Director, Technical Lead Forward Deployed Engineer

Hobbsnews; Atlanta, Northern (GA, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

KPMG LLP is seeking a Director, Technical Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to join our Advisory Services practice in the United States. The role focuses on leading enterprise AI/system delivery, driving secure software development, and mentoring engineering teams across client engagements.

Ideal candidates bring a decade of production software leadership, hands-on AI expertise, and the ability to communicate effectively with executives and engineers while traveling as needed.

Qualifications

• 10+ years shipping end-to-end production secure software systems
• Bachelor's degree in science or engineering
• Deep, hands-on knowledge of modern AI technologies and methodologies with leadership experience
• 5+ years in hands-on leadership roles leading technical teams
• Excellent problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills to work with executives and engineers
• Domestic and global travel may be required
• Authorized to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship now or in the future

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction for the FDE team and scale delivery with account/industry teams
• Establish and enforce best practices for context engineering, evaluation, and operational readiness
• Provide hands-on leadership and mentorship, coaching engineers while contributing to the build
• Lead sessions with clients and cross-functional teams to design AI systems with measurable outcomes
• Drive delivery in a fast-paced, outcome-driven environment with short iteration cycles
• Promote modern development accelerators to increase delivery capacity and quality
• Uphold integrity and a respectful work environment and professional standards

Skills

Leadership

Mentorship

Strategic direction

Client collaboration

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Science or Engineering

Tools

Azure

GCP

AWS

Job description

The KPMG Advisory practice is at the forefront of transformation, offering excellent opportunities for individuals to advance their careers and expertise with KPMG. Looking ahead, we anticipate continued evolution and success within the practice, fostering both personal and professional development, thereby creating new pathways for growth. In this ever-changing market environment, our professionals must be adaptable and thrive in a collaborative, team-driven culture. At KPMG, our people are our number one priority. With a wealth of learning and career development opportunities, a world-class training facility, and leading market tools, we help our people continue to grow both professionally and personally. If you're looking for a firm with a strong team connection where you can be your whole self, have an impact, advance your skills, deepen your experiences, and have the flexibility and access to constantly find new areas of inspiration and expand your capabilities, then consider a career in Advisory.

KPMG is currently seeking a Director, Technical Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to join our Advisory Services practice.

Responsibilities

• Work with leadership to provide strategic direction for the FDE team, including working with account or industry teams to scale FDE delivery, setting technical expectations and standards for FDE delivery pods, and expanding the assets and tools for the FDE teams
• Champion production discipline for enterprise by establishing and enforcing best practices in context engineering, evaluation, and operational readiness; mandate rigorous testing, including golden sets, regression harnesses, and red-teaming, and set the standard for secure, observable, and auditable code
• Provide hands-on leadership and mentorship to a team of engineers, coaching them through complex challenges while actively contributing to the build; foster a culture of high talent density where every member raises the bar and enable them to deliver quality at speed
• Lead working sessions and facilitate collaboration across client stakeholders (from engineers to the C-suite) and cross-functional teams to design creative AI systems where success is measured by tangible, quantified outcomes and effective adoption, and build trust with clients by transparently communicating risks and progress
• Drive delivery in a fast-paced, outcome-accountable environment, operating in two-to-six-week cycles with direct client feedback; lead working sessions, earn client trust, manage risks, surface constraints early, and ensure every deliverable is ready for scale or run in production
• Spearhead the use of modern development accelerators (Claude Code, Lovable, Cursor, and more) where policy permits, to increase capacity of delivery, increase quality, and deliver faster
• Act with integrity, professionalism, and personal responsibility to uphold KPMG's respectful and courteous work environment

Qualifications

• Minimum ten years of recent experience shipping end-to-end production secure software systems, with a focus on data, machine learning, and AI-native applications; solid experience with cloud platforms (Azure, GCP, or AWS)
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a science or engineering field
• Deep, hands-on knowledge of modern AI technologies and methodologies with demonstrated experience leading teams in designing and implementing advanced AI systems; this includes AI systems judgment, context engineering, evaluation discipline, full-stack capabilities, and model strategy fluency
• Proven ability to lead, manage, and mentor high-performing technical teams, with at least five years of experience in a hands-on leadership role; proven record of and passion for working directly with stakeholders to make an outsized impact
• Excellent problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills with the ability to thrive in ambiguous environments; this includes the presence to lead working sessions and drive decisions with impatient executives and skeptical engineers, a hands-on, accountable style that earns trust by "coaching while building"; capability to communicate clearly and effectively to diverse audiences (CIO, CISO, CFO, engineers)
• Demonstrate prior experience with real work via a portfolio, a GitHub repository, or a structured walk-through of a system they have designed and shipped
• Domestic and global travel may be required
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future; KPMG LLP will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa)

KPMG LLP and its subsidiaries ("KPMG") complies with all local/state regulations regarding displaying salary ranges. If required, the ranges displayed below or via the URL below are specifically for those potential hires who will work in the location(s) listed. Any offered salary is determined based on relevant factors such as applicant's skills, job responsibilities, prior relevant experience, certain degrees and certifications and market considerations. In addition, KPMG is proud to offer a comprehensive, competitive benefits package, with options designed to help you make the best decisions for yourself, your family, and your lifestyle. Available benefits are based on eligibility. Our Total Rewards package includes a variety of medical and dental plans, vision coverage, disability and life insurance, 401(k) plans, and a robust suite of personal well-being benefits to support your mental health. Depending on job classification, standard work hours, and years of service, KPMG provides Personal Time Off per fiscal year. Additionally, each year KPMG publishes a calendar of holidays to be observed during the year and provides eligible employees two breaks each year where employees will not be required to use Personal Time Off; one is at year end and the other is around the July 4th holiday. Additional details about our benefits can be found towards the bottom of our KPMG US Careers site at Benefits & How We Work.

Follow this link to obtain salary ranges by city outside of CA: https://kpmg.com/us/en/how-we-work/pay-transparency.html/?id=M179ADV_2_26

KPMG offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. KPMG is an equal opportunity employer. KPMG complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws regarding recruitment and hiring. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. The attached link contains further information regarding KPMG's compliance with federal, state and local recruitment and hiring laws.

KPMG recruits on a rolling basis. Candidates are considered as they apply, until the opportunity is filled. Candidates are encouraged to apply expeditiously to any role(s) for which they are qualified that is also of interest to them.

Los Angeles County applicants: Material job duties for this position are listed above. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness, and safeguard business operations and company reputation. Pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.