Forward Deployment Engineer

JR United Kingdom; Derby; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A well-funded AI start-up in London seeks a Founding Forward Deployment Engineer to lead the deployment of AI-driven solutions. This hybrid role blends software engineering, solution architecture, and customer-focused communication, offering the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology in a fast-paced environment. Ideal candidate will be based in London and have a top-tier academic background combined with strong technical skills and a product mindset.

Benefits

Generous equity stake

Direct impact on customer success and product direction

Work with a world-class team

Opportunity to define the deployment function

Qualifications

• 3+ years experience in technical roles, ideally in start-ups.
• Strong fundamentals in software engineering and system building.
• Outstanding communication skills for direct customer work.

Responsibilities

• Deploy AI solutions into real-world environments, shaping implementations.
• Collaborate with core engineering and ML teams for product feedback.
• Manage customer relationships to ensure successful rollouts.

Skills

Problem Solving

Communication

Software Engineering

Product Mindset

Education

Top-tier academic background (Oxbridge, Imperial or equivalent)

Tools

Python

Node.js

TypeScript

React

AWS

Job description

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An exceptional opportunity to join a well-funded, stealth-mode AI start-up in London as a Founding Forward Deployment Engineer. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, product, and customer success - perfect for someone who thrives in fast-paced environments and wants to have direct impact with users.

Founded by alumni from Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial, with multiple successful AI start-ups behind them, the team is building intelligent systems that are already drawing serious investor attention!

? About the Company:

This is a company led by a group of deeply technical founders with a proven track record in scaling applied AI products. With strong financial backing and a highly ambitious roadmap, they are combining cutting-edge machine learning with practical, scalable deployment across high-value use cases.

As a Founding Forward Deployment Engineer, you'll be right in the middle of that effort - helping customers realise value from day one, while influencing both product and technical direction.

? The Role:

You’ll be responsible for deploying AI-driven solutions into real-world environments, working directly with customers to understand their needs, shape implementations, and ensure fast, smooth rollouts. You’ll also collaborate closely with the core engineering and ML teams to feed back insights and drive product improvements.

This is a hybrid role blending software engineering, solution architecture, product thinking, and customer-facing communication.

?️ What You’ll Work With:

• Backend and integration work with Python, Node.js, and TypeScript
• Front-end work using React
• Cloud infrastructure via AWS
• APIs, data pipelines, and custom tooling for real-world deployments
• Opportunity to work with ML/AI systems at the integration level (no prior ML required, but a plus)

? What They’re Looking For:

• A top-tier academic background - Oxbridge, Imperial, or equivalent
• 3+ years of experience in technical roles, ideally in start-ups or high-growth environments
• Strong software engineering fundamentals and an ability to build robust, flexible systems
• Outstanding communication skills - you’ll work directly with customers and stakeholders
• A product mindset and eagerness to shape both UX and technical outcomes
• A proactive, problem-solving attitude - you love ambiguity and ownership
• Must be based in London and available to work on-site 5 days/week with the founding team

? What’s on Offer

• Generous equity stake - true founding engineer level
• Direct impact on customer success, product direction, and technical roadmap
• Work with a world-class team of engineers, ML experts, and operators
• A chance to define the deployment function at an AI company from day one

If you’re a highly capable engineer who loves solving problems at the interface between product and real-world deployment, and want to help build something that matters - this could be the role for you!