Forward Deployed Engineer

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Job Details:

This is a fixed term position that ends three years from the employee’s start date.

Flexible work arrangements are available for this position, including the ability to work remotely at least 50% of the time within the United States. In-person meetings will be required when applicable. We prefer a candidate located in the greater Austin area as travel to campus for occasional in-person events, training, team meetings, activities, etc., will be required.

This position provides a balance of life/work with typically a 40-hour work week, and travel limited to training (e.g., conferences/courses).

Enterprise Technology's AI Studio serves as the central hub for The University of Texas at Austin's artificial intelligence initiatives and works to expand access to AI tools, services, and expertise across campus. The Forward Deployed Engineer designs, develops, and implements AI-powered applications and solutions that address the evolving needs of the university community.

This position works directly with faculty, staff, researchers, and campus partners to identify opportunities for AI integration and transform ideas into functional, production-ready software. The Forward Deployed Engineer combines full-stack software development, AI application engineering, and technical collaboration to deliver solutions that improve teaching, research, and institutional operations.

Working closely with AI engineers, AI educators, campus IT teams, and student innovators, this role helps bridge the gap between emerging AI capabilities and practical implementation. The position contributes to the development of reusable applications, shared engineering resources, and technical practices that support sustainable AI adoption across the university.

• Design, develop, test, and deploy AI-powered applications that address academic, research, and administrative needs across the university.
• Build full-stack software solutions using modern programming languages and frameworks, including Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, and related technologies.
• Develop backend services, REST APIs, user-facing applications, and integrations that incorporate large language models (LLMs), generative AI, and other emerging AI capabilities.
• Integrate AI models and services from providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft Azure, Google, and other platforms into applications and institutional workflows.
• Develop applications incorporating AI capabilities such as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), agentic workflows, tool calling, and structured data processing.
• Design software architectures that prioritize reliability, maintainability, security, and scalability.
• Implement authentication, authorization, and secure data-handling practices when integrating applications with university systems and services.
• Develop automated tests, participate in code reviews, and apply software engineering best practices to maintain application quality.
• Troubleshoot application issues, investigate unexpected AI model behavior, and implement improvements to enhance functionality and reliability.
• Create reusable software components, development templates, and shared libraries that accelerate future AI application development.

• Partner with faculty, staff, researchers, and academic and administrative units to identify challenges that may benefit from AI-powered solutions.
• Gather requirements, evaluate technical feasibility, and recommend implementation approaches that align with stakeholder needs and available resources.
• Translate conceptual ideas and early-stage use cases into working prototypes, proof-of-concept applications, and production-ready solutions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders throughout the development process to incorporate feedback and ensure applications meet functional expectations.
• Provide technical guidance on AI application design, model integration, and software development approaches.
• Support AI Studio workshops, demonstrations, and technical sessions that introduce campus communities to AI application development and emerging technologies.
• Work with student developers and innovators to support experimentation, prototyping, and the development of AI-enabled applications.
• Help lower barriers to AI adoption by building accessible tools, creating practical examples, and sharing engineering knowledge with campus partners.
• Coordinate with campus IT teams and other technical stakeholders when solutions require integration with existing institutional systems.

• Manage the technical development of assigned projects from initial exploration and planning through implementation, deployment, and ongoing refinement.
• Break down complex technical challenges into manageable development tasks and establish practical implementation approaches.
• Evaluate potential technologies, frameworks, and architectures based on project requirements, technical constraints, and long-term maintainability.
• Assess AI application performance, model outputs, and user feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, application architecture diagrams, implementation guides, and operational resources.
• Collaborate with AI Studio engineering teams to establish common development patterns and improve consistency across applications.
• Monitor application behavior, investigate defects, and implement enhancements that improve reliability and user experience.
• Explore emerging AI models, development frameworks, and engineering practices to identify opportunities for new solutions.
• Contribute technical findings and implementation insights that inform the continued development of AI Studio platforms, services, and capabilities.

• Contribute to cross-functional initiatives related to AI governance, responsible AI practices, application security, and institutional technology strategy.
• Participate in technical planning sessions, project reviews, and collaboration with Enterprise Technology teams.
• Support the development and maintenance of internal engineering standards, documentation, and development workflows.
• Stay informed about advancements in generative AI, software engineering, and emerging AI application architectures.
• Assist with the creation of educational materials, demonstrations, and technical resources that support AI literacy and adoption across campus

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, or a related field. Relevant work experience may substitute for education.
• Two or more years of professional experience in software engineering, application development, solutions engineering, or a related technical field.
• Strong programming proficiency in Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, or comparable programming languages, with demonstrated experience developing and maintaining production-quality software.
• Experience developing full-stack applications, including backend services, REST APIs, database integrations, and web-based user interfaces.
• Hands-on experience developing applications that integrate large language models (LLMs), generative AI services, or machine learning APIs.
• Understanding of software architecture principles, including application scalability, maintainability, reliability, and security.
• Experience integrating applications with external APIs, databases, authentication services, or enterprise systems.
• Familiarity with modern software development practices, including Git-based version control, automated testing, code reviews, and technical documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to independently investigate technical challenges, evaluate potential solutions, and implement effective approaches.
• Experience translating stakeholder requirements into functional software applications and delivering projects through the development lifecycle.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate evolving technical requirements and unfamiliar technologies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to audiences with varying levels of technical expertise.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders.

Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

• Experience using and configuring enterprise AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude, including advanced capabilities for research, software development, workflow automation, and task execution.
• Familiarity with ChatGPT and Claude extensibility features, including Skills, Plugins, Connectors, custom GPTs, Claude Projects, and other capabilities for tailoring AI assistants to specific workflows and organizational needs.
• Experience developing or configuring custom AI skills, tools, and integrations that extend the functionality of AI assistants and connect them to external applications, APIs, and institutional data sources.
• Familiarity with Model Context Protocol (MCP) and related standards for connecting AI assistants and agents with enterprise systems, tools, and services.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools, such as Claude Code, Codex, or similar agentic coding environments, to accelerate application development, testing, and deployment.
• Understanding of AI agent workflows and orchestration, including tool use, multi-step task execution, context management, and human-in-the-loop approval processes.
• Experience developing and deploying applications on cloud infrastructure platforms, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), with familiarity in cloud services, containerized deployments, API management, and infrastructure automation.
• Experience developing, deploying, and maintaining Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, including locally hosted and Docker-containerized MCP services, integrating external tools and APIs, and configuring related tooling for secure communication between AI assistants, applications, and enterprise systems.

$95,000 - $110,000

• May work around standard office conditions
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation
• Use of manual dexterity

• Monday – Friday, flexible between 7am-6pm

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references