Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - NYC

OpenAI
NYC2025-11-07Hybrid

About the job

Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) lead complex end-to-end deployments of frontier models in production alongside our most strategic customers. You will own discovery, technical scoping, system design, build, and production rollout, partnering directly with customer engineering and domain teams.

Responsibilities

Own technical delivery across multiple deployments from first prototype to stable production

Build full-stack systems that deliver customer value and sharpen how we learn

Embed closely with customer teams, understand their needs, and guide adoption of what you build

Scope work, sequence delivery, and remove blockers early

Make trade-offs between scope, speed, and quality; adjust plans to protect delivery

Contribute directly in the code when progress or clarity depends on it

Codify working patterns into tools, playbooks, or building blocks that others can use

Share field feedback that helps Research and Product understand where the models succeed and where they can improve

Keep teams moving through clarity and follow-through

Qualifications

Minimum

Bring 5+ years of engineering or technical deployment experience that includes customer-facing work

Have scoped and delivered complex systems in fast-moving or ambiguous environments

Write and review production-grade code across frontend and backend using Python, JavaScript, or comparable stacks

Have built or deployed systems powered by LLMs or generative models and understand how model behaviour affects product experience

Simplify complexity and make fast, sound decisions under pressure

Communicate clearly with engineers, product teams, and customer stakeholders

Spot risks early and adjust without slowing down

Model calm and judgment when the stakes are high

Preferred

No preferred qualifications listed.