4+ years of engineering experience in cybersecurity
Experience discussing AI-enabled threats and defenses
Proven ability to build reusable capabilities in ambiguous situations
Experience deploying cybersecurity solutions in complex enterprises
Proficient in writing production-grade code in JavaScript or Python
Ability to simplify complex tasks and make quick decisions under pressure
Strong interpersonal skills to build trust and elevate team performance
Responsibilities
Act as the technical lead for customer engagements, managing problems from start to finish
Deliver outcomes with clarity, speed, and high technical quality
Guide deployment strategy and define operational models for effective execution
Build deployment primitives to enhance customer impact and engagement speed
Develop AI security workflows integrating customer systems with access controls
Serve as a player-coach, providing actionable feedback to grow the team
Codify successful practices into tools and playbooks for operational leverage
Identify and escalate early signals in product behavior or delivery practices
Benefits
Hybrid work model with three days in the office
Relocation assistance offered
Opportunity for management responsibilities
Engagement in high-stakes cybersecurity projects
Collaboration with core functions to influence product roadmaps
Travel opportunities up to 50%
Full Job Description
About the Role
As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will operate as a technical lead on high-stakes, ambiguous customer cybersecurity deployments and own both technical and business value outcomes end-to-end. You will set the bar for customer engagement and deployments of our technology, helping establish the foundation for OpenAI Deployment.
You will ramp quickly toward management responsibilities and help grow a team that can operate under pressure to deliver meaningful outcomes for customers.
You will also help shape how AI can be leveraged to drive real-world impact, as well as how the team organizes to deliver that impact. You will partner closely with OpenAI's core functions to ensure field work informs roadmap priorities, drives new exploration, and supports safe deployment at scale.
This role is based in San Francisco or New York City. We use a hybrid work model with three days per week in the office and offer relocation assistance. This role will also require up to 50% travel.
In this role, you will:
Act as the technical lead for customer engagements, owning problems end-to-end from definition to resolution
Operate with strong agency, delivering outcomes through clarity, speed, tight coordination, and high technical quality
Guide deployment strategy and help define DeployCo's operating model for swift, safe execution
Define and build deployment primitives that increase both customer impact and engagement velocity
Build and evaluate AI security workflows, integrating customer security systems with appropriate access controls and human oversight
Operate as a player-coach, setting a high bar for execution while helping grow the team through direct, actionable feedback
Codify successful patterns into tools, playbooks, and roadmap inputs that create leverage for DeployCo
Identify early signals and escalate them with urgency, whether in product behavior, customer environments, or delivery practices
You may thrive in this role if you:
Bring 4+ years of engineering experience
Can credibly discuss both established and emerging threats, including AI-enabled attack and defense, translating them into practical detection and response workflows for both practitioners and customer leadership
Have 01 experience building reusable capabilities under ambiguity, and can make disciplined standardization-versus-customization decisions instead of defaulting to bespoke work
Have built and deployed cybersecurity solutions in Fortune 500 or similarly complex enterprises, from prototype to production
Write and review production-grade code across frontend and backend using JavaScript or Python
Simplify complex work and make fast, sound decisions under pressure
Elevate team performance through clarity rather than process overhead
Operate with urgency in ambiguous or evolving environments
Translate field experience into clear, actionable feedback for Product and Research
Build deep trust with teammates by modeling calm, focus, and strong judgment when it matters most
