Senior AI Forward-Engineering Lead (Client-Facing)

EY; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Competitive compensation

Total Rewards

Job summary

EY is seeking a Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to own end-to-end delivery of AI-enabled systems within a client engagement. This hands-on role embeds with the client, balancing technical depth with strong stakeholder trust to deliver secure, production-grade solutions.

You will lead a small cell, set technical direction, and ensure production readiness while navigating regulatory and environmental constraints. The position demands senior engineering judgment and excellent client presence.

Qualifications

• 8+ years delivering complex enterprise systems in regulated or client-facing contexts.
• Hands-on engineering depth across integration-heavy architectures and distributed systems.
• Experience with modern AI-enabled application stacks and orchestration frameworks.
• Proven ability to lead in forward-deployed, customer-facing roles, owning outcomes end-to-end.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a small technical team while remaining an individual contributor.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills under pressure.
• Solid understanding of the software delivery lifecycle, quality gates, and production readiness in enterprise settings.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end outcome delivery for the cell, including scoping, tradeoffs, technical direction, and production readiness.
• Embed directly with the client to define real problems and translate needs into executable technical solutions under regulatory constraints.
• Serve as the primary technical interface and trusted advisor to client stakeholders.
• Stay hands-on, designing and building critical parts of the solution when required.
• Deploy and stabilize solutions in the client environment, owning release readiness and runtime accountability.
• Direct the work of the cell’s Implementation Engineer and Data Engineer to ensure coherent, production-grade outcomes.
• Ensure deployments meet safety, integrity, and cost constraints, partnering with control authorities on safe-to-ship decisions.

Skills

Hands-on engineering

Client presence

AI/ML systems

Cloud platforms

Technical judgment

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

AI governance tools

Security controls tooling

Data orchestration frameworks

Job description

EY is seeking a Lead Forward Deployed Engineer to own end-to-end delivery of AI-enabled systems within a client engagement. This hands-on role embeds with the client, balancing technical depth with strong stakeholder trust to deliver secure, production-grade solutions.

You will lead a small cell, set technical direction, and ensure production readiness while navigating regulatory and environmental constraints. The position demands senior engineering judgment and excellent client presence.