Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Seattle
About this role
Bridging the gap between cutting-edge research breakthroughs and reliable production systems is the primary challenge for this hire. OpenAI needs a Forward Deployed Engineer in Seattle to partner with strategic customers, translating frontier models into working deployments that drive measurable workflow impact.
Operating at the intersection of customer delivery and core platform development, this team member leads complex end-to-end deployments from discovery through production rollout. Daily work involves designing full-stack systems, writing production-grade code, and embedding closely with customer engineering teams to guide adoption while channeling field feedback back into product and model roadmaps.
Success in this function requires a strong blend of technical execution and client-facing communication. Ideal candidates are pragmatic engineers who can navigate ambiguity, manage competing trade-offs, and simplify complex technical hurdles under pressure.
What you will do
- Lead complex end-to-end deployments of frontier models in production alongside strategic customers.
- Own technical delivery across multiple deployments from the initial prototype to a stable production state.
- Build full-stack systems that deliver customer value and help shape future product roadmaps.
- Scope work, sequence delivery schedules, and proactively remove blockers early in the process.
- Write and contribute directly to code when progress or clarity depends on it.
- Codify working patterns into reusable tools, playbooks, and building blocks for others.
- Share field feedback with Research and Product teams to highlight model successes and areas for improvement.
What you need
- Bring at least five years of engineering or technical deployment experience that includes customer-facing work.
- Demonstrate a history of scoping and delivering complex systems in fast-moving or ambiguous environments.
- Write and review production-grade frontend and backend code using Python, JavaScript, or comparable stacks.
- Possess hands-on experience building or deploying systems powered by LLMs or generative models.
- Understand how model behavior affects product experience and make sound technical trade-offs under pressure.
- Communicate clearly with engineers, product teams, and external customer stakeholders.
Benefits
- Offers Equity
- Relocation assistance
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
Where is this role located and what is the remote policy?
This role is based in Seattle. The team uses a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week, and travel up to 50% is required.
What is the compensation and benefits structure?
The salary range is $185K to $300K with offers for equity. Relocation assistance is also provided.
What kind of technical stack and experience is required?
Candidates need 5+ years of engineering or technical deployment experience with customer-facing work. The role requires writing production-grade code across frontend and backend using Python, JavaScript, or comparable stacks, alongside experience with LLMs or generative models.