OpenAI

Forward Deployed Software Engineer - London

OpenAI8 months ago
Location

London, UK

Type

Full Time

Salary

GBP 180,000 – 280,000

Level

Senior

Role

Full Stack Engineer

Posted

Nov 13, 2025

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

OpenAI seeks a Forward Deployed Software Engineer based in London to partner with strategic customers and transform AI research breakthroughs into production systems. You'll design and architect full-stack solutions leveraging OpenAI's APIs, working across the full software development lifecycle from proof-of-concept prototypes to production deployments. This role combines deep technical expertise with customer engagement, requiring 7+ years of full-stack engineering experience and a proven ability to deliver scalable solutions in fast-paced, customer-focused environments.

What you'll do

Strategic Customer Engagement and Discovery: Embed deeply with strategic customers to understand their business challenges, technical requirements, and operational constraints in detail. Conduct discovery sessions, technical assessments, and workshops to align customer objectives with OpenAI's platform capabilities and identify opportunities for custom solution development.
Full-Stack Architecture and Design: Design, architect, and develop comprehensive full-stack solutions using an experiment-driven, iterative approach. Create detailed system architectures, design abstractions to solve customer-specific problems, and establish scalable patterns that can be reused across multiple Forward Deployed engagements to accelerate delivery quality.
Project Planning and Scope Management: Prepare detailed scopes of work, project plans, and technical specifications for both proof-of-concept prototypes and full production deployments. Define milestones, success criteria, resource requirements, and risk mitigation strategies while maintaining clear communication with all stakeholders.
Hands-On Development and Customer Collaboration: Work hands-on with customers' technical teams as a trusted technical expert and advisor, coding side-by-side to drive projects to completion. Operate effectively within customer infrastructure and security environments, provide technical mentorship, and ensure seamless knowledge transfer to customer teams.
Cross-Functional Product Feedback and Collaboration: Collaborate closely with Product, Research, Applied teams, Sales, Solutions Engineering, Solutions Architects, and Customer Success Managers to ensure seamless customer experiences and project success. Translate customer feedback into actionable product insights and contribute to OpenAI's product roadmap development.
Knowledge Base Development and Best Practices Documentation: Contribute to internal knowledge bases and technical documentation, codifying best practices, solution patterns, and architectural insights gained from customer engagements. Share learnings across the Forward Deployed Engineering function to scale delivery capabilities and improve solution quality across all engagements.

What we look for

Technical

Full-Stack Software Development ExpertiseDemonstrated proficiency across the entire application development lifecycle, including frontend, backend, API design, and infrastructure deployment. Ability to architect and implement scalable, production-ready systems across multiple layers of the technology stack.
Relational Database Design and OptimizationHands-on experience with relational database systems, specifically PostgreSQL and/or MySQL. Proficiency in database schema design, query optimization, indexing strategies, and managing complex data models to support production workloads.
API Integration and DevelopmentStrong experience integrating third-party APIs and building custom APIs for production systems. Deep understanding of RESTful principles, API authentication, rate limiting, error handling, and designing APIs that scale with customer demand.
Production Deployment and DevOps FundamentalsExperience deploying and managing applications in production environments. Familiarity with cloud platforms, containerization (Docker), orchestration tools, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code practices to support scalable, reliable deployments.
Large Language Model Integration and Generative AIUnderstanding of LLM architecture, prompt engineering, model behavior, and practical experience integrating generative AI capabilities into production applications. Knowledge of OpenAI's APIs, model selection criteria, and optimization techniques for AI-powered features.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Related FieldFormal education in computer science, software engineering, mathematics, or equivalent discipline, or demonstrated equivalent professional experience through sustained technical contributions in software engineering roles.

Experience

7+ Years of Full-Stack Engineering ExperienceMinimum seven years of professional full-stack software engineering experience in relevant roles at technology-driven and product-focused companies. Internships excluded. Demonstrated track record of designing and delivering production-grade systems from conception to deployment.
Customer-Facing Software Engineering Experience (Highly Desirable)Professional experience working directly with customers or in customer-success-oriented engineering roles. Proven ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions, communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, and maintain strong customer relationships during implementation.
Early-Stage Startup and Product Development Experience (Preferred)Background as a founder or early-stage engineer who has built products from scratch. Experience navigating rapid iteration, making technical trade-offs under constraints, building with limited resources, and understanding the full spectrum of product development from concept to market.
Enterprise Software Delivery and IntegrationExperience delivering custom software solutions to enterprise customers, managing complex integrations, and navigating multi-stakeholder environments. Familiarity with enterprise security requirements, compliance considerations, and working within existing customer technology ecosystems.

Skills

Required skills

Full-Stack DevelopmentComprehensive ability to design and develop complete software solutions spanning frontend, backend, APIs, and database layers. Proficiency in building scalable, maintainable systems that integrate seamlessly with existing customer infrastructure.
Software Architecture and System DesignStrong capability in designing scalable system architectures, defining clear abstractions, and making sound technical trade-offs. Experience creating design documents, establishing coding standards, and implementing patterns that improve code reusability and team productivity.
Backend DevelopmentProven expertise building robust backend systems, designing efficient algorithms, and implementing complex business logic. Proficiency in server-side programming, API development, and creating scalable microservices or monolithic architectures as appropriate.
Database Design and ManagementDeep hands-on experience with relational database systems (PostgreSQL, MySQL), including schema design, query optimization, indexing strategies, and performance tuning for production workloads at scale.
Communication and Technical DocumentationExceptional ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences, including non-technical stakeholders. Strong written communication skills for technical documentation, architecture decisions, and knowledge sharing within teams and across organizations.
Problem-Solving and Iterative DevelopmentBias toward action with willingness to work iteratively alongside customers to identify the right solution. Ability to break down ambiguous problems, validate assumptions through experimentation, and pivot quickly based on customer feedback.
Collaborative Engineering and Cross-Functional TeamworkStrong ability to work effectively with diverse teams including Product, Research, Sales, Solutions Architecture, and Customer Success. Excellent interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and capacity to build trust with customers and internal stakeholders.

Nice to have

Generative AI and Large Language Model ExperiencePrior experience building applications with generative AI, large language models, or transformer-based architectures. Familiarity with LLM APIs, prompt engineering, fine-tuning techniques, and practical understanding of model capabilities and limitations.
Cloud Infrastructure and DevOpsPractical experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, or Azure. Knowledge of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), infrastructure-as-code, monitoring, logging, and designing for scalability, reliability, and security.
Enterprise Sales Engineering or Solutions ArchitectureBackground collaborating closely with sales teams, building proof-of-concept demonstrations, or working as a solutions architect. Experience understanding customer procurement processes, evaluating technical fit, and building business cases for technology adoption.
Machine Learning Operations and Model DeploymentExperience deploying machine learning models to production, managing model versioning, handling A/B testing for ML systems, and monitoring model performance and drift in production environments.
Enterprise Security and ComplianceUnderstanding of enterprise security requirements, compliance frameworks (SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR), data governance, and secure software development practices. Experience working within regulated industries or with security-conscious enterprise customers.
TypeScript and Node.js EcosystemProficiency with TypeScript, Node.js, and modern JavaScript frameworks for building full-stack applications. Familiarity with popular libraries and frameworks that accelerate development velocity.

Compensation & benefits

Salary

GBP 180,000 – 280,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

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OpenAI

OpenAI

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OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence research organization developing advanced AI models like GPT. Focused on ensuring AI benefits humanity, it creates tools for natural language processing and generative AI applications.

San Francisco, California, United StatesFounded 2015openai.com

Tech Stack

Languages
TypeScriptPythonJavaScriptSQL
Frameworks
Node.jsReactNext.jsExpress.js
Databases
PostgreSQLMySQLRedis
Tools
DockerGit and GitHubCI/CD PipelinesCloud Platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)OpenAI APIsAPI Development and Testing Tools
Other
Generative AI IntegrationPrompt EngineeringAgile and Iterative Development MethodologiesSoftware Design Patterns and Best Practices

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