AI Forward Engineering Lead — Hands-On, Client‑Facing

EY; Columbus (OH); Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Medical and dental coverage

Pension and 401(k)

Flexible vacation policy

Job summary

EY is seeking a Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to own end-to-end delivery of AI-native systems for a single client in regulated industries. The role embeds with the client, stays hands-on, and drives production-ready solutions while balancing tradeoffs and stakeholder trust.

You will lead a small cell, guide technical direction, and ensure safety, cost controls, and regulatory compliance as the engagement delivers real business outcomes.

Qualifications

• 8+ years delivering complex enterprise systems.
• 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, or solutions-architecture roles.
• 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 software delivery lifecycle, quality gates, and production readiness in enterprise settings.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end outcome delivery for the cell, including scoping, tradeoffs, technical direction, and production readiness.
• Embed directly with the client to define real problems and translate needs into executable technical solutions.
• Serve as the primary technical interface and trusted advisor to client stakeholders.
• Stay hands-on, designing and building critical parts of the solution when needed.
• Deploy, adapt, and stabilize solutions in the client environment with production readiness accountability.
• Direct the work of the cell’s Implementation Engineer and Data Engineer for coherent outcomes.
• Ensure deployments meet safety, integrity, and cost constraints with appropriate approvals.

Skills

Hands-on engineering

AI-enabled systems

Client-facing

Technical leadership

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Cloud platforms

Distributed systems

Orchestration frameworks

LLM-backed services

Job description

EY is seeking a Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to own end-to-end delivery of AI-native systems for a single client in regulated industries. The role embeds with the client, stays hands-on, and drives production-ready solutions while balancing tradeoffs and stakeholder trust.

You will lead a small cell, guide technical direction, and ensure safety, cost controls, and regulatory compliance as the engagement delivers real business outcomes.