Senior Forward‑Deployed AI Engineer (Hybrid)

Blank Metal; Minneapolis (MN); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) with match

Flexible time off

Flexible work arrangements

Professional development

Job summary

Blank Metal seeks a Forward Deployed Engineer to turn advisory conversations into shipped software for enterprise AI deployments. You will embed with clients, build production-ready systems, and own outcomes with a lean team of AI engineers.

You’ll balance technical leadership with trusted advisory roles from scoping sessions to live deployments. You will work across the full stack, handle complex environments, and shape patterns for future engagements while traveling 25–40% to client sites.

Qualifications

• 7+ years building and shipping software, including real-time leadership trusted by executives.
• Ownership of production systems end-to-end from first commit to live operation.
• Shipped LLM-powered systems to production: agents, retrieval, evals, with judgment on tool choice.

Responsibilities

• Partner with client executives to find high-value AI opportunities and frame them in business terms.
• Lead scoping and proof-of-concept work to de-risk the build before full engagement.
• Shape technical approach with the growth team; ensure what is promised can actually be built.
• Deploy alongside a lean team of AI engineers and own architecture, critical decisions, and production code.
• Deliver production artifacts clients run in production: MCP servers, sub-agents, agent skills, pipelines.

Skills

Python

TypeScript/JavaScript

LLM deployments

Production systems

Executive communication

Hands-on engineering

Job description

Blank Metal seeks a Forward Deployed Engineer to turn advisory conversations into shipped software for enterprise AI deployments. You will embed with clients, build production-ready systems, and own outcomes with a lean team of AI engineers.

You’ll balance technical leadership with trusted advisory roles from scoping sessions to live deployments. You will work across the full stack, handle complex environments, and shape patterns for future engagements while traveling 25–40% to client sites.