Defining business and technical requirements, including data availability, systems architecture, integrations and adoption requirements;
• Designing and executing pilots, proof-of-concepts and implementation roadmaps;
• Building, configuring, testing and deploying selected AI and automation solutions;
• Supporting vendor and technology selection where relevant, and challenging external providers on feasibility, scalability and value creation;
• Coordinating stakeholders across Waterland, portfolio company management teams, IT/data teams and external solution providers;
• Tracking business impact and supporting the embedding of successful solutions into day-to-day operations;
• Removing implementation barriers and ensuring AI initiatives move beyond concept into execution.

Be your true self

We are looking for a hands-on, entrepreneurial and commercially minded professional who enjoys turning ideas into practical solutions.

You bring the following experience and qualities:

• Approximately 3–5 years of experience in an AI implementation-focused role;
• Strong understanding of how AI solutions are designed and deployed in practice, including data architecture, integrations, workflow automation, model capabilities and implementation challenges;
• Experience with AI-enabled process automation, APIs, low-code / no-code tools, enterprise software implementation or data workflows;
• Strong coding skills in Python and familiarity with modern data and AI platforms such as Microsoft Fabric, Databricks or similar technologies;
• Ability to translate business challenges into concrete technical solutions;
• Strong prioritisation and project management skills, with a pragmatic approach and a clear focus on business value;
• Confidence in working with management teams, IT teams, data teams, software vendors and external developers;
• A hands-on mindset, with the willingness to work through the practical details needed to make solutions successful;
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities and drive execution in dynamic environments.

In addition, you:

• Are fluent in English and Dutch;
• Have a strong working knowledge of French, or are willing to operate in a French-speaking business environment;
• Are open to travelling regularly across Europe, primarily in Belgium and France.

What does success look like?

Success in this role means helping portfolio companies successfully move from AI ambition to AI execution by delivering:

• Clearly prioritised AI opportunities;
• Practical implementation roadmaps;
• Working pilots and deployed solutions;
• Strong adoption by business users;
• Measurable value creation across the portfolio.