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EPAM Systems

Forward Deployed AI Engineer - Agentic Systems Lead

Remote Senior Posted October 15, 2026

Role Description

Step into a high-impact role where you'll own end-to-end delivery of AI-native solutions embedded directly within client environments. As a Forward Deployed Expert, you'll design and operate agentic frameworks that solve real business problems, not just build prototypes.

Join EPAM to engineer solutions that matter. From AI to cloud transformation, you'll collaborate with top-tier innovators, gain autonomy to explore your ideas, and grow your skills in a culture built for tech excellence.

Req.#1100243513

Responsibilities

  • Own technical outcomes end-to-end as the AI-Native Delivery Manager's direct counterpart, driving workstream completion beyond task execution
  • Design, build, and operate agentic frameworks, tools, evaluations, and infrastructure that power production AI-native solutions
  • Work embedded with client business and technical stakeholders, adapting agentic systems to real integration, data, and security constraints
  • Partner with delivery managers on scope and SLA definition, providing technical grounding for realistic commitments and timelines
  • Contribute engagement learnings to the delivery playbook, documenting staffing patterns, tooling choices, and integration insights for future teams
  • Mentor less experienced engineers on the FDE pillar spectrum, helping them grow from build-focused roles to full delivery ownership

Requirements

  • 8+ years of software engineering experience with recent hands-on leadership of agentic or LLM-based systems in production environments
  • Deep expertise in agent architecture and orchestration, including goal decomposition, multi-agent coordination, and autonomy-versus-handoff decision frameworks
  • Proven experience grounding models in live data systems through retrieval, context construction, and maintaining accuracy against changing knowledge sources
  • Ability to design guardrails, evaluations, and observability for agentic failure modes including hallucination, tool-call errors, and runaway loops
  • Understanding of production trade-offs such as latency, cost per call, rate limits, versioning, and rollback under fixed-fee or managed-output SLAs
  • Demonstrated ownership of technical workstream outcomes with accountability for results, including integration into client environments with security and legacy constraints

EPAM is a leading global provider of digital platform engineering and development services. We are committed to having a positive impact on our clients, our employees, and our communities. We embrace a dynamic and inclusive culture. Here you will collaborate with multi-national teams, contribute to a myriad of innovative projects that deliver the most creative and cutting-edge solutions, and have an opportunity to continuously learn and grow. No matter where you are located, you will join a dedicated, creative, and diverse community that will help you discover your fullest potential.

Engineer the Future with a Career at EPAM

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

EPAM will not provide new H-1B visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates with existing transferable H-1B status may be considered.

About Forward Deployed Engineering

Forward Deployed Engineers are embedded directly with customers to build custom solutions, integrate products into existing infrastructure, and bridge the gap between product engineering and customer success. The role combines deep technical skills with the ability to operate in client environments and translate business requirements into working software.

Originally pioneered by Palantir, the FDE model has spread across AI, enterprise SaaS, and cloud infrastructure companies. FDEs write production code, architect integrations, train customer teams, and feed product insights back to the core engineering organization. At companies like OpenAI, Salesforce, and Databricks, FDE teams are treated as elite engineering units that can ship custom solutions in days rather than quarters.

Typical FDE stack: Python, TypeScript, SQL, REST/GraphQL APIs, cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure), and increasingly LLM APIs and AI orchestration frameworks. Strong communication and the ability to context-switch between technical and business conversations are as important as coding ability.

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