Forward Deployed AI Chapter Lead

NestAI; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Option Program (ESOP)

Occupational healthcare

Epassi Flex benefit

Holiday allowance

Phone benefit

Mac or PC choice

Regular team lunches

Job summary

NestAI in Helsinki is seeking a Forward Deployed AI Chapter Lead. You will own the technical bar and people development for a chapter of AI/ML engineers, coaching them in field deployments and ensuring high-quality engineering across multiple client engagements.

You’ll recruit, mentor, and advance engineers while staying close to field realities. A strong background in defence/aerospace AI, ownership mindset, and the ability to work at pace are essential.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in AI/ML engineering or applied research
• 3+ years in formal people management or leadership roles
• Strong track record of hiring, mentoring, and retaining AI/ML engineers or researchers
• Credible in modern AI/ML practice (model development, deployment or applied research)
• Comfortable without being the named technical owner of a deployment

Responsibilities

• Own the technical bar for the chapter and define what good AI/ML engineering looks like
• Carry line management for a chapter of engineers; recruit, coach, and develop talent
• Balance staffing across deployments balancing business needs with team wellbeing
• Lead initiatives as a technical contributor without day-to-day ownership of a deployment
• Spend regular time in the field coaching engineers and reviewing quality
• Bridge between Engineering, Product and your chapter to feed field realities

Skills

AI/ML engineering

People management

Hiring

Mentoring

Field engineering

Defence/aerospace

Ownership

High pace

Job description

NestAI builds the adaptive operating system for modern battlefield operations. Most AI systems are built once, validated at deployment, and expected to stay sufficient after that. That assumption holds until conditions change, and in defence, they always do. Our team develops adaptive intelligence for unmanned and command systems: AI that continuously learns from operational data and adapts to changing conditions, deployed in environments where there is no internet, no GPS, and failure is not an option. NestOS, our open, modular, and interoperable platform, enables this at scale and keeps capability evolution under sovereign European control.

Founded in 2025 by Peter Sarlin, whose previous company Silo AI became Europe’s largest AI acquisition, NestAI has grown to over 200 engineers and scientists and partners with leading European defence forces and industry. We’re ambitious about what we’re building and honest with each other. The bar is high, and so are the standards we hold ourselves to. But this is also a place built on humility, trust, and looking after each other. If that sounds like the kind of work you want to do, keep reading.

Join us as an Forward Deployed AI Chapter Lead

As an AI Chapter Lead, you’ll own the technical bar and the people development for a chapter of Forward Deployed Engineers with AI/ML backgrounds, working across multiple concurrent client engagements. You’ll be present in the field regularly, coaching your engineers and reviewing technical quality, but you won’t be the named technical owner of any single deployment, that sits with the Forward Deployment Lead running each engagement. Your job is to make sure the people and the practices behind every engagement are as strong as they can be.

What you’ll work on

Day-to-day responsibilities include:

• Own the technical bar for your chapter: define what good AI/ML engineering looks like and make sure standards and practices actually hold up in practice
• Carry line management responsibility for a chapter of Forward Deployed Engineers with AI/ML backgrounds working across multiple concurrent client engagements. Own recruitment, continuous coaching, performance development, and career growth for your team, and help build out chapter-level people processes and progression paths that are still taking shape as we scale.
• Contribute to staffing and balancing engineers across active deployments, weighing business needs against individual wellbeing and professional growth targets.
• Support specific projects or initiatives as a technical contributor, including leading teams on initiatives, without being formally allocated to day-to-day customer delivery
• Spend regular time in the field alongside your engineers, coaching, unblocking, reviewing technical quality, and stepping in during high-stakes moments, without being the named technical owner of any single deployment.
• Stay close enough to the field context to coach your chapter effectively, understanding what they encounter on customer deployments even though you’re not delivering it yourself
• Act as a bridge between Engineering, Product, and your chapter, feeding field realities back into how the team and practices evolve

What we’re looking for

If your background doesn’t match every requirement but the work resonates with you, we’d encourage you to apply. How you think, learn, and take ownership matters more to us than ticking every box. Here is what we are looking for:

• 8+ years of experience in AI/ML engineering or applied research, with 3+ years in formal people management or leadership roles
• Strong track record of hiring, mentoring, and retaining high-performing AI/ML engineers or researchers in fast-moving, ambiguous environments
• Technically credible in modern AI/ML practice (model development, deployment, or applied research) to set a real bar for your chapter
• Comfortable operating without being the named technical owner of a deployment, while staying close enough to the field to coach effectively
• Genuine understanding of, or strong interest in, customer-facing/field engineering contexts
• Ability to build people frameworks and team processes from the ground up
• Prior background in physical AI, robotics, or defence/aerospace technology is a strong plus
• Work alongside over 200 engineers and scientists, including 60+ PhDs. People who’ve built AI platforms, autonomous systems, and defence technology across Europe. Most of our people say the best thing about NestAI is the people you get to work with.
• Work with real ownership. You identify what needs building, talk to the right people, and ship. Ownership here is the expectation, not a talking point.
• Work at a pace where Monday’s idea can be Friday’s deployment. The problems we’re solving are urgent, so the culture reflects it.
• Work on systems that must operate with no connectivity, no GPS, and no margin for error. The problems we’re solving are technically hard, genuinely novel, and they sit at the intersection of AI and the physical world.
• Work at a company where the platform, the practices, and the standards are all being built right now. The people here get to define how things work and how they scale.

What we offer

We offer practical benefits to support your work and wellbeing:

• The chance to participate in the NestAI Employee Stock Option Program (ESOP)
• Occupational healthcare (currently provided by Mehiläinen)
• Epassi Flex benefit for sports, culture, commuting, and wellbeing
• Holiday allowance (50% of holiday salary)
• Phone benefit (subscription and device per company policy)
• Your choice of Mac or PC
• Regular team lunches and company events

We are continuously developing our benefits offering as we grow.

Good to know

This role requires a security clearance, which is standard for defence industry positions in Finland. The process is handled by the relevant authority and typically takes two to three months. You can start working at NestAI before the clearance is finalised. We are happy to answer any questions about the process during the recruitment.

Relocation support is considered on a case-by-case basis.

NestAI is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate all applicants on their skills, experience, and potential, regardless of background, identity, or personal characteristics. We believe the best teams are built from diverse perspectives, and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can do meaningful work.