# Forward Deployed Engineer - Madrid (Spanish-speaking) **Company:** [OpenAI](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/openai) As a Forward Deployed Engineer at OpenAI's Madrid office, you will lead end-to-end production deployments of frontier AI models for strategic customers, bridging the gap between research breakthroughs and real-world impact. This role combines full-stack engineering, customer partnership, and cross-functional collaboration—owning discovery through production rollout while serving Spanish-speaking markets. You'll require 6+ years of engineering experience with demonstrated expertise in deploying complex systems with LLMs or generative models, along with fluency in both Spanish and English. **Role:** Forward Deployed Engineer **Seniority:** Senior **Locations:** Madrid, Spain **Salary:** 130000–200000 EUR [Apply](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/openai/14c5d693-7e85-4c26-8ca7-0b6f68fe6ace) Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/jobs/openai/forward-deployed-engineer-madrid-spanish-speaking --- ## Responsibilities - Own End-to-End Technical Delivery: Lead full ownership of multiple concurrent deployments of frontier models from initial prototype through stable production environment, managing technical scope and ensuring successful customer adoption of AI systems. - Build Full-Stack Production Systems: Design and develop production-grade full-stack systems that deliver measurable customer value, including backend services, frontend interfaces, and ML integration layers that sharpen feedback mechanisms for product improvement. - Embed with Customer Teams: Work closely embedded with strategic customer engineering and domain teams to understand their business needs, guide effective adoption of deployed systems, and translate technical capabilities into business workflows. - Scope and Sequence Work: Define technical scope for complex deployments, sequence delivery milestones strategically, identify and remove blockers early, and make informed trade-offs between scope, speed, and quality to protect delivery timelines. - Contribute Hands-On Code Development: Actively contribute to codebase development in Python, JavaScript, or comparable stacks when progress clarity depends on direct engineering contribution, maintaining production-grade code quality standards. - Codify Working Patterns and Tooling: Transform successful deployment patterns into reusable tools, playbooks, documentation, and building blocks that enable other engineers and teams to execute faster and with greater consistency. - Provide Field-Driven Product Feedback: Synthesize insights from customer deployments and real-world model behavior to communicate clear feedback to Research and Product teams about model capabilities, limitations, and areas requiring improvement. - Lead Cross-Functional Collaboration: Maintain clear communication and follow-through across Product, Research, Partnerships, GRC, Security, and GTM teams, keeping interdependent workstreams aligned and removing organizational blockers. ## Requirements ### education - {"name":"Professional Fluency in Spanish and English","description":"Required bilingual capability in Spanish and English at professional fluency level, essential for supporting Spanish-speaking customers, collaborating with international teams, and conducting customer-facing technical discussions."} ### technical - {"name":"Production-Grade Full-Stack Development","description":"Demonstrated ability to write, review, and ship production code across both frontend and backend systems using Python, JavaScript, or comparable modern technology stacks with strong software engineering practices."} - {"name":"LLM and Generative AI System Experience","description":"Hands-on experience building, deploying, or managing systems powered by large language models (LLMs) or other generative AI models, with deep understanding of how model behavior impacts product experience and customer workflows."} - {"name":"Complex System Architecture and Design","description":"Proven experience scoping, designing, and delivering complex systems in fast-moving or ambiguous environments, demonstrating ability to manage technical scope and navigate significant architectural decisions under uncertainty."} - {"name":"Customer-Facing Technical Leadership","description":"Experience leading technical work directly with customers, translating between engineering and business requirements, and driving adoption of technical solutions with cross-functional teams."} - {"name":"Rapid Decision-Making Under Pressure","description":"Ability to simplify complex technical problems, make sound decisions quickly with incomplete information, spot risks early, and adjust course without slowing delivery velocity in high-stakes environments."} ### experience - {"name":"Software Engineering and Technical Deployment","description":"Minimum 6+ years of professional software engineering or technical deployment experience, with demonstrated progression through increasingly complex projects and leadership responsibilities."} - {"name":"Production Deployment and Operations","description":"Substantial experience taking systems from development through production deployment, managing release processes, monitoring, debugging production issues, and supporting live customer systems at scale."} - {"name":"Ambiguous Problem-Solving in Startups or High-Growth Environments","description":"Background working in fast-moving, ambiguous environments where requirements shift, priorities change rapidly, and the ability to move forward with incomplete information is critical to success."} ## Skills ### required - {"name":"Python Programming","description":"Strong proficiency in Python for backend development, data processing, and system integration with LLM and AI model deployments."} - {"name":"JavaScript/TypeScript Development","description":"Competency in JavaScript or TypeScript for frontend development, API integration, and full-stack system implementation."} - {"name":"LLM Integration and Prompt Engineering","description":"Experience integrating large language models into production systems, understanding prompt engineering, token management, and model output handling at scale."} - {"name":"Production Systems Design","description":"Ability to design scalable, reliable production systems with attention to performance, security, error handling, and monitoring requirements."} - {"name":"Customer Discovery and Requirements Gathering","description":"Skills in eliciting customer needs, scoping technical requirements, and translating business objectives into engineering deliverables."} - {"name":"Agile Project Management and Delivery","description":"Experience managing complex project timelines, sequencing work, identifying dependencies, and executing delivery in dynamic environments with changing requirements."} - {"name":"Bilingual Communication (Spanish-English)","description":"Professional-level fluency in both Spanish and English required for customer interactions, documentation, and cross-cultural team collaboration."} ### preferred - {"name":"RESTful API Development","description":"Experience designing and implementing RESTful APIs that integrate with AI models or third-party services."} - {"name":"Vector Databases and Semantic Search","description":"Familiarity with vector databases, embeddings, and semantic search technology used in modern AI applications."} - {"name":"Infrastructure and DevOps Practices","description":"Understanding of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), and CI/CD pipeline implementation."} - {"name":"Monitoring, Observability, and Debugging","description":"Experience with production monitoring tools, logging, tracing, and debugging complex distributed systems."} - {"name":"React or Modern Frontend Frameworks","description":"Experience with React, Vue, or other modern frontend frameworks for building responsive, real-time user interfaces."} - {"name":"Enterprise Sales Engineering Familiarity","description":"Previous exposure to enterprise software sales environments, customer demonstrations, or technical account management roles."} - {"name":"Machine Learning Fundamentals","description":"Basic understanding of ML workflows, model evaluation, dataset preparation, and how ML engineering differs from traditional software engineering."} - {"name":"European Market Knowledge","description":"Familiarity with Spanish or European business contexts, regulatory environments, or market dynamics that inform customer needs in the region."} ## Tech stack ### tools - {"name":"Git and GitHub","description":"Version control and collaborative development platform for managing codebase, code review, and deployment workflows."} - {"name":"Docker","description":"Containerization platform for packaging applications and ensuring consistency across development, testing, and production environments."} - {"name":"Kubernetes","description":"Container orchestration system for managing scalable deployments and ensuring high availability of production services."} - {"name":"CI/CD Platforms (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)","description":"Continuous integration and deployment tools for automating testing, building, and releasing code to production."} - {"name":"Monitoring and Logging (Datadog, New Relic, Prometheus)","description":"Observability tools for tracking system performance, debugging issues, and monitoring model behavior in production."} - {"name":"Cloud Platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)","description":"Cloud infrastructure providers for hosting services, managing compute resources, and utilizing managed AI services."} ### others - {"name":"OpenAI APIs (GPT models, Embeddings)","description":"Direct integration with OpenAI's API suite for building production applications powered by state-of-the-art language models."} - {"name":"Evaluation Frameworks","description":"Tools and methodologies for measuring model performance, conducting A/B testing, and gathering eval-driven feedback for product improvement."} - {"name":"Security and Access Control","description":"Understanding of authentication, authorization, data security, and compliance requirements for enterprise AI deployments."} - {"name":"Customer Relationship Management","description":"Familiarity with managing complex customer relationships, conducting technical discussions, and maintaining clear communication during deployments."} ### databases - {"name":"PostgreSQL","description":"Primary relational database for storing structured data, configuration, and user information in production systems."} - {"name":"Vector Databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, Qdrant)","description":"Specialized databases for storing embeddings and enabling semantic search capabilities in AI applications."} - {"name":"Redis","description":"In-memory data store for caching, session management, and real-time data operations in high-performance systems."} ### languages - {"name":"Python","description":"Primary backend language for system development, data processing, and LLM integration in production deployments."} - {"name":"JavaScript/TypeScript","description":"Frontend and full-stack development language for building customer-facing interfaces and API services."} - {"name":"SQL","description":"Database query language for managing relational data and generating operational reports from customer systems."} ### frameworks - {"name":"FastAPI or Flask","description":"Python web frameworks for building high-performance REST APIs that interface with LLM services."} - {"name":"React or Vue.js","description":"Modern frontend frameworks for building responsive, interactive user interfaces that support AI-powered workflows."} - {"name":"Next.js","description":"Full-stack JavaScript framework for server-side rendering and API routes in production deployments."} - {"name":"LangChain","description":"Framework for building production-ready applications with language models, chain management, and retrieval augmentation."} ## Benefits ### benefits - {"name":"Comprehensive Health Insurance","description":"Full health, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families."} - {"name":"Equity and Stock Options","description":"Participation in company equity through stock options, enabling you to benefit from OpenAI's growth."} - {"name":"Flexible Work Arrangement","description":"Hybrid work model with 3 days per week in the Madrid office, providing flexibility while maintaining team connection."} - {"name":"Relocation Assistance","description":"Comprehensive relocation support for candidates relocating to Madrid to join the team."} - {"name":"Professional Development","description":"Opportunities to work with cutting-edge AI technology, stay current with research breakthroughs, and develop expertise in frontier AI deployment."} - {"name":"Collaborative Culture","description":"Work within a talented, mission-driven team focused on ensuring AI benefits all of humanity."} - {"name":"Global Impact","description":"Opportunity to shape how frontier AI models are deployed at strategic organizations, directly influencing real-world AI adoption."} ## Compensation - **max:** 200000 - **min:** 130000 - **currency:** EUR - **stockOptions:** true ## Interview process ### steps - {"name":"Initial Screening and Background Review","description":"Ashby ATS screening to verify required qualifications, confirm language fluency, and assess alignment with role requirements."} - {"name":"Technical Screening Interview","description":"Conversation with OpenAI hiring team to discuss your experience with production systems, LLM deployments, and technical decision-making in complex environments. Expect questions about specific technical challenges you have solved."} - {"name":"Deep Technical Assessment","description":"In-depth technical interview focusing on system design, architecture trade-offs, and your approach to ambiguous problem-solving. May include coding exercise or system design discussion depending on role fit."} - {"name":"Customer-Facing Scenarios","description":"Role-play or scenario-based interview simulating customer interactions, requirements gathering, and navigating conflicting priorities. Assesses communication clarity and ability to manage stakeholder expectations."} - {"name":"Cross-Functional Team Discussion","description":"Interviews with Product, Research, or GTM team members to assess collaboration skills, ability to translate technical requirements, and how you approach working across organizational boundaries."} - {"name":"Leadership and Culture Fit","description":"Conversation with senior engineering leadership discussing your approach to complexity, judgment under pressure, calm demeanor in high-stakes situations, and alignment with OpenAI's mission-driven culture."} ## Full description **About the team** OpenAI’s Forward Deployed Engineering team partners with customers to turn research breakthroughs into production systems. We operate at the intersection of customer delivery and core platform development. **About the role** Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) lead complex end-to-end deployments of frontier models in production alongside our most strategic customers. You will own discovery, technical scoping, system design, build, and production rollout, partnering directly with customer engineering and domain teams. You will measure success through production adoption, measurable workflow impact, and eval-driven feedback that changes product and model roadmaps. You’ll work closely with our Product, Research, Partnerships, GRC, Security, and GTM teams. This role is based in Madrid. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week. We offer relocation assistance. Travel up to 50% is required. **In this role you will** * Own technical delivery across multiple deployments from first prototype to stable production * Build full-stack systems that deliver customer value and sharpen how we learn * Embed closely with customer teams, understand their needs, and guide adoption of what you build * Scope work, sequence delivery, and remove blockers early * Make trade-offs between scope, speed, and quality; adjust plans to protect delivery * Contribute directly in the code when progress or clarity depends on it * Codify working patterns into tools, playbooks, or building blocks that others can use * Share field feedback that helps Research and Product understand where the models succeed and where they can improve * Keep teams moving through clarity and follow-through **You might thrive in this role if you** * Bring 6+ years of engineering or technical deployment experience that includes customer-facing work * Professional fluency in Spanish and English is required, as this role supports Spanish-speaking customers * Have scoped and delivered complex systems in fast-moving or ambiguous environments * Write and review production-grade code across frontend and backend using Python, JavaScript, or comparable stacks * Have built or deployed systems powered by LLMs or generative models and understand how model behaviour affects product experience * Simplify complexity and make fast, sound decisions under pressure * Communicate clearly with engineers, product teams, and customer stakeholders * Spot risks early and adjust without slowing down * Model calm and judgment when the stakes are high **About OpenAI** OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. For additional information, please see [OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement](https://cdn.openai.com/policies/eeo-policy-statement.pdf). Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations. To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through [this form](https://form.asana.com/?d=57018692298241&k=5MqR40fZd7jlxVUh5J-UeA). No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this [link](https://form.asana.com/?k=bQ7w9h3iexRlicUdWRiwvg&d=57018692298241). [OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy](https://cdn.openai.com/policies/global-employee-and-contractor-privacy-policy.pdf) At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.