Forward Deployed Engineer, USG Analytics (Backend & AI)

McKinsey & Company; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 140,000 - 144,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and mental health benefits

Dental and vision coverage

Parental leave and family planning

Retirement contributions program

Job summary

McKinsey & Company is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer for USG Analytics (Backend & AI) to design, build, and deploy agentic and generative AI-powered workflows for U.S. government clients.

You will work across cloud environments, implement RAG and multi-agent orchestration, and ensure security, compliance, and reliability while collaborating with designers, product managers, and government stakeholders.

Qualifications

• US citizenship is required to access government data.
• Experience deploying AI-powered applications in secure, cloud-native environments.
• Experience with agentic AI systems, RAG, and multi-agent orchestration.
• Ability to translate client needs into scalable software solutions.
• Experience in highly regulated government environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design and build agentic AI systems and workflows for government clients.
• Develop backend services, data pipelines, and secure APIs.
• Collaborate with designers, PMs, and government stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance, security, and observability of deployed systems.
• Prototype AI capabilities and contribute to reusable components.

Skills

US Citizenship

Cloud deployment

Backend development

LLM/AI systems

APIs & microservices

Secure system design

Systems thinking

Tools

Orchestration frameworks

Vector databases

RAG pipelines

Job description

• Boston
• Chicago
• Denver
• New Jersey
• New York City
• Silicon Valley
• Washington DC

YOUR IMPACT

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, USG Analytics (Backend & AI) within USG Analytics, you will play a critical role in delivering innovative technology solutions that transform how U.S. government organizations operate.

At USG Analytics, we combine engineering rigor, product thinking, and cutting‑edge AI to enable meaningful impact for our clients. In this role, you will be at the forefront of designing, building, and deploying agentic and generative AI‑powered solutions, modern workflow tools, and scalable applications within secure government environments. This is a hands‑on role where you will thrive on building and shipping real systems that address complex and meaningful challenges.

You will design and implement agentic AI systems and generative AI‑enabled workflows that drive efficiency and innovation for government clients. Your work will involve developing scalable, secure applications that integrate seamlessly across enterprise systems, ensuring they meet the highest standards of performance and compliance. Collaborating closely with designers and product managers, you will translate user needs into functional, impactful software solutions. Additionally, you will work directly with government stakeholders and client service teams, ensuring that the solutions you deliver align with their unique requirements and objectives.

In this role, you will also drive innovation while maintaining operational excellence. You will build and deploy AI‑enabled applications across cloud environments, implementing advanced systems such as retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), multi‑agent orchestration frameworks, tool‑calling architectures, and secure API integrations. Your responsibilities will include developing backend services, data pipelines, and application logic, while also contributing to frontend or workflow‑layer development as needed.

As part of your solution engineering responsibilities, you will architect modular, reusable, and platform‑flexible solutions that can adapt to evolving client needs. You will evaluate AI models and platforms to ensure they meet performance, security, and operational requirements, while also ensuring observability, monitoring, and reliability of deployed systems.

Your role will also involve direct client engagement, where you will translate complex client challenges into actionable technical implementation plans. You will collaborate closely with client technical teams to ensure seamless integration and adoption of new AI‑enabled workflows. Additionally, you will provide training and support to end users, empowering them to fully leverage the capabilities of the solutions you deliver.

Continuous innovation will be a key aspect of your work. You will prototype rapidly to test new agentic and generative AI capabilities, contributing to internal libraries, accelerators, and reusable components that enhance the efficiency and scalability of our solutions. Staying current on advances in AI systems and workflow technologies will be essential, enabling you to bring the latest innovations to your work and deliver cutting‑edge solutions to our clients.

Through your efforts, you will help USG Analytics deliver transformative technology solutions that enable U.S. government organizations to operate more effectively, efficiently, and securely. Your work will have a direct and meaningful impact on addressing some of the most pressing challenges faced by government clients today.

YOUR GROWTH

Driving lasting impact and building long‑term capabilities with our clients is not easy work. You are the kind of person who thrives in a high performance/high reward culture - doing hard things, picking yourself up when you stumble, and having the resilience to try another way forward.

In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we'll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues-at all levels-will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients. Every day, you'll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won't find anywhere else.

When you join us, you will have:

• Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast‑paced learning experience, owning your journey.
• A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You'll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
• Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm's diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• World‑class benefits: On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well‑being for you and your family.

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• US Citizenship required
• 5+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, AI/ML, or full‑stack development
• Experience deploying applications in cloud‑native environments
• Experience building within complex, highly regulated environments preferred but not required
• Strong proficiency in at least one backend language (e.g., Python, Java, TypeScript)
• Experience building or integrating, LLM‑based systems, Agentic frameworks (e.g., orchestration layers, tool use, memory management), RAG pipelines and vector databases
• Familiarity with APIs, microservices, and modern DevOps practices
• Understanding of secure system design and compliance considerations
• Systems thinker who can connect user needs to architecture

Please review the additional requirements regarding essential job functions of McKinsey colleagues.

Our unwavering commitment to integrity drives everything we do, guiding us to always act in the best interests of our clients, our people, and the communities we serve.

Industries

• Aerospace & Defense
• Public Sector

Capabilities

• Technology

FOR U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Certain US jurisdictions require McKinsey & Company to include a reasonable estimate of the salary for this role.
To help you understand what you can expect, the salary range for new joiners in this role in United States, including all office locations where the job may be performed, is $140,000 - $144,200 USD gross per year. This reflects our best estimate of the lowest to highest
[salary/hourly wages] for this role at the time of this posting, ensuring you have a clear picture right from the start, though it's important
to remember that actual salaries may vary. Factors like your office location, your unique blend of experience and skills, start date and our current
organizational needs all play a part in determining the final figure. Certain roles are also eligible for bonuses, subject to McKinsey's discretion
and based on factors such as individual and/or organizational performance.

Additionally, we provide a comprehensive benefits package that reflects our commitment to the wellness of our colleagues and their families.
This includes medical, mental health, dental and vision coverage, telemedicine services, life, accident and disability insurance, parental leave and family planning benefits, caregiving resources, a generous retirement contributions program, financial guidance,
and paid time off.

FOR NON-U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. For additional details regarding our global EEO policy and diversity initiatives, please visit our McKinsey Careers and Diversity & Inclusion sites.