Senior Principal Forward Deployed Engineer

Atlassian; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 244,000 - 318,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Paid volunteer days

Wellness resources

Job summary

Atlassian seeks a Senior Principal Forward Deployed Engineer to work with customers and cross-functional teams on AI/ML-powered solutions. The role combines coding across the Atlassian product suite with leading deployment projects and risk/compliance considerations in a distributed-first environment.

You will mentor senior engineers, align technical work with business goals, and help drive adoption of AI-augmented workflows. Competitive pay zones and benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of backend software development experience, with at least 5 years in a principal/staff-level role.
• 5+ years delivering impactful AI/ML solutions in production environments, including founding or forward-deployed engineer experience.
• Deep expertise in applied AI/ML, including generative AI, LLMs, and agent-based frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Code contributions across the Atlassian product suite, providing broad engineering exposure.
• Lead the design, development, and deployment of AI/ML-powered solutions using Rovo tailored to customer needs.
• Influence product direction by building with customers and addressing their last-mile papercuts.
• Champion AI-augmented workflow automation within customer environments to maximize value.
• Oversee end-to-end deployment of AI solutions into production with monitoring and improvement.
• Navigate AI risk assessments, data privacy and regulatory compliance.
• Mentor and guide Senior FDEs and engineers to foster innovation and collaboration.
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Skills

Backend development

AI/ML

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk assessment

Regulatory/compliance

Tools

Rovo AI

AI frameworks

Job description

Senior Principal Forward Deployed Engineer

Atlassians have flexibility in where they work – whether in an office, from home, or a combination of the two. That way, Atlassians have more control over supporting their family, personal goals, and other priorities. We can hire people in any country where we have a legal entity. Interviews and onboarding are conducted virtually, as part of being a distributed-first company.

Your future team

As a Senior Principal Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) at Atlassian, you’ll be at the forefront of applied AI, working directly with customers and cross-functional teams to deliver innovative, AI-powered solutions. The FDE team partners with top organizations across industries, helping them leverage Atlassian’s AI capabilities to solve complex, real-world problems. You’ll collaborate with product, engineering, and design, rapidly growing your technical and domain expertise while making a tangible impact on business outcomes. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role for those who thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and are passionate about shaping the future of AI-powered teamwork.

What you’ll do

As a Senior Principal Forward Deployed Engineer, you will:

Code contributes across the entire Atlassian product suite, providing exceptionally broad engineering exposure

Lead the design, development, and deployment of AI/ML-powered solutions using Rovo tailored to customer needs.

Influence product direction by building with the customers, and realising the last mile papercuts they go through.

Champion the adoption of AI-augmented workflow automation within customer environments, maximizing business value and operational efficiency.

Oversee the end-to-end deployment of AI solutions into production, ensuring continuous evaluation, monitoring, and improvement.

Navigate risk and compliance requirements, including AI risk assessment, data privacy (GDPR), and regulatory frameworks.

Mentor and guide Senior FDEs and engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, creating concise artifacts for peers, partners, and leadership.

Align technical solutions with business objectives, setting a clear vision for technological progress and measurable results.

At Atlassian, we strive to design equitable, explainable, and competitive compensation programs. We follow consistent hiring practices and account for each candidate's skills, knowledge, and experience when setting base pay within the range.

Please visit go.atlassian.com/payzones for more information on which locations are included in each of our geographic pay zones. However, please confirm the zone for your specific location with your recruiter.

This role may also be eligible for benefits, bonuses, commissions, and equity.

In The United States, we have three geographic pay zones. For this role, our current base pay ranges for new hires in each zone are:

Zone A: $243,900 - $318,425

Zone B: $219,510 - $286,583

Zone C: $202,437 - $264,293

On the first day, we\'ll expect you to have:

15+ years of experience in backend software development, with at least 5 years in a principal/staff-level role.

5+ years of experience delivering impactful AI/ML solutions in production environments, including experience as a founding or forward-deployed engineer in 0-to-1 product development.

Deep expertise in applied AI/ML, including generative AI, LLMs, and agent-based frameworks.

Demonstrated ability to solve complex, ambiguous problems and thrive in rapidly changing environments.

Strong communication and collaboration skills, with experience influencing cross-functional teams without formal authority.

Experience with AI risk assessment, data privacy, and compliance (e.g., GDPR).

Strategic and innovative thinking, with a track record of aligning technical solutions to business goals.

It\'s great, but not required, if you have:

Experience with Atlassian Intelligence, Rovo AI, or AI-powered Atlassian features.

Familiarity with regulated industries (e.g., finance, healthcare).

Experience deploying AI solutions to complex production systems at scale.

Prior experience mentoring or leading engineering teams.

Atlassian offers a variety of perks and benefits to support you, your family and to help you engage with your local community. Our offerings include health coverage, paid volunteer days, wellness resources, and so much more. Visit go.atlassian.com/perksandbenefits to learn more.

About Atlassian

At Atlassian, we're motivated by a common goal: to unleash the potential of every team. Our software products help teams all over the planet and our solutions are designed for all types of work. Team collaboration through our tools makes what may be impossible alone, possible together.

We believe that the unique contributions of all Atlassians create our success. To ensure that our products and culture continue to incorporate everyone's perspectives and experience, we never discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

To provide you the best experience, we can support with accommodations or adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Simply inform our Recruitment team during your conversation with them.

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