Principal Forward Deployed Engineer

EPAM Systems; United States; Remote; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

EPAM Systems seeks a Forward Deployed Engineer to embed with enterprise clients, uncover high-value AI problems, and resolve them through production-ready AI solutions that deliver measurable business outcomes.

You will own the full lifecycle—from discovery and feasibility to architecture, build, deployment, and monitoring—working across client teams to re-engineer processes around AI and deliver scalable, enterprise-grade results.

Qualifications

• Senior-level software engineering experience in enterprise environments with AI solutions.
• Experience in agentic AI, LLM app development, prompt and context engineering, tool calling, orchestration, and RAG.
• Frontend skills (React/TypeScript) and backend skills (Python/Java/ Node.js) with API design and data stores (SQL/NoSQL).
• Hands-on use of AI coding agents (e.g., Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot) and ability to review their output.

Responsibilities

• Embed with client teams to identify high-value problems and own end-to-end delivery from discovery to monitoring.
• Map business processes and decide which steps to automate and which require human-in-the-loop.
• Design end-to-end solution architectures spanning models, data, retrieval, and enterprise integrations.
• Build, test, and deploy production-grade AI applications on client cloud platforms.
• Define acceptance criteria and report on technical performance and business outcomes.

Skills

Python

Java

Node.js

API design

Microservices

React

TypeScript

AI integration

Tools

AWS

Azure

Google Cloud

Kubernetes

Terraform

CI/CD

Bicep

Job description

We are seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to embed with enterprise clients, uncover their highest-value problems, and resolve them through production-ready AI solutions. You will take full ownership of each problem: technical discovery, feasibility, architecture, build, deployment, and the measurable business outcome. You will operate on the client side, deeply learn the client's business, and re-engineer its processes around AI on top of the platforms, data, and systems the client already uses. This position blends hands-on AI and full-stack engineering, solution architecture, and technical consulting. You will engage across AI models, agent frameworks, data and retrieval systems, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise integrations, leveraging AI coding agents and agentic engineering practices to ship fast. Depending on the engagement, your focus will shift toward one of three specializations: Partner Platform Expert, building on one AI partner's platform such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini and Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, or Microsoft Foundry; SDLC and AI Software Factory Expert, making client engineering teams measurably faster via harnesses and AI software factories; or AI Technical Solutions Expert, converting client use cases into production AI systems on the client's existing platforms. Success is judged by outcomes the client can see and sustain, not by features shipped or hours billed.

Responsibilities

Embed with client business and technical teams to pinpoint high-value problems and own them end to end, from discovery and specification through architecture, build, production, and monitoring

Map real business processes, including their exceptions, and determine which steps to automate, which to keep with a human in the loop, and which to leave to people

Evaluate feasibility and propose the most appropriate approach, whether agentic AI, deterministic workflows, traditional machine learning, or no AI at all

Design end-to-end solution architectures spanning models, orchestration, data and retrieval, enterprise integrations, identity, security, observability, and cost

Build, test, and deploy production-grade, full-stack AI applications on clients' existing cloud and AI platforms

Implement agent workflows, retrieval systems, tool integrations, evaluation frameworks, guardrails, monitoring, and human-in-the-loop controls

Apply AI coding agents and agentic engineering practices to speed up delivery, and review AI-generated code with the same rigor as human-written code

Build on shared platforms and reusable components rather than from scratch, and decide what stays specific to a client and what should be generalized for future engagements

Define acceptance criteria, measure technical performance and business outcomes, and report results honestly, including when they fall short

Lead technical workshops, architecture reviews, proofs of value, and solution demonstrations for client engineers, architects, business owners, and executives

Convey technical trade-offs, feasibility assessments, risks, and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences

Produce technical documentation, runbooks, training, and handover so client teams can operate and extend the solutions independently

Establish engineering best practices within the engagement, mentor other engineers, and drive AI-native adoption

Share client context across the team so no single person becomes a point of failure, and stay current with a rapidly changing AI toolset

Requirements

Senior-level software engineering experience, with a proven track record of building and operating production-grade software, including AI solutions, in enterprise environments

Background in agentic AI, LLM application development, prompt and context engineering, tool calling, orchestration, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and AI evaluation Daily hands-on use of AI coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, or GitHub Copilot, with the judgment to review and correct the code they generate

Skills in backend development in at least one of Python, Java, or Node.js, including API design, microservices, and SQL and NoSQL data stores, plus sufficient modern frontend skills (for example React and TypeScript) to deliver usable end-to-end solutions

Expertise in at least one major cloud (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud), containers and Kubernetes, infrastructure as code (Terraform or Bicep), CI/CD, and observability

Showcase of designing or contributing to end-to-end solution architecture, including system integration, data flows, security, scalability, resilience, and cost, with decisions documented and defended with client architects

Proficiency in at least one major AI platform or ecosystem, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, or Microsoft Foundry, with the capability to work across different technology stacks

Qualifications in integrating AI applications with enterprise systems, databases, APIs, and systems of record such as SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow, or Microsoft Dynamics

Understanding of production AI requirements, including identity and access management, data governance, observability, guardrails, human oversight, failure handling, and running cost

Capability to take a loosely defined problem to a production implementation with minimal direction, and to decide what to build and why, not only how

Competency in working directly with clients, conducting technical discovery and process mapping with the people who run the work, facilitating workshops, presenting architecture decisions, and managing stakeholder expectations up to executive level

Strong analytical, consulting, and communication skills, with the capability to explain technical concepts and trade-offs in clear business terms, including when a requirement is infeasible or the wrong approach

Familiarity with preparing technical documentation and delivering training or handover to client engineering and IT teams

Knowledge of at least one business domain, such as financial services, healthcare, insurance, retail, manufacturing, telecommunications, logistics, or the public sector, including relevant regulatory and compliance requirements

English proficiency at B2 level or higher

Nice to have Current partner certifications from Anthropic, Google, or OpenAI (EPAM supports engineers in obtaining and maintaining them)