Principal Forward Deployed Engineer

Ladders; United States; Remote; USD 145,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work flexibility (US)

Cutting-edge Generative AI tech

Collaborative engineering environment

Mentoring and technical guidance

Impact in regulated AI

Job summary

Ladders is seeking a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer to join a leader in the Finance & Insurance space. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, transformation, and applied AI, turning ambiguous business needs into production-ready solutions.

You will own the technical outcomes for a value-stream pod, partner closely with business leaders and end users, and contribute hands-on code to deliver scalable Generative AI workflows in a regulated environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software engineering with 4+ years in production Generative AI systems.
• Experience with AWS, Python, React, GitHub Actions, and Terraform.
• Leadership of technical delivery without direct management authority.
• Experience in regulated domains (insurance/healthcare) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical outcome of a value-stream pod.
• Define problems with business leaders and users.
• Architect and build production Generative AI agents and workflows.
• Enforce engineering standards (API-first/contract-first).
• Define interfaces with vendor delivery teams.
• Establish evaluation and autonomy evidence for AI workflows.
• Lead architectural reviews and resolve conflicts.

Skills

Software engineering

Generative AI

Cloud computing

API-first design

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Master's preferred

Tools

AWS

Python

React

GitHub Actions

Terraform

Job description

For our client, we are seeking a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer to join the team of a leader in the Finance & Insurance space.

This role will sit at the intersection of engineering, transformation, and applied AI, turning ambiguous business needs into production-ready solutions. You will own technical outcomes for a value-stream pod, partnering closely with business leaders and end users while contributing hands‑on code to deliver scalable Generative AI workflows. The position also calls for strong architectural judgment, disciplined delivery standards, and effective collaboration with external delivery teams in a regulated environment.

Location: Remote

Compensation: $145,000 – $175,000 annually

Responsibilities

• Own the technical outcome of a value-stream pod from problem shaping through production operation
• Partner with business transformation leadership and users to define and refine ambiguous problems
• Architect and build production Generative AI agents and workflows while contributing code directly
• Set and enforce engineering standards for the pod, including API-first and contract-first delivery
• Define interface terms with vendor delivery teams for co-developed streams
• Establish evaluation and autonomy-ladder evidence for AI workflows
• Lead technical solution design and architectural reviews, escalating conflicts as needed

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; Master's preferred
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 4+ years in production Generative AI systems
• Hands‑on experience with AWS, Python, React, GitHub Actions, and Terraform
• Experience leading technical delivery for a value stream without direct management authority
• Preferred experience in insurance, claims, healthcare, or other regulated domains

Benefits

• Remote work flexibility for U.S.-based candidates
• Opportunity to work with cutting‑edge Generative AI technologies
• Collaborative and innovative engineering environment
• Potential for professional growth through mentoring and technical guidance
• Involvement in shaping the future of AI applications in a regulated industry

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification—your background could be exactly what this team needs.