Lead Forward-Deployed AI Engineer

Causalens; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20 days of paid holiday, plus bankhol.

carry over/sell holiday options (up to

Share options

Referral bonus program

Learning and development budget

Job summary

causaLens seeks a hands-on engineering leader to deliver AI-driven solutions for US pharma and life sciences clients. You will own technical delivery from discovery through production, coordinating with UK engineers and Value Engineering to ensure measurable business outcomes.

You will work onsite at customer sites, applying Python, LLMs and agentic workflows to build reliable digital workers with SLAs and real impact.

Qualifications

• Hands-on ownership of production AI systems using Python and LLMs.
• Experience delivering enterprise-scale AI solutions in regulated environments.
• Ability to lead onsite discovery and resolve technical blockers.
• Proven track record coordinating small engineering teams.
• Willingness to work at customer sites within US pharma hubs.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer discovery and define scope, designs, and acceptance criteria.
• Build and integrate agentic systems with enterprise data and APIs.
• Own delivery through production and customer acceptance with engineering partners.
• Mentor engineers, review code, and share lessons with UK colleagues.

Skills

Python

LLMs

Agentic workflows

Software engineering

Client delivery

Job description

Why causaLens

• The next Accenture will have no employees. We are building it.


• We are partnering with both sides of the industry: helping CROs, CCOs, consultancies and BPOs reimagine how they deliver services, and partnering directly with pharma companies of every size, from mid-market to global leaders.


• We build Digital Workers: pre-skilled AI workforces that do knowledge work inside the customer's own environment and are paid for the outcome, not the seat.


• We build with pharma services. Our Digital Workers already run inside two of the five largest CROs, helping partners like Syneos Health and Parexel deliver more for their pharma clients. Read our press release with Syneos' Global Head of Commercial Product: link


• AI tools alone have not moved the P&L. MIT found 95% of organisations saw no return on $30 to 40B of GenAI spend. We sell finished work with SLAs, not software, so the value shows up in results.


• Pharma runs on trusted service partners. About half of drug development is outsourced, and $300B+ of branded sales lose exclusivity by 2032. Digital Workers give that ecosystem the extra capacity and cost efficiency the next decade demands.


• Life sciences is our largest sector, and where we are doubling down. Millions in ARR, flagship logos including J&J, Syneos Health and Parexel, with more of the largest CROs and brands onboarding now.


• $51M raised from top VCs and angels, including the CEO of Revolut. 3x ARR growth and 160% net revenue retention last year.


• Unique IP that regulated enterprises trust: Our Digital Worker harness incorporates unique, proprietary reliability technology (causalens.com/the-reliability-features) and causal reasoning (causalens.com/causal-reasoning-lab).


• Ownership. Help establish local technical delivery in the US, working directly with customers and collaborating with our UK engineers.

The Culture

Our culture values intellectual rigour, ownership and the primacy of winning. Two articles that define how we think:

• A Hiring Framework for a New Kind of Services Company - anjor.xyz


• The Primacy of Winning - piratewires.com

The Role

Lead hands-on technical delivery for US pharma and life sciences customers, operating independently onsite and coordinating with UK engineers and Value Engineering.

What you'll bring

• Personal ownership of production AI systems using Python, LLMs and agentic workflows, with sound software engineering and measurable business impact


• Independent client delivery: lead onsite discovery, clarify requirements, resolve technical blockers and communicate risks, with limited day-to-day supervision


• A track record of leading a small engineering team or enterprise delivery workstream from discovery through production, staying hands-on and accountable for technical outcomes


• Experience evaluating and operating reliable systems. Pharma, life sciences or regulated-enterprise delivery experience is preferred


• Based within practical reach of a named US pharma hub and willing to work regularly at customer sites

What you'll do

• Lead customer discovery and turn workflows into feasible scope, technical designs and measurable acceptance criteria


• Build and integrate agentic systems with enterprise data and APIs; own evaluation, failure handling, testing and deployment


• Own technical delivery through production and customer acceptance, partnering with Value Engineering on scope, dependencies and progress


• Guide engineers, review code and designs, collaborate with UK colleagues and turn delivery lessons into reusable approaches

What you'll not do

• - R&D in the lab, isolated from customers


• - Product or platform development. There is a separate team internally for this

Benefits

We care about our people's lives, both inside and outside of causaLens. Beyond the core benefits like competitive remuneration and a great work-life balance, we offer the following:

• 20 days of paid holiday, plus bank holidays


• carry over/sell holiday options (up to 5 days)


• Share options


• Referral bonus program


• Learning and development budget

Logistics

• Recruiter Screen


• Hiring Manager / Team Interview (30 mins): Deep dive into past projects, recent codebases


• Take-Home Challenge (3 hours): Testing structured thinking and practical coding/problem-solving.


• Day 0 Onsite (Hammersmith): * 3 x 30-minute technical interviews.


• Founders/Exec Interview

If you require accommodations during the application process or in your role at causaLens, please contact us at [e-mail]