AI Forward Deployed Cell Lead - Hands-On, Client-Facing

Ernst & Young Oman; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 262,000; Full time

Job summary

EY is seeking a Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to own end-to-end delivery of AI-native systems within a client engagement in regulated industries. The role embeds with the client, balancing hands-on coding with strategic technical leadership and stakeholder management.

You will guide a small cell, ensure production readiness, and maintain safety and cost controls while delivering measurable business outcomes in a complex environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years delivering complex enterprise systems in regulated or client-facing contexts.
• Hands-on engineering depth across integration-heavy architectures, cloud platforms and distributed systems.
• Experience with modern AI-enabled application stacks (e.g., agentic systems, orchestration frameworks, LLM-backed services).
• Proven ability to operate in forward-deployed, customer-facing roles, owning outcomes end to end.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a small technical team while remaining an individual contributor.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills including managing client expectations under pressure.
• Solid understanding of SDLC, quality gates and production readiness in enterprise settings.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery for the cell, including scoping, tradeoffs, and production readiness.
• Embed directly with the client to translate needs into executable solutions under regulatory constraints.
• Serve as the primary technical interface and trusted advisor to client stakeholders.
• Stay hands-on, designing and building critical parts of the solution.
• Deploy, adapt, and stabilize solutions in the client environment with production readiness.
• Direct the cell's Implementation and Data Engineers to deliver a coherent, production-grade outcome.
• Ensure deployments meet safety, integrity, and cost constraints with control authorities.

Skills

Outcome ownership

Client presence

Hands-on coding

Technical judgment

Communication

Autonomy

Team leadership

Education

CS degree

Job description

EY is seeking a Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to own end-to-end delivery of AI-native systems within a client engagement in regulated industries. The role embeds with the client, balancing hands-on coding with strategic technical leadership and stakeholder management.

You will guide a small cell, ensure production readiness, and maintain safety and cost controls while delivering measurable business outcomes in a complex environment.