Forward Deployed Engineer – AI

International Business Machines Corporation; San Jose (CA); Remote; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Consulting is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer - AI to work directly with clients, transforming complex business challenges into production-ready AI solutions. You will prototype, deploy, and scale GenAI, RAG, and agentic AI applications across cloud platforms while ensuring reliability and governance.

You will collaborate with business and technical teams, leverage LangGraph and CrewAI, and apply MLOps/LLMOps to deliver measurable business value.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in a technical or quantitative field.
• Experience with LLM fine-tuning, AI evaluation and governance.
• Industry experience in high tech, electronics or manufacturing.
• Background in forward deployed engineering, solutions engineering, or client-facing consulting.
• Front-end development or cloud/AI certifications.

Responsibilities

• Identify AI use cases with clients and define success metrics.
• Develop end-to-end GenAI, RAG and agentic AI apps.
• Build and deploy AI solutions across cloud platforms.
• Prepare data and integrate with enterprise systems.
• Apply MLOps/LLMOps, testing, monitoring, and responsible AI practices.
• Present insights and drive client adoption.

Skills

GenAI

LLM

Data Engineering

MLOps

Frontend development

Education

Master’s or PhD in a technical or quantitative field

Tools

LangGraph

CrewAI

Vertex AI

Azure AI Foundry

Amazon Bedrock

Job description

Introduction

A career in IBM Consulting is built on long-term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide. You’ll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you’ll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You’ll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long-term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.

Your role and responsibilities

As a Forward Deployed Engineer - AI, you will work directly with clients to transform complex business challenges into production-ready AI solutions. Combining software engineering, data science, GenAI, agentic AI, and advanced analytics, you will rapidly prototype, deploy, and scale solutions that deliver measurable business value.

This job can be performed from anywhere in the US.

Required technical and professional expertise

• Solve Client Challenges: Partner with business and technical teams to identify opportunities, define AI use cases, and establish success metrics.
• Build and Deploy AI Solutions: Develop end-to-end GenAI, RAG, and agentic AI applications using tools such as LangGraph, CrewAI, and hyperscaler cloud AI platforms (e.g., AWS, Google, Azure).
• Engineer Agentic and GenAI Systems: Design and implement LLM-powered agents, tool use and orchestration, prompt and context engineering, and evaluation frameworks using platforms such as LangGraph, CrewAI, Vertex AI, Azure AI Foundry, or Amazon Bedrock. Apply guardrails, observability, and testing to ensure accuracy, safety, and reliability.
• Data Engineering and Integrations: Prepare structured and unstructured data and integrate AI solutions with enterprise systems, APIs, and data platforms.
• Scale and Operationalize AI: Apply MLOps/LLMOps, testing, monitoring, and responsible AI practices to ensure solutions are reliable, secure, and production-ready.
• Drive Business Impact: Present insights, demonstrate outcomes, support client adoption, and turn successful solutions into reusable assets for future engagements.

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Master’s or PhD in a technical or quantitative field.
• Experience with LLM fine-tuning, AI evaluation and governance,
• Industry experience in high tech, electronics or manufacturing.
• Background in forward deployed engineering, solutions engineering, or client-facing consulting.
• Front-end development experience (e.g., React or Streamlit), cloud/AI certifications, or open-source AI contributions.

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.