At a Glance
- Tasks: Design, implement, and deploy cutting-edge AI systems for diverse customers.
- Company: Join Lightning AI, the creators of PyTorch Lightning, in a dynamic tech environment.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work arrangements, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Work in vibrant cities like NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, or London with great career prospects.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by solving complex AI challenges in a fast-paced setting.
- Qualifications: Strong software engineering skills, especially in Python, and customer engagement experience.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About Lightning AI
Lightning AI is the company behind PyTorch Lightning. Founded in 2019, we build an end-to-end platform for developing, training, and deploying AI systems—designed to take ideas from research to production with less friction. Through our merger with Voltage Park, a neocloud and AI Factory, Lightning AI combines developer-first software with cost-efficient, large-scale compute. Teams get the tools they need for experimentation, training, and production inference, with security, observability, and control built in. We serve solo researchers, startups, and large enterprises. Lightning AI operates globally with offices in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and London, and is backed by Coatue, Index Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and Firstminute.
What We Are Looking For
We are seeking an experienced Forward Deployed Engineer to partner directly with customers to architect, build, and deploy production AI systems and workflows on Lightning AI’s platform. In this role, you will own the customer journey from early exploration through production deployment, translating ambiguous business goals into reliable, observable systems with clear quality, latency, scalability, and cost outcomes. This role sits at the intersection of software engineering, research engineering, AI infrastructure, product thinking, and customer engagement. You’ll work closely with customer engineering teams as well as Lightning’s internal product and engineering organizations to deliver production-ready AI systems that help customers realize value quickly and scale with confidence. This is a hands-on engineering role that combines software development, AI infrastructure, technical customer engagement, and product thinking. Successful candidates will be highly technical, customer-oriented builders who thrive in fast-moving environments and enjoy solving ambiguous, real-world AI systems problems. This role is based in one of our hubs (New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, or London), with a minimum of 2 in-office days per week and occasional team and company off-sites.
What You’ll Do
- Partner directly with customers to design, implement, and deploy end-to-end AI systems and workflows on Lightning’s platform
- Translate vague customer objectives into clear technical specifications, proof-of-concepts, and scalable production implementations
- Own customer technical engagements end-to-end, from early discovery and architecture through deployment, monitoring, and expansion
- Develop and maintain production-grade software systems and services using modern programming languages, with a strong preference for Python
- Build reliable, observable systems with strong attention to latency, throughput, quality, scalability, and cost efficiency in production environments
- Debug and optimize AI systems across inference infrastructure, model behavior, APIs, and distributed workloads to improve performance and reliability
- Work closely with customer engineering teams throughout the full lifecycle of AI deployments, including technical discovery, implementation, deployment, and scaling
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Lightning’s product and engineering teams to improve platform capabilities, influence roadmap priorities, and identify opportunities for reusable product improvements
- Navigate ambiguity with sound technical judgment, making thoughtful tradeoffs and selecting the right tools and approaches without introducing unnecessary complexity
- Demonstrate strong ownership and accountability in execution, with a commitment to delivering high-quality outcomes for both customers and internal teams
Required Qualifications
- Strong software engineering experience building and maintaining production systems in one or more general-purpose programming languages, with Python strongly preferred
- Experience working directly with customers in highly technical environments, such as Forward Deployed Engineering, Solutions Engineering, Applied AI Engineering, Technical Product Engineering, or related roles
- Familiarity with AI/ML pipelines and the lifecycle of model development, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring
- Experience deploying and operating production AI/ML systems in cloud or distributed environments
- Familiarity with modern AI infrastructure and tooling such as Docker, Kubernetes, APIs, model serving systems, or distributed inference workloads
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, especially when working through complex technical topics with customers, engineers, and cross-functional stakeholders
- Ability to translate business needs into technical solutions and drive projects from initial concept through production delivery
- Ability to execute effectively in ambiguous, fast-moving, high-growth environments
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field
Nice-to-Haves
- Experience building, deploying, or optimizing large-scale AI/ML systems in production environments
- Experience with modern AI stacks and tooling such as vLLM, TensorRT, Ray, LangGraph, vector databases, or workflow orchestration systems
- Familiarity with inference optimization, distributed systems, or GPU-accelerated workloads
- Startup experience or experience operating in highly cross-functional environments
- Track record of rapidly shipping proof-of-concepts and production systems while maintaining strong engineering quality
- Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, AI, or a related technical field
Forward Deployed Engineer employer: Lightning AI
Lightning AI is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture, ideal for Forward Deployed Engineers eager to make a significant impact in the AI landscape. With offices in vibrant cities like New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and London, employees benefit from a collaborative environment that encourages professional growth through hands-on experience and cross-functional teamwork. The company prioritises employee development, offering opportunities to engage directly with customers and work on cutting-edge AI systems, all while enjoying the flexibility of hybrid work arrangements.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Forward Deployed Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company inside out! Research Lightning AI's products, values, and recent projects. This will help you tailor your conversations and show that you're genuinely interested in what they do.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. Building relationships can give you insider info and might even lead to a referral—definitely a win!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your coding skills and understanding AI/ML concepts. Practice solving problems on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to boost your confidence.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the team at Lightning AI.
We think you need these skills to ace Forward Deployed Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Technical Skills:Make sure to highlight your software engineering experience, especially with Python. We want to see how you've built and maintained production systems, so share specific examples that showcase your technical prowess.
Customer Engagement is Key:Since this role involves working directly with customers, it's important to demonstrate your experience in technical environments. Tell us about times you've translated customer needs into technical solutions and how you navigated those conversations.
Embrace the Ambiguity:We thrive in fast-moving environments, so don’t shy away from discussing how you've tackled ambiguous problems. Share stories where you made thoughtful trade-offs and selected the right tools without overcomplicating things.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother application process. It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves!
How to prepare for a job interview at Lightning AI
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in the programming languages and tools mentioned in the job description, especially Python. Brush up on your knowledge of AI/ML pipelines and be ready to discuss how you've built and maintained production systems in the past.
✨Understand Customer Engagement
Since this role involves direct customer interaction, think about your previous experiences working with clients. Prepare examples that showcase your ability to translate vague business goals into clear technical solutions and how you’ve navigated complex technical discussions.
✨Showcase Problem-Solving Skills
Be ready to tackle hypothetical scenarios or real-world problems during the interview. Think through how you would approach debugging and optimising AI systems, and be prepared to discuss your thought process and decision-making in ambiguous situations.
✨Collaborate and Communicate
Highlight your collaboration skills by preparing examples of how you’ve worked cross-functionally in the past. Communication is key, so practice explaining complex technical topics in a way that’s easy for non-technical stakeholders to understand.
