Forward-Deployed AI Engineering Lead

Avanade; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Avanade is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer Lead Practitioner to set the standard for turning business ambition into deployed AI outcomes. This player-coach role spans solution architecture and engineering leadership across the FDE track, partnering with executives and domain experts to translate opportunities into production-grade solutions.

Based in Australia, you will drive reference architectures, define engineering standards, and help grow the FDE career pathway while ensuring production

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software or AI engineering with production responsibility.
• Hands-on agentic engineering including orchestration, retrieval and evaluation.
• Strong command of the Microsoft AI stack or equivalent.
• Experience hiring engineers at volume and pace.
• Client-facing credibility in forward-deployed roles.

Responsibilities

• Partner with clients and architects to translate priorities into AI-enabled solutions.
• Define production-grade architectures and delivery plans.
• Own engineering standards for the FDE track and platform reuse.
• Lead the FDE career pathway and enablement model.
• Deploy onto complex client mandates to achieve production outcomes.
• Collaborate with platform and product leads to ensure repeatable foundations.

Skills

AI engineering

Agentic engineering

Microsoft AI stack

Production systems

Engineering leadership

Hiring engineers

Client-facing

Job description

Avanade is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer Lead Practitioner to set the standard for turning business ambition into deployed AI outcomes. This player-coach role spans solution architecture and engineering leadership across the FDE track, partnering with executives and domain experts to translate opportunities into production-grade solutions.

Based in Australia, you will drive reference architectures, define engineering standards, and help grow the FDE career pathway while ensuring production