Lead AI SDLC Engineer — Forward Deployed

84.51 Centre; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 207,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Job summary

84.51° is seeking a Lead Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to join the AI Software Development Lifecycle team, embedding with delivery teams to accelerate AI-enabled SDLC across Kroger and 84.51°. You will write code alongside developers, promote tool adoption, and improve policies to scale across the enterprise.

In this generalist software engineering role, you will provide technical leadership spanning software development, observability, DevOps, security, and developer experience, while

Qualifications

• 4-year degree in a technology related discipline or equivalent work experience.
• 5+ years of experience producing high-quality software on Agile development teams (Python and Java preferred).
• 3+ years of experience in Platform Engineering, DevEx, or related roles.

Responsibilities

• Exemplify best-practice for software delivery with Agentic Coding tools and document learnings.
• Ensure observability of adoption and usage patterns using Datadog, Dynatrace, or similar tools.
• Bridge gaps between Platform offerings and user adoption; document capability gaps.
• Maintain internal Plugin Marketplaces to enhance usability.
• Hit SLAs and lead incident management procedures.
• Collaborate with technology, infrastructure and product teams to complete tasks.
• Participate in team on-call rotation and customer support during business hours.

Skills

Python

Java

Agile

Observability

Communication

Education

4-year degree in a technology related discipline

Tools

Claude Code

Codex

Cursor

Job description

84.51° is seeking a Lead Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to join the AI Software Development Lifecycle team, embedding with delivery teams to accelerate AI-enabled SDLC across Kroger and 84.51°. You will write code alongside developers, promote tool adoption, and improve policies to scale across the enterprise.

In this generalist software engineering role, you will provide technical leadership spanning software development, observability, DevOps, security, and developer experience, while