Director, Forward Deployed Engineer

Archer; Manchester; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer is partnering with BNY to recruit a senior FDE leader who will guide complex delivery programs across business and platform domains. You will translate strategic opportunities into production-ready plans, set engineering priorities, and drive reusable patterns and governance across the function.

We seek 14+ years of software leadership, deep AI knowledge, and experience delivering in regulated environments. The role shapes enterprise delivery at scale in the UK.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related field; advanced degree is a plus.
• 14+ years of software development and technical leadership with production systems.
• Strong knowledge of AI, RAG, semantic search, and agent-based design.

Responsibilities

• Lead a portfolio of FDE engagements; set priorities and allocate engineering capacity.
• Be the senior technical voice in discovery with executive sponsors and business leaders.
• Own and evolve the FDE playbook; define standards, entry/exit criteria, handoff protocols.
• Drive reuse-first patterns; establish reference architectures and platform contributions.
• Set governance standards for secure-by-default practices, observability, and operability.
• Define the institutionalization model for forward deployment; ensure clear handoffs.
• Represent FDE to architecture, security, compliance, and senior tech leadership.
• Identify capability gaps and translate into actionable platform investment recommendations.
• Build and grow the FDE team; recruit and mentor senior engineers.
• Stay at the frontier of AI and regulated delivery; bring knowledge back to the function.

Skills

Java

TypeScript/JavaScript

Python

APIs

Containerization

Secure-by-default

Data/AI/Platform layers

Communication

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Engineering

Advanced degree beneficial

Job description

Archer is collaborating with BNY to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role.

In this role, you'll make an impact in the following ways:

• Lead a portfolio of FDE engagements across business and platform domains; set priorities, allocate engineering capacity, and ensure engagements are scoped to deliver measurable value within time-boxed windows.
• Serve as the senior technical voice in discovery with executive sponsors and business leaders; translate ambiguous, high-stakes opportunities into feasible, production-ready delivery plans.
• Own and evolve the FDE playbook: define discovery-to-production standards, engagement entry and exit criteria, handoff protocols, and working norms that govern how the team operates.
• Drive the reuse-first mandate across the FDE team: establish patterns for when to build, extend, or standardize; ensure field learnings are converted into firm-wide reference architectures and platform contributions.
• Set quality and governance standards for the FDE function: secure-by-default practices, observability, testability, and operational readiness expectations applied consistently across all engagements.
• Define the institutionalization model for forward deployment: ensure every engagement ends with a clear handoff, documented ownership, and a capable owning team — not a dependency on FDE.
• Represent the FDE function to architecture, control, security, compliance, and senior technology leadership; shape firm-wide AI and platform strategy based on production delivery evidence.
• Identify capability gaps and platform investment opportunities surfaced through FDE field work; translate these into actionable recommendations for platform and engineering leadership.
• Build and grow the FDE team: recruit, develop, and retain senior engineers; set a high technical bar and a culture of disciplined, evidence-backed delivery.
• Stay at the frontier of AI, platform engineering, and regulated delivery practices; bring that knowledge back into the function and the broader technology organization.

To be successful in this role, we're seeking the following:

• Basic Qualifications Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent work experience required; advanced degree is beneficial.
• 14+ years of software development and technical leadership experience, including direct accountability for production systems and cross-functional delivery programs; experience in the securities or financial services industry is a plus. Strong foundational understanding of modern AI and agentic application patterns, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), semantic search, and agent-based system design. Hands-on experience building backend services, APIs, and production systems. Experience working across architecture, data, and platform concerns rather than only within a narrow laye.

Preferred Qualifications

• Track record of building or scaling a delivery capability (e.g., solutions engineering, forward deployment, platform engineering) within a large enterprise or regulated environment.
• Demonstrated experience delivering AI, data, or workflow-heavy solutions at scale in regulated environments, with accountability for production outcomes. Strong systems-thinking and architecture judgment across services, data, and infrastructure; able to evaluate and influence technology choices at a divisional level.
• Experience defining and operating delivery standards, playbooks, or center-of-excellence functions.
• Experience balancing speed with governance, security, and operational rigor across a team or portfolio.
• Deep familiarity with reusable platform patterns, internal developer platforms, and productized infrastructure.

Technical Skills

• Strong software engineering skills in one or more of: Java, TypeScript/JavaScript, Python.
• Experience with APIs, service integration, and secure-by-default engineering practices.
• Ability to work across data, AI, workflow, and platform layers as needed. Comfort using modern AI tooling pragmatically without confusing prototypes for production systems.
• Familiarity with application frameworks and containerization.

Non-Technical Skills

• Exceptional written and verbal communication; able to advise and influence senior business and technology executives.
• Strong strategic and product judgment: knows which opportunities are worth pursuing and which are not.
• Proven ability to lead across matrixed organizations and build alignment without formal authority.
• Structured tradeoff thinking at portfolio scale, balancing risk, speed, and long-term platform health.
• Bias toward action with disciplined follow-through and strong artifact discipline.

People Leadership

• Leads, grows, and retains a team of senior engineers; sets technical standards and delivery culture for the FDE function.
• Develops talent pipelines and mentors engineers toward greater technical and delivery autonomy.
• Influences technology implementation and forward-deployed delivery standards across large IT divisions.

At BNY, our culture allows us to run our company better and enables employees’ growth and success. As a leading global financial services company at the heart of the global financial system, we influence nearly 20% of the world’s investible assets. Every day, our teams harness cutting-edge AI and breakthrough technologies to collaborate with clients, driving transformative solutions that redefine industries and uplift communities worldwide. Recognized as a top destination for innovators, BNY is where bold ideas meet advanced technology and exceptional talent. Together, we power the future of finance – and this is what is all about. Join us and be part of something extraordinary.