Forward Deployed AI Engineer

Indicium AI

$180K — $240K *
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Proven track record building and deploying production multi-agent systems and MCP servers.
  • 5+ years of experience with Databricks, PySpark, Delta Lake, SQL, and Python.
  • Strong foundation in quantitative methods, statistics, or applied ML (M.S./Ph.D. or equivalent experience).
  • Demonstrated ability to run technical discovery calls and manage non-technical client stakeholders.

Responsibilities

  • Architect and deploy custom data interfaces and tool servers for autonomous AI agents.
  • Build high-performance data pipelines and optimize query runtimes over vast datasets.
  • Collaborate closely with client teams to run daily requirements discovery and lead architecture reviews.
  • Implement evaluation frameworks and observability pipelines for monitoring agent behavior.
  • Enforce strict access controls and data isolation in collaboration with security governance teams.

Benefits

  • Health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • 401(k) plan with company match.
  • Generous paid time off and holiday schedule.
  • Opportunity for professional development and training.
  • Flexible work environment with options for remote work.
Full Job Description
Forward Deployed Software Engineer - US / NYC
The Role

The Senior Forward Deployed AI Engineer, Data Platform & Agents bridges the gap between complex enterprise data estates (Databricks, Lakehouses, vector stores) and frontier agentic AI execution (Anthropic Claude, multi-agent frameworks, custom MCP servers). Sitting embedded directly with client CDOs, VPs of Data, and engineering leadership, you will translate messy operational workflows and fragmented data sources into production-grade multi-agent platforms, real-time context retrieval systems, and LLM evaluation architectures.

This is a high-agency "builder-consultant" role for engineers who care as much about stakeholder adoption and runtime business impact as they do about model accuracy, protocol design, and low-latency data execution.
Key Responsibilities
  • Agentic Tooling & MCP Architecture: Architect and deploy custom data interfaces and tool servers using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), function calling, and structured JSON schemas-enabling autonomous AI agents to query, synthesize, and execute actions across 10+ disparate enterprise data sources safely.
  • Enterprise Lakehouse & Retrieval Engineering: Build high-performance data pipelines, vector search, and hybrid RAG layers over Lakehouse environments (Databricks, PySpark, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog)-slashing retrieval times and optimizing CPU/GPU query runtimes over massive structured and unstructured datasets.
  • Embedded Client Execution & PoCs: Sit side-by-side with client technical teams to run daily requirements discovery, lead architecture reviews, and rapidly ship zero-to-one production Proofs of Concept (PoCs) in weeks rather than months.
  • LLM Evals, Observability & Guardrails: Implement robust evaluation frameworks (LLM evals, hallucination tracking, retrieval precision/recall) and observability pipelines to monitor non-deterministic agent behavior and guarantee reliability in strictly regulated enterprise environments (Financial Services, Healthcare).
  • Enterprise Security & Data Isolation: Collaborate with client CISO and security governance teams to enforce strict access-control lists (ACLs), multi-tenant isolation, row/column-level permissions, and zero-data-leakage constraints.
Qualifications & Experience
  • Agentic AI & Orchestration: Proven track record building and deploying production multi-agent systems, RAG platforms, and MCP servers using frameworks like LangGraph, AutoGen, or CrewAI.
  • Data Engineering & Lakehouse Depth: 5+ years of experience with Databricks, PySpark, Delta Lake, SQL, and Python-with specific expertise optimizing high-QPS analytical queries and processing unstructured enterprise documents (PDFs, contracts, logs).
  • Statistical Rigor & Model Evals: Strong foundation in quantitative methods, statistics, or applied ML (M.S./Ph.D. or equivalent industry experience) to evaluate model uncertainty, ground truth, and non-deterministic systems systematically.
  • Client-Facing / Consultative Muscle: Demonstrated ability to run technical discovery calls, manage non-technical client stakeholders, handle technical pushback, and lead co-engineering efforts on-site.


The anticipated base salary range for this role is $180,000 - $240,000. In addition to base pay, this position may be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. An individual's final salary offer will be determined based on a variety of factors, including geographic location, experience, specialized skills, and qualifications. This compensation range is subject to updates or modifications at the company's discretion

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