Forward Deployed Engineer

Cognizant; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to design, build, and deploy AI, data, and cloud solutions for enterprise clients. You will bridge product, engineering, and business teams, prototyping quickly, integrating enterprise systems, and driving adoption of AI-powered applications.

Responsibilities include leading client workshops, developing APIs and data pipelines, and ensuring scalable, secure, and governable deployments across Azure, AWS, or GCP environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in software engineering, solutions architecture, data engineering, or technical consulting.
• Strong programming experience in Python, Java, C#, or TypeScript.
• Experience developing REST APIs and microservices.
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP).
• Experience working directly with customers or business stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Partner with business stakeholders to understand challenges and translate them into scalable technical solutions.
• Lead technical discovery workshops and guide the solution lifecycle for AI-powered deployments.
• Design, develop, and deploy production-grade applications and integrations on cloud platforms.
• Develop AI/GenAI, data, and workflow automation solutions using modern cloud technologies.
• Architect and deploy AI-enabled solutions on Azure, AWS, or GCP with governance and security.

Skills

Python

Java

C#

TypeScript

REST APIs

Client-facing

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering/Info Systems

Tools

Azure

AWS

GCP

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

LangChain

VectorDBs (Pinecone/Weaviate)

Job description

***NO VISA Transfer/ Sponsorship/ c2c available for this role***

Location- Remote

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to work directly with enterprise clients in designing, building, and deploying AI, data, and cloud-based solutions that solve complex business challenges. The ideal candidate combines strong software engineering expertise with exceptional stakeholder management skills and thrives in ambiguous, fast-paced client environments.

As an FDE, you will serve as the bridge between product, engineering, and business teams, rapidly prototyping solutions, integrating enterprise systems, and driving successful adoption of AI-powered applications.

Key Responsibilities

Client Engagement & Solution Discovery

• Partner directly with business stakeholders to understand challenges, use cases, and operational needs.
• Lead technical discovery workshops and translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Serve as a trusted advisor throughout the solution lifecycle.

Solution Design & Development

• Design, develop, and deploy production-grade applications and integrations.
• Build AI/GenAI, data, and workflow automation solutions using modern cloud technologies.
• Develop APIs, microservices, data pipelines, and custom connectors.
• Create rapid prototypes and proofs of concept to validate business value.
• Develop solutions leveraging LLMs, RAG architectures, vector databases, AI agents, and enterprise search capabilities.
• Implement prompt engineering, model evaluation, guardrails, monitoring, and observability.
• Ensure AI solutions are secure, scalable, reliable, and aligned with governance requirements.
• Architect and deploy solutions on Azure, AWS, or GCP environments.
• Implement CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation, monitoring, and operational support.
• Troubleshoot complex production issues across application, infrastructure, and data layers.

Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary technical contact for client engagements.
• Communicate technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, and business teams to drive successful outcomes.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and user enablement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in software engineering, solutions architecture, data engineering, or technical consulting.
• Strong programming experience in Python, Java, C#, or TypeScript.
• Experience developing REST APIs and microservices.
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP).
• Experience working directly with customers or business stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.

Location

Remote / Hybrid / Client Site (Travel as required)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Generative AI, Agentic AI, RAG, LangChain, LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, CrewAI, or LlamaIndex.
• Experience with Azure OpenAI, OpenAI APIs, Claude, Gemini, or similar LLM platforms.
• Knowledge of vector databases such as Pinecone, Weaviate, ChromaDB, or pgvector.
• Experience with Databricks, Spark, Kafka, Airflow, or modern data platforms.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, and infrastructure automation.
• Consulting or client-facing delivery experience.

Technical Skills

Programming