Toronto - Forward Deployed Engineer - Rapid Innovation Lab

EY; Toronto; On-site; CAD 91,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Medical coverage

Pension plan

Vacation policy

Paid holidays and personal days

Total Rewards program

Job summary

EY Toronto’s Rapid Innovation Lab seeks a Forward Deployed Engineer to rapidly prototype, validate and deploy AI-powered solutions that transform how tax and business teams operate. You will embed with professionals to identify opportunities, build agent-based workflows and integrate AI into business processes using cutting-edge tools.

You’ll coach others and push scalable, secure AI-enabled outcomes. Ideal candidates demonstrate fluency with AI-assisted development tools, experience delivering

Qualifications

• Fluency with AI-assisted development tools as a primary way of working.
• Experience building or operationalizing AI agents, agentic workflows, copilots, or Generative AI solutions in business environments.
• A portfolio of things you have built and shipped quickly, such as side projects or workplace tools, with real users or measurable impact.

Responsibilities

• Prototype and iterate on AI-powered solutions, intelligent agents and workflow automations using AI tools to move from idea to working demo in days.
• Embed with tax and business teams to understand challenges and identify high-value processes worth solving.
• Develop integrations between AI solutions, enterprise applications, APIs, data platforms, and business systems, including MCP servers.
• Hand off validated solutions to engineering and platform teams for deployment with clear documentation and runbooks.
• Troubleshoot and refine solutions during pilots based on user feedback and usage data.
• Define success metrics for each build and track results to decide scale or iteration.
• Apply Responsible AI standards to every build, including human review of AI-generated code and outputs.
• Collaborate with engineers, architects, and business teams to improve solution effectiveness, usability and adoption.
• Coach tax professionals to build and iterate on their own solutions with AI tools.
• Stay current on AI technologies, coding tools, agent frameworks and automation platforms.

Skills

AI tools

AI agents

Python

SQL

API integration

Cloud platforms

Debugging

Communication

Coaching

Tools

Claude Code

GitHub Copilot

Cursor

Job description

Toronto - Forward Deployed Engineer - Rapid Innovation Lab

Location: Toronto

Other locations: Primary Location Only

Requisition ID: 1760129

At EY, we’re all in to shape your future with confidence.

We’ll help you succeed in a globally connected powerhouse of diverse teams and take your career wherever you want it to go.

Join EY and help to build a better working world.

The opportunity

We are seeking a high-performing Forward Deployed Engineer to join our Rapid Innovation Lab and rapidly prototype, validate, and deploy AI-powered solutions that transform how tax and business teams operate. This role sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, AI-native development, and business transformation, turning practice pain points into working solutions in days rather than months. You will build with AI coding tools as your default way of working and help Tax professionals learn to build for themselves.

You will embed with tax professionals, business stakeholders, architects and technology teams to identify opportunities for automation, develop intelligent agent-based solutions, and integrate AI capabilities into business processes. The ideal candidate combines strong technical capabilities with a consultative mindset and a bias for speed and is passionate about deploying practical AI solutions that drive measurable business value. They care as much about whether a tool should exist as about how to build it.

If you don’t meet every requirement below but have a track record of building useful things quickly with AI, we encourage you to apply.

Your key responsibilities

• Rapidly prototype and iterate on AI-powered solutions, intelligent agents and workflow automations that support tax and business transformation initiatives, using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor) to move from idea to working demo in days.
• Embed with tax and business teams to understand challenges and identify high-value, repeatable processes worth solving.
• Develop custom integrations between AI solutions, enterprise applications, APIs, data platforms, and business systems, including MCP servers.
• Hand off validated solutions to engineering and platform teams for hardening and enterprise-scale deployment, with clear documentation and runbooks.
• Troubleshoot and refine solutions during pilots based on user feedback and usage data.
• Define success metrics for each build (e.g., hours saved, cost avoided, revenue enabled), track results, and recommend whether to scale, iterate, or stop.
• Apply firm security, data handling, and Responsible AI standards to every build, including human review of AI-generated code and outputs.
• Contribute reusable assets such as prompt libraries, templates, skills, and reference builds so the lab’s results compound over time.
• Collaborate with engineers, architects, and business teams to continuously improve solution effectiveness, usability and adoption.
• Coach tax professionals and other non-engineers to build and iterate on their own solutions with AI tools, acting as a force multiplier for the lab.
• Stay current on emerging AI technologies, AI coding tools, agent frameworks, and automation platforms to identify new opportunities for innovation.

Skills and attributes for success

• Demonstrated fluency with AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor) as a primary way of working, with sound judgment about when to trust and when to verify AI output.
• Hands‑on experience building, deploying or operationalizing AI agents, agentic workflows, copilots, or Generative AI solutions in business environments.
• A portfolio of things you have built and shipped quickly, such as side projects, hackathon entries, or workplace tools, ideally with real users or measurable impact.
• Practical software development skills using Python, SQL, or similar technologies.
• Experience with API development, integrations, and enterprise systems.
• Prompt and context engineering skills, including designing agent workflows and evaluating output quality.
• Experience working with cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud.
• Demonstrated ability to take solutions from concept and prototype to user adoption and measurable value, including knowing when to stop.
• Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and problem‑solving skills.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical concepts into practical business outcomes and to teach and coach colleagues without a technical background.
• Understanding of security, governance, risk management, and Responsible AI principles.

Ideally, you’ll also have

• Familiarity with low‑code or workflow automation platforms such as Microsoft Power Platform.
• Understanding of tax or professional services workflows.
• Training or experience in statistics, data science, or quality assurance, including experience with sampling methodologies, error‑rate analysis, and validating outputs across large data sets.

What we look for

We’re looking for a collaborative and proactive team player who brings strong communication and relationship‑building skills, along with a passion for AI, emerging technologies and business transformation. You’ll be someone who enjoys experimenting with new AI tools and ideas, is comfortable taking ownership and navigating ambiguity, and can move quickly to turn ideas into something useful and improve them based on feedback. Just as importantly, you value evidence over enthusiasm and are comfortable recommending when an idea should not be pursued.

This job posting relates to an existing vacancy within our organization.

What we offer

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business. In addition, our Total Rewards package allows you decide which benefits are right for you and which ones help you create a solid foundation for your future. Our Total Rewards package includes a discretionary bonus program, a comprehensive medical, prescription drug and dental coverage plan, a defined contribution pension plan, a great vacation policy plus firm paid days that allow you to enjoy longer long weekends throughout the year, statutory holidays and paid personal days (based on province of residence), and a range of exciting programs and benefits designed to support your physical, financial and social well‑being. Plus, we offer:

• Support and coaching from some of the most engaging colleagues in the industry
• Learning opportunities to develop new skills and progress your career
• The freedom and flexibility to handle your role in a way that’s right for you

EY reports salary ranges in accordance with applicable provincial pay transparency legislation. Individual salaries within the anticipated salary ranges noted below are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to internal equity, education, relevant experience, knowledge, and applicable skill sets.

• Senior Tax Staff: Toronto: $90,500 to $136,000
• Manager: Toronto: $114,000 to $171,000

Inclusiveness at EY

Inclusiveness is at the heart of who we are and how we work. We’re committed to fostering an environment where differences are valued, policies and practices are equitable, and our people feel a sense of belonging. We embrace diversity and are committed to combating systemic racism, advancing gender equity and women in leadership, advocating for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, promoting our neuroinclusion and accessibility initiatives, and are dedicated to amplifying the voices of Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) nationally as we strive towards reconciliation. Our diverse experiences, abilities, backgrounds, and perspectives make our people unique and help guide us. Because when people feel free to be their authentic selves at work, they bring their best and are empowered to build a better working world.

EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets.

Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.

EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.

At EY, we use artificial intelligence (AI) tools as one element of our recruitment process to enhance efficiency and improve the candidate experience. While AI supports us in our process, human judgment and decision-making remain integral in our candidate experience. We are committed to the responsible use of AI, and our practices are continuously reviewed and refined to ensure they align with the highest ethical principles and regulatory requirements.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.