Forward-Deployed AI Engineer for Government Deployments

Fdetimes; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Hybrid work model

Travel up to 50%

Job summary

OpenAI for Government seeks Forward Deployed Software Engineers to lead production deployments of frontier models for government customers. You will embed with clients to design, build, and operate full-stack solutions that deliver measurable mission impact, working across infrastructure and applications.

You will collaborate with defense, intelligence, and federal stakeholders, guiding adoption and codifying best practices while sharing field signals to influence OpenAI’s roadmap.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of engineering or technical deployment experience, ideally in customer-facing or government environments.
• Active TS/SCI clearance or equivalent.
• Have scoped and delivered complex systems in fast-moving or ambiguous contexts.
• Write and review production-grade code across frontend and backend, using Python, JavaScript, or similar stacks.
• Are familiar with cloud deployment models (Azure, AWS), Kubernetes, Terraform, and related infrastructure.
• Have experience building or deploying systems powered by LLMs or generative models.

Responsibilities

• Own technical delivery across multiple government deployments, from first prototype to stable production.
• Embed with public sector customers to design and build novel applications powered by OpenAI models.
• Enable successful deployments across customer environments by delivering observable systems spanning infrastructure through applications.
• Prototype and build full-stack systems using Python, JavaScript, or comparable stacks that deliver real mission impact.
• Proactively guide customers on maximizing business and operational value from their applications.
• Forge and manage relationships with customer leadership and stakeholders, ensuring successful deployment and scale.
• Scope work, sequence delivery, and remove blockers early—making trade-offs between scope, speed, and quality.
• Contribute directly in the code when clarity or momentum depends on it.
• Codify working patterns into tools, playbooks, or building blocks others can use.
• Share field feedback with Research and Product to influence model and product development.
• Keep teams moving through clarity, judgment, and consistent follow-through.

Skills

5+ years engineering

TS/SCI clearance

Frontend & Backend

Cloud deployment

Kubernetes

Terraform

LLMs / Generative models

Tools

Python

JavaScript

Job description

OpenAI for Government seeks Forward Deployed Software Engineers to lead production deployments of frontier models for government customers. You will embed with clients to design, build, and operate full-stack solutions that deliver measurable mission impact, working across infrastructure and applications.

You will collaborate with defense, intelligence, and federal stakeholders, guiding adoption and codifying best practices while sharing field signals to influence OpenAI’s roadmap.