EY - GDS Consulting - AI And DATA - Forward Deployed Engineer - Senior Manager

EY; Bengaluru Urban; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Coaching and feedback from colleagues

Skill development opportunities

Flexibility to shape your role

Job summary

EY is seeking a Senior Manager for Forward Deployed Engineering in its AI & Data group in India. The role involves leading end-to-end deployments of AI/GenAI solutions at client sites, translating business problems into production-grade systems, and collaborating with enterprise stakeholders.

The candidate should have 12+ years of hands-on engineering experience, expert Python, and a proven track record delivering complex, scalable AI projects across hyperscalers and enterprise data platforms.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of software engineering, data engineering, or AI/ML experience.
• Hands-on experience deploying production-grade systems.
• Expert-level Python for large-scale apps.
• Delivery experience in client-facing, high-ambiguity environments.
• Strong distributed systems, microservices, APIs and cloud-native knowledge.
• Ability to own complex initiatives end-to-end.
• Excellent communicator with clients and technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Translate complex problems into GenAI solutions with clients.
• Own end-to-end solution delivery from discovery to production.
• Advise senior client stakeholders as a trusted technical expert.
• Design and build LLM-powered apps, copilots, and RAG systems.
• Integrate AI solutions with enterprise data platforms and APIs.
• Optimize latency, cost, accuracy, scalability, security, and compliance.
• Turn PoCs into production-grade platforms with rapid iteration.
• Architect scalable, observable cloud-native systems.
• Develop reusable accelerators and best practices for GenAI adoption.

Skills

Python

Distributed systems

Microservices

APIs

Cloud-native architectures

LLM APIs

Prompt engineering

RAG architectures

Vector databases

Agentic workflows

Client interaction

Production-grade systems

Tools

OpenAI

Claude

Cursor

Palantir

Azure

AWS

GCP

Job description

Job Description

At EY, you’ll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale, support, inclusive culture and technology to become the best version of you. And we’re counting on your unique voice and perspective to help EY become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all.

EY – GDS – AI & Data – Senior Manager – Forward Deployed Engineer

As part of our EY-GDS AI & Data team, we help our clients solve complex business challenges with the help of AI, Automation, Data Engineering technology. We drive value and discover opportunities in key business and functions like Banking, Insurance, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Retail, Manufacturing and Auto, Supply Chain, and Finance.

The opportunity

We are seeking a Senior Manager for Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) with 12+ years of deep, hands‑on engineering experience to design, build, and deploy AI-powered solutions directly with clients. This role is ideal for an elite individual contributor who thrives in ambiguous environments, prefers building real systems over managing teams, and can translate business problems into production‑grade AI solutions. The individual should have worked on GenAI, AI/ML, Data Science solutions on multiple proprietary enterprise AI tech stacks along with Hyperscalers, Platform AI tech stack.

Role Purpose

• Lead complex end-to-end deployments in production at strategic customers.
• Act as a forward-deployed technical owner, responsible for taking ambiguous ideas from concept → prototype → production.
• Lead the discovery, design, development, and deployment of high-impact AI / GenAI-powered solutions in close collaboration with client stakeholders.
• Build LLM-driven applications, RAG systems, and agentic workflows that demonstrate measurable business value.
• Drive innovation by creating reusable accelerators, frameworks, and reference implementations for enterprise GenAI deployments.
• Enable rapid experimentation and large-scale adoption of AI, data, and cloud platforms through hands‑on engineering leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with client business and engineering teams to translate complex problems into executable GenAI solutions.
• Own solution delivery end‑to‑end, from discovery and architecture through production deployment.
• Act as a trusted technical advisor to senior and executive client stakeholders.
• Design and build LLM‑powered applications, including copilots, assistants, RAG systems, and agentic workflows.
• Integrate GenAI solutions with enterprise data platforms, APIs, and external systems.
• Optimize solutions across latency, cost, accuracy, scalability, security, and compliance.
• Convert PoCs into production‑grade, enterprise‑ready platforms through rapid iteration and feedback.
• Architect scalable, reliable, and observable systems using cloud‑native patterns.
• Develop reusable accelerators, reference architectures, and best practices for enterprise GenAI adoption.

Required Skills & Experience

Mandatory

• 12+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, or AI/ML.
• Strong hands‑on experience building, deploying, and operating production‑grade systems.
• Expert‑level proficiency in Python for large‑scale, high‑performance applications.
• Proven delivery experience in client‑facing and high‑ambiguity environments.
• Solid foundation in distributed systems, microservices, APIs, and cloud‑native architectures.
• Demonstrated ability to independently own and deliver complex, high‑impact initiatives.
• Excellent communicator, effective with both technical teams and business stakeholders and should have worked directly with clients.

Desired / Preferred

• Hands‑on experience with LLM APIs and prompt engineering, RAG architectures and vector databases, Agentic workflows and orchestration frameworks
• Experience integrating AI systems with enterprise data platforms.
• Exposure to AI ecosystem – OpenAI, Claude, Cursor, Palantir, and many others along with Hyperscalers – Azure, AWS, GCP, and similar ecosystem.
• Experience with DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure automation.
• Consulting, global delivery, or field engineering experience.
• Prior Forward Deployed Engineer / Solutions Engineer / Field Engineer background.
• Experience building 0 → 1 AI or data products.
• Exposure to MLOps practices and model monitoring.
• Frontend or UI exposure for AI-driven applications.

What This Role Is NOT

• Not a people management role
• Not a delivery governance or program management role
• Not limited to architecture reviews — you are expected to build and ship

What we look for

• Deep technical expertise with genuine enthusiasm for building and learning.
• Strong ownership mindset with bias toward action.
• Comfort in fast‑moving, unstructured environments.
• Strong communication with both engineers and business leaders.

Success Metrics (First 6–12 Months)

• Deliver 2–4 production‑grade AI use cases for clients
• Demonstrate measurable business impact (efficiency, revenue, cost savings)
• Establish credibility as a go‑to FDE for complex engagements
• Create reusable patterns for scaling similar solutions

What working at EY offers

At EY, we’re dedicated to helping our clients, from start‑ups to Fortune 500 companies — and the work we do with them is as varied as they are.

You get to work with inspiring and meaningful projects. Our focus is education and coaching alongside practical experience to ensure your personal development. We value our employees, and you will be able to control your own development with an individual progression plan. You will quickly grow into a responsible role with challenging and stimulating assignments. Moreover, you will be part of an interdisciplinary environment that emphasizes high quality and knowledge exchange.

• Support, coaching and feedback from some of the most engaging colleagues around
• 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 | Building a better working world

EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.