Forward Deployment Engineer

Overview

We are entering a new era of AI-driven transformation -- one defined by intelligent systems that move beyond copilots to autonomous, goal-driven agents embedded directly into real-world workflows. As a Forward Deployment Engineer, you will operate at the intersection of customers, cutting-edge AI technologies, and Microsoft’s product platforms, owning the delivery of high-impact AI solutions from initial problem framing through production deployment and iteration.

This role is designed for engineers who want end-to-end ownership of complex, real-world problems -- where success is measured by customer outcomes and deployed impact, not just feature completion. If you’ve ever felt constrained by traditional engineering boundaries and wanted to own problems the way customers experience them -- this is that opportunity.

In this role, you will own the end-to-end delivery of customer-critical AI solutions, spanning problem discovery, system architecture, development, production deployment, and ongoing iteration informed by real-world usage. You will work directly with customers and internal stakeholders to deeply understand workflows, constraints, and objectives, translating evolving and often ambiguous requirements into scalable, reliable, secure, and cost-effective AI- and LLM-powered systems. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy and technical judgment, leading complex engagements where trade-offs must be made quickly and thoughtfully in service of customer outcomes.

Partnering closely with product, engineering, research, and platform teams, you will influence roadmap direction through deployment insights and help remove technical or organizational friction to ensure successful adoption in production environments. As a senior FDE, you will raise the bar for execution through mentorship, technical leadership, and by contributing to how Forward Deployment Engineering is defined, practiced, and scaled within Microsoft.

Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND hands on technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience.
- Strong proficiency in one or more general-purpose programming languages (e.g., C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python).
- Proven experience building, deploying, and operating production systems with attention to scalability, reliability, security, and maintainability.
- Practical experience designing and implementing AI/ML or LLM-based solutions in production environments.
- Experience with modern Dev Ops practices, including CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and infrastructure-as-code.

Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND hands on technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND hands on technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience.
- Experience optimizing, prompting, fine-tuning, or evaluating LLM-based systems for quality, performance, and scale.
- Demonstrated experience coaching and mentoring engineers or leading technically complex initiatives across teams.
- Background in roles requiring sustained customer interaction, solution ownership, or platform adoption in production environments.

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic…