AI Forward Engineering Lead — Client-Facing, Outcome-Driven

EY; Chantilly (VA); Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Total Rewards package

Medical and dental coverage

Job summary

EY seeks an experienced Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to own end-to-end delivery of AI-native systems for a single client in regulated industries. This hands-on role embeds with the client, setting technical direction, managing stakeholders, and delivering production-grade solutions under real constraints.

You’ll lead a small, senior cell, interfacing with the client, driving tradeoffs, and ensuring risk-aware execution while maintaining hands-on coding when needed.

Qualifications

• 8+ years delivering complex enterprise systems.
• Hands-on engineering 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 lead a small technical team while remaining an individual contributor.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills in high-pressure client contexts.
• Solid understanding of software delivery lifecycle, quality gates, and production readiness.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end outcome delivery for the cell, including scoping, tradeoffs, technical direction, and production readiness.
• Embed directly with the client to translate business needs into executable technical 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 within the client environment.
• Deploy, adapt, and stabilize solutions in the client environment, ensuring release readiness and runtime accountability.
• Direct the work of the cell’s Implementation Engineer and Data Engineer to deliver a coherent, production-grade outcome.
• Ensure every deployment meets safety, integrity, and cost constraints, partnering with control authorities.

Skills

Outcome ownership

Client presence

Hands-on engineering

Technical judgment

Communication skills

Autonomy

Pragmatic mindset

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in CS

Job description

EY seeks an experienced Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to own end-to-end delivery of AI-native systems for a single client in regulated industries. This hands-on role embeds with the client, setting technical direction, managing stakeholders, and delivering production-grade solutions under real constraints.

You’ll lead a small, senior cell, interfacing with the client, driving tradeoffs, and ensuring risk-aware execution while maintaining hands-on coding when needed.