AI Agent PM at Cresta - $280K OTE + Equity Growth in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
This is a high-visibility, high-ownership role at a well-funded AI startup (Series C+, $270M raised, backed by a16z, Greylock, and Sequoia). The "Forward Deployed" framing signals a mix of product management and technical consulting — a hybrid skill set that is increasingly in demand as enterprise AI deployments proliferate.
Compensation context: The $170K–$280K OTE range with equity is competitive for a senior IC product/deployment role in the US. Market benchmarks for senior PMs at funded AI startups typically sit at $180K–$250K base. The inclusion of an OTE suggests a variable component tied to customer outcomes, which is unusual for PMs and reflects the revenue-driving accountability of this role.
Skills you'll build:
- Enterprise AI agent deployment and LLM productization — one of the most in-demand skill sets in 2024–2026.
- Executive stakeholder management at major enterprise clients (airlines, telecoms, hospitality).
- Cross-functional product leadership bridging GTM, engineering, and customer success.
Green flags: Stanford AI Lab pedigree, marquee enterprise clients, tight product feedback loop, equity upside at a growth-stage company, and a role that builds a genuinely rare hybrid profile.
Watch-outs: The role blends PM, solutions engineering, and customer success — boundaries may blur over time. Startup pace and ambiguity are explicitly called out, which suits builders but may frustrate those seeking clear scope. The OTE structure should be scrutinized to understand what percentage is variable and how it is measured.
Cresta unlocks the true potential of the customer experience, turning every conversation into a competitive advantage. Cresta's unified AI platform combines conversational AI agents, real-time human agent augmentation, and comprehensive conversation intelligence to drive revenue and efficiency gains across every channel. The world's leading companies, including United Airlines, Cox Communications, and Marriott, use Cresta to power world-class customer experiences every day.
Born from the Stanford AI Lab, Cresta has raised more than $270 million from the world's leading investors, including a16z, Greylock, and Sequoia. Cresta's leadership includes some of the leading minds in AI today. Our CEO, Ping Wu, founded and led Google's Contact Center AI and Vertex AI platforms before joining Cresta to build the future of AI-driven customer experiences.
Over the next few years, AI is going to redefine how people all over the world interact with businesses every day. Come build that future at Cresta.
About the Role:
As a Forward Deployed Product Manager, AI Agent, you will create, deploy, and optimize AI Agents that transform our customers' businesses and delight their customers. This highly cross-functional and customer-facing role blends product thinking, a nose for value, and project leadership with senior customer executives. At the end of the day, you own each AI Agent and the outcomes they drive for our customers, and you take that personally. You are a creative, pragmatic problem solver who thrives in fast-paced environments, rolls up your sleeves to build, and excels at turning ambiguity into execution.
In this role, you'll partner with Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) who will support the build, integrations, and optimization to make the AI Agent product successful. You'll also work closely with product and engineering, providing a tight feedback loop and custom tooling that will shape the future of our platform.
What You'll Do:
- Own AI Agent outcomes for our customers — defining and delivering on the metrics that move the needle. This includes finding additional automation opportunities that can provide even more value.
- Own the deployment lifecycle for AI Agents — from pre-sale scoping and kickoff to launch and post-go-live optimization.
- Design, build, test and iterate on AI agents in partnership with FDEs using Cresta's internal tools and the latest technologies to deliver the highest customer ROI.
- Lead customer relationships and act as the primary point of contact for AI Agent. Help prospects and customers move faster to ensure we can deliver quickly and effectively.
- Facilitate workshops and design sessions with customer stakeholders to align on agent use cases, workflows, and success criteria while gathering feedback to improve the AI agent platform.
- Work closely with FDEs to ensure smooth implementation, build new capabilities as needed, and provide feedback and improvements to our broader platform.
- Improve our playbooks for agent development and customer deployment.
What We're Looking For:
- 5+ years of experience in Technology Consulting, Implementations, Product, or Customer Success roles, ideally working closely with AI or LLM-first products.
- Hands-on work style – curiosity with a bias for action. You anticipate needs and bottlenecks and deliver with urgency and care.
- Experience leading complex deployments, owning customer relationships (including senior customer stakeholders), and working cross-functionally.
- Strong technical understanding, systems thinking, and exposure to building Agents (not necessarily conversational; personal projects count!).
- Comfortable working with ambiguity and learning quickly in a dynamic startup environment.
- Passion for AI, automation, and shaping the future of customer experience.
Bonus Points:
- Background in product management, conversation design, or forward deployed engineering roles.
- Experience in a startup or high-growth SaaS environment.
- Familiarity with customer support and contact center operations.
Perks & Benefits:
We offer a comprehensive and people-first benefits package to support you at work and in life:
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with plans to fit you and your family.
- Flexible PTO to take the time you need, when you need it.
- Paid parental leave for all new parents welcoming a new child.
- Retirement savings plan to help you plan for the future.
- Remote work setup budget to help you create a productive home office.
- Monthly wellness and communication stipend to keep you connected and balanced.
- In-office meal program and commuter benefits provided for onsite employees.
Compensation at Cresta
Cresta's approach to compensation is simple: recognize impact, reward excellence, and invest in our people. We offer competitive, location-based pay that reflects the market and what each individual brings to the table.
The posted base salary range represents what we expect to pay for this role in a given location. Final offers are shaped by factors like experience, skills, education, and geography. In addition to base pay, total compensation includes equity and a comprehensive benefits package for you and your family.
OTE Range: $170,000–$280,000 + Offers Equity
Our use of AI in recruiting: We may use AI tools in our recruiting process, which require human review and oversight. If you have questions about our use of AI or wish to opt out, please contact [email protected] (if you are opting out, please use the subject 'Opt-Out' in your email).
Recording & AI transcription: We do not authorize candidates to record or use AI transcription of any interview by phone, notetaker app, AI glasses, or other device. Candidates may request an exception or accommodation for review during the interview process as needed.
Recruiting impersonation scams: We have noticed a rise in recruiting impersonations across the industry, where scammers attempt to access candidates' personal and financial information through fake interviews and offers. All Cresta recruiting email communications will always come from the @cresta.ai domain. Any outreach claiming to be from Cresta via other sources should be ignored.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this role fully remote or does it require being in an office?
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What does 'Forward Deployed' mean in this context?
Does Cresta expect experience with AI agent building specifically?
