Forward Deployed Engineer

United; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 118,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life insurance

Accident & disability

Parental leave

Employee assistance program

Commuter benefits

Paid holidays

Paid time off

401(k)

Flight privileges

Job summary

United is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to embed with business teams, identify AI opportunities, and translate them into deployed, value-driven solutions across our operations. You’ll own end-to-end AI projects from discovery to production, leading architecture, testing, and governance efforts.

Responsibilities include prototyping AI workflows, building agentic systems, and partnering with security, data, and product teams to ensure scalable, responsible AI delivery.

Qualifications

• Experience building and deploying production solutions in software engineering, AI/ML, data engineering, solutions architecture, or technical product development.
• Hands-on experience with generative AI, LLMs, or AI agents, including fast prototyping and testing.
• Ability to turn ambiguous business problems into technical solutions that deliver business value.
• Working knowledge of AI systems, including models, agents, retrieval, enterprise data, evaluation, security, and governance.
• Experience with APIs, enterprise integrations, and cloud services.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and stakeholder skills, and comfort in ambiguous environments.
• 3+ years of relevant work experience.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship.
• Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualification.
• Reliable, punctual attendance is an essential function of the position.

Responsibilities

• Embed with business teams to understand priorities and pain points, and analyze end-to-end workflows for bottlenecks where AI can materially improve outcomes.
• Prototype AI workflows and agents fast, and test viability before major investment.
• Translate business process requirements into technical designs for human-AI interactions, including system decision logic, human-in-the-loop controls, escalation mechanisms, and exception handling.
• Build and test the agentic workflows across models, data, and enterprise systems.
• Act as the hands-on technical lead, working with AI engineers, data, and product teams on architecture, testing, and deployment.
• Resolve barriers across business, security, data, engineering, security, risk, and governance teams.
• Deploy into controlled production, then improve based on real user behavior.
• Build secure, reliable AI applications using modern engineering practices (CI/CD, automated testing), and equip teams to run and extend them.
• Monitor performance, cost, and quality, and keep optimizing deployed solutions.
• Set baselines and success metrics up front, support business cases with cost and performance estimates, and measure adoption and realized value.
• Partner with business, change, and end-user teams to redesign workflows around the solution, and apply lessons learned to future projects.
• Shape AI transformation by advising leaders on how AI can reshape business processes and operating models.

Skills

Production solutions

Generative AI / AI agents

APIs & enterprise integrations

Cloud services

Strong communication

3+ years experience

Tools

Azure AI

Azure OpenAI

Microsoft Copilot

Job description

Achieving our goals starts with supporting yours. Grow your career, access top-tier health and wellness benefits, build lasting connections with your team and our customers, and travel the world using our extensive route network.

Come join us to create what’s next. Let’s define tomorrow, together.

Description

Build the AI that changes how the world’s largest airline runs

United is building the best airline in aviation history, and AI is central to how we operate, serve customers, and support employees. As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you'll embed with business teams, find the best AI opportunities, and turn them into deployed solutions. You'll own results that deliver measurable value, not just demos.

What you’ll do

Find the right opportunities

• Embed with business teams to understand priorities and pain points, and analyze end-to-end workflows for bottlenecks where AI can materially improve outcomes

Prototype and validate fast

• Prototype AI workflows and agents fast, and test viability before major investment

• Translate business process requirements into technical designs for human-AI interactions, including system decision logic, human-in-the-loop controls, escalation mechanisms, and exception handling.

• Build and test the agentic workflows across models, data, and enterprise systems

Take it to production

• Act as the hands-on technical lead, working with AI engineers, data, and product teams on architecture, testing, and deployment

• Resolve barriers across business, security, data, engineering, security, risk, and governance teams

• Deploy into controlled production, then improve based on real user behavior

• Build secure, reliable AI applications using modern engineering practices (CI/CD, automated testing), and equip teams to run and extend them

• Monitor performance, cost, and quality, and keep optimizing deployed solutions

Prove the value

• Set baselines and success metrics up front, support business cases with cost and performance estimates, and measure adoption and realized value

• Partner with business, change, and end-user teams to redesign workflows around the solution, and apply lessons learned to future projects

Shape AI transformation

• Advise leaders on how AI can reshape business processes and operating models, and contribute technical input to transformation roadmaps

• Capture reusable patterns and engineering practices for building, deploying, and operating AI, and build AI capability across the company

• Partner with governance, security, and technology teams to keep solutions responsible and resilient

Qualifications

What you bring (minimum qualifications)

• Experience building and deploying production solutions in software engineering, AI/ML, data engineering, solutions architecture, or technical product development

• Hands-on experience with generative AI, LLMs, or AI agents, including fast prototyping and testing

• Ability to turn ambiguous business problems into technical solutions that deliver business value

• Working knowledge of AI systems, including models, agents, retrieval, enterprise data, evaluation, security, and governance

• Experience with APIs, enterprise integrations, and cloud services

• Strong communication, facilitation, and stakeholder skills, and comfort in ambiguous environments

• 3+ years of relevant work experience

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship

• Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualification

• Reliable, punctual attendance is an essential function of the position

What sets you apart (preferred qualifications)

• Deploying generative or agentic AI in a large enterprise

• Experience with Azure AI, Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Copilot, or comparable platforms

• Experience building responsible AI practices into production solutions, including evaluation and monitoring

• Creating reusable AI components or evaluation assets adopted across multiple business areas

• Consulting, forward-deployed, product engineering, or technology strategy background

• Airline, transportation, or other complex operations experience

• Fluent use of generative AI tools in your own work, with critical validation of outputs and adherence to responsible AI, privacy, and security policies

• 5+ years of relevant work experience

The base pay range for this role is $117,610.00 to $153,146.00.

The base salary range/hourly rate listed is dependent on job-related, factors such as experience, education, and skills. This position is also eligible for bonus and/or long-term incentive compensation awards.

You may be eligible for the following competitive benefits:

• medical
• dental
• vision
• life
• accident & disability
• parental leave
• employee assistance program
• commuter
• paid holidays
• paid time off
• 401(k)
• flight privileges

United Airlines is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law. We provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation, contact [e-mail]