Forward Deployed Engineer, AI Transformation - Director

Citigroup Inc.; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Access to Citi AI capabilities

Leadership & mentorship

Continuous learning & development

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Citigroup Inc. is seeking a senior AI/ML-focused engineer to collaborate with stakeholders, design AI-driven solutions, and prototype rapid POCs/MVPs. The role emphasizes translating business needs into technical requirements and delivering measurable AI impact.

You will stay at the forefront of NLP, AI agents, and data modeling while driving cross-functional collaboration and clear communication across engineering and business teams.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience across software engineering, solution architecture, AI/ML, data engineering, or related disciplines.
• Deep hands-on experience with LLMs and AI agents and core ML concepts.
• Strong business acumen to translate challenges into technical requirements.
• Exceptional communication to explain complex ideas to non-technical stakeholders.
• Proactive, analytical problem-solving track record.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with business stakeholders to analyze processes and identify AI opportunities with maximum impact.
• Design and prototype AI-powered solutions, including POCs and MVPs.
• Serve as a technical translator between non-technical users and engineering teams.
• Stay current with AI landscape, tools, techniques, and best practices.
• Define KPIs to measure ROI and effectiveness of AI initiatives.
• Create documentation and provide training to ensure successful adoption.

Skills

6+ years exp

AI/ML

NLP

Business acumen

Communication

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s in Engineering

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate & Analyze: Work closely with business stakeholders to conduct in-depth analyses of existing business processes, workflows, and pain points. Identify and prioritize opportunities where AI can deliver maximum impact.

• Solution Design & Prototyping: Design and rapidly prototype innovative AI-powered solutions. This includes developing proof-of-concepts (POCs) and where appropriate, minimum viable products (MVPs) to demonstrate feasibility and value.

• Bridge Communication Gaps: Serve as a key technical translator and liaison between non-technical business users and core engineering teams, ensuring requirements are clearly understood and solutions are fit-for-purpose.

• Stay Current: Maintain a deep understanding of the rapidly evolving AI landscape, including new tools, techniques, and best practices in machine learning, natural language processing, and generative AI.

• Measure & Optimize: Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness and ROI of AI initiatives.

• Documentation & Training: Participate in the creation of comprehensive documentation for new AI-driven processes and provide training and support to business users to ensure successful adoption.

Qualifications & Required Skills

• Professional Experience: Brings 6 or more years of experience across software engineering, solution architecture, AI/ML, data engineering, digital transformation, or related disciplines, including direct experience working as a Forward Deployed Engineer.

• AI/ML Knowledge: Deep, hands-on experience with LLMs and AI agents as well as core machine learning concepts (both supervised and unsupervised), natural language processing (NLP), and data modeling.

• Business Acumen: Demonstrated ability to understand business challenges and translate them into technical requirements and solutions.

• Communication Skills: Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to a non-technical audience.

• Problem-Solving: A proactive and analytical approach to problem-solving, with a track record of delivering innovative solutions.

Preferred Skills & Nice-to-Haves

• Client-Facing Experience: Prior experience in a "forward deployed," consulting, or client-facing technical role is highly desirable.

• Cloud Platforms: Hands-on experience with major cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure) and their associated AI/ML services (e.g., SageMaker, Vertex AI, Azure ML).

• Data Engineering: Familiarity with data engineering principles, including ETL/ELT processes, data warehousing, and working with large datasets.

• Domain Expertise: Knowledge of a specific business domain such as payments, finance and operations in financial services firms.

Education

• Bachelor’s/University degree in an Engineering field or equivalent experience.

What we offer

• A hybrid work model offering 3 days in the office and 2 days working remotely, giving you the flexibility to balance focused delivery with collaborative in-person work.

• A role with direct strategic impact, where the solutions you design and deploy shape how Citi operates at scale across core business processes.

• Access to Citi's full suite of AI capabilities, including a growing ecosystem of AI agents and enterprise-grade tooling, giving you the platform to do your most ambitious technical work.

• Leadership accountability and people management responsibility, with the opportunity to build, mentor, and develop a high-performing engineering team.

• Continuous learning and professional development through access to leading technologies, cross-functional collaboration, and exposure to complex, high-stakes challenges across financial services.

• Competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package commensurate with a Director-level position at a global financial institution.

• A performance-driven environment at Citi's New York headquarters, 388 Greenwich Street, where your contributions are visible and your impact is measurable.

Primary Location Full Time Salary Range

$170,000.00 - $300,000.00

In addition to salary, Citi's offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards. Citi offers competitive employee benefits, including: medical, dental & vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs. Citi also offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays. For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com. Available offerings may vary by jurisdiction, job level, and date of hire.

Automated Processing and AI

We use automated processing, including artificial intelligence, for our legitimate business interests (or our reasonable and appropriate business purposes) to identify and align the candidate’s skills and abilities with a specific job opening. Additionally, if you so choose, or consent, we can match your skills and abilities to other suitable roles at Citi.

Importantly, all our hiring processes and decisions, including determining your suitability for a role, are conducted, checked, and decided by individuals. Our automated processing and AI do not involve relying on automatic or autonomous decision-making. Please refer to any Jurisdictional Considerations, with specific provisions for your country (where relevant) for further details.

Most Relevant Skills

Please see the requirements listed above.

Other Relevant Skills

For complementary skills, please see above and/or contact the recruiter.

Anticipated Posting Close Date

Aug 13, 2026

Job Family Group

Technology

Job Family

Applications Development

Time Type

Full time

Primary Location

New York New York United States

Benefits

Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity review Accessibility at Citi.
View Citi's EEO Policy Statement and the Know Your Rights poster.