Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - NYC
Works directly with LLMs and generative models to deploy AI systems in production, emphasizing field-driven iteration and rapid model-informed product changes.
About the Role
Forward Deployed Engineer at OpenAI based in New York, responsible for leading end-to-end deployments of frontier models in production with strategic customers. The role owns technical scoping, system design, full-stack implementation, and production rollout while partnering with customer engineering and cross-functional teams.
Job Description
Role
Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) lead complex end-to-end deployments of frontier models in production alongside strategic customers. You will own discovery, technical scoping, system design, implementation, and production rollout, partnering directly with customer engineering and domain teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Own technical delivery across multiple deployments from prototype to stable production.
- Build full-stack systems that deliver customer value and generate learnings for product and research.
- Embed with customer teams to understand needs and guide adoption.
- Scope work, sequence delivery, remove blockers, and make trade-offs between scope, speed, and quality.
- Contribute code directly when necessary and codify working patterns into tools or playbooks.
- Share field feedback to inform Research and Product on model behavior and product impact.
- Maintain clarity and follow-through to keep cross-functional teams moving.
Requirements
- 5+ years of engineering or technical deployment experience that includes customer-facing work.
- Experience scoping and delivering complex systems in fast-moving or ambiguous environments.
- Ability to write and review production-grade code across frontend and backend using Python, JavaScript, or comparable stacks.
- Experience building or deploying systems powered by LLMs or generative models and understanding how model behavior affects product experience.
- Strong communication skills with engineers, product teams, and customer stakeholders.
- Ability to identify risks early, make sound decisions under pressure, and model calm judgment in high-stakes situations.
Location & Work Model
- Role based in New York (hybrid): expected 3 days in-office per week.
- Relocation assistance offered.
- Travel up to 50% required.
Collaboration
- Work closely with Product, Research, Partnerships, GRC, Security, and GTM teams.