OpenAI

Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering - Munich

OpenAI3 months ago
Location

Munich, Germany

Type

Full Time

Salary

EUR 220,000 – 320,000

Level

Manager

Role

Engineering Manager

Posted

Apr 23, 2026

Full TimeManager

The role

Summary

Lead OpenAI's Forward Deployed Engineering team in Munich, managing high-stakes customer deployments at the intersection of research and production systems. This role combines technical leadership with strategic partnership across Product, Research, and GTM teams to deploy frontier AI models safely and drive field insights into product roadmaps. You'll build and mentor a team that operates under pressure while maintaining exceptional delivery standards and translating field experience into actionable organizational learning.

What you'll do

Team Leadership and Growth: Lead and develop a team of Forward Deployed Engineers delivering production systems with frontier AI models. Establish performance standards, provide direct and actionable feedback, and create growth pathways for engineers operating in high-pressure customer environments. Focus on team resilience, capability scaling, and knowledge retention.
End-to-End Delivery Ownership: Own complete delivery outcomes through clarity, speed, tight coordination, and technical quality. Manage project timelines from prototype through production deployment with frontier models. Balance ambiguity and evolving requirements while maintaining shipping velocity and reliability in customer-critical systems.
Knowledge Codification and Leverage: Transform field learnings into reusable tools, playbooks, and processes that amplify team impact and support the broader developer community. Document best practices, deployment patterns, and operational insights that benefit both OpenAI and external users of frontier AI models.
Early Signal Detection and Communication: Identify and escalate early indicators of product behavior issues, customer environment constraints, and deployment practice breakdowns. Develop judgment around prioritization and raise urgent matters with appropriate stakeholders across Product, Research, and GTM organizations.
Strategic Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner closely with Product, Research, Sales, and GTM teams to ensure field experience directly informs roadmap priorities and new technical exploration. Translate customer deployment challenges and opportunities into sharp, actionable feedback that shapes frontier AI product development.
Field Team Scaling and Staffing Strategy: Define staffing models, support structures, and operational processes that enable field teams to scale without adding complexity. Design systems for sustainable team growth, resource allocation, and knowledge sharing across distributed FDE operations.
Production System Quality and Safety: Maintain rigorous standards for production-grade code quality across frontend and backend systems. Lead technical reviews ensuring deployments of frontier AI models meet safety, reliability, and performance requirements while building customer trust through consistent delivery excellence.

What we look for

Technical

JavaScript ProgrammingProficiency in JavaScript for production frontend development, including modern frameworks, state management, and performance optimization. Ability to review and guide JavaScript architecture decisions.
Python ProgrammingStrong Python capability for backend systems, data processing, and service development. Experience with production Python systems, API design, and integration with AI/ML infrastructure.
Full-Stack DevelopmentComprehensive understanding of full-stack systems architecture including frontend, backend, databases, and deployment infrastructure. Ability to make architectural tradeoffs and guide end-to-end system design.
Production Systems and DevOpsExperience with production system deployment, monitoring, and operations. Understanding of CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure management, and debugging production issues at scale.
API Design and IntegrationExpertise in designing robust APIs, managing integrations with third-party services, and building systems that interact with frontier AI models. Understanding of real-time systems and asynchronous patterns.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Related FieldPreferred foundational education in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or equivalent practical engineering experience. Equivalent depth of technical knowledge through self-study and professional experience considered.

Experience

8+ Years Engineering or Technical Delivery ExperienceDemonstrate a strong foundation in engineering-focused roles with proven track record in technical delivery, system architecture, or production engineering. This experience should span multiple products, domains, or technology cycles.
2+ Years Managing Forward Deployed or Customer-Facing EngineersLead high-performing teams of customer-facing engineers, field engineers, or field deployment engineers in customer environments. Experience managing teams through ambiguous, high-stakes technical work with direct customer impact and competing priorities.
High-Pressure Technical Project LeadershipSuccessfully led complex technical projects from prototype phase through production deployment. Proven ability to navigate scope changes, technical risks, and timeline pressure while maintaining team morale and delivery quality.
Production Code OwnershipActive experience writing and reviewing production-grade code in JavaScript or Python for both frontend and backend systems. Maintain current technical depth through ongoing hands-on engineering work alongside management responsibilities.
Decision-Making Under AmbiguityDemonstrated capability to simplify complex technical and business problems into clear decisions. Make sound judgments rapidly in uncertain, evolving environments while maintaining focus on customer value and business outcomes.

Skills

Required skills

Engineering Team LeadershipLead high-performing engineering teams through complex technical work. Provide mentorship, set performance standards, and create psychological safety while maintaining accountability and delivery excellence.
Customer-Centric Technical DeliveryBalance customer needs, technical excellence, and business outcomes. Navigate competing priorities in customer environments while maintaining trust and long-term relationship value.
Cross-Functional CollaborationPartner effectively with Product, Research, Sales, and GTM teams. Translate between technical and business contexts, synthesize diverse perspectives, and align organizations around shared outcomes.
Operational Excellence and Decision QualityEstablish clear processes and decision frameworks that enable rapid execution. Simplify ambiguous situations into actionable priorities, maintain focus under pressure, and execute consistently with high quality standards.
Production Code Review and ArchitectureReview and improve production code quality across multiple technology stacks. Guide architectural decisions, identify technical risks, and maintain hands-on development capability.
Field Signal Synthesis and EscalationIdentify meaningful signals from deployed systems, customer interactions, and team observations. Translate field learnings into sharp, actionable insights for Product and Research teams. Develop judgment around prioritization and urgency.
Ambiguity Navigation and JudgmentThrive in uncertain, rapidly evolving environments. Make sound decisions with incomplete information, maintain focus on outcomes rather than process, and adapt quickly to changing circumstances.
Team Culture and PerformanceBuild team cohesion and psychological safety through modeling calm, focus, and sound judgment. Elevate performance through clarity and feedback rather than process complexity. Develop deep trust with direct reports.

Nice to have

AI/ML Product Deployment ExperiencePrior experience deploying machine learning models or AI systems in production environments. Understanding of model deployment challenges, inference optimization, and customer AI integration patterns.
Enterprise Customer Technical EngagementExperience working with enterprise customers in technical capacity, understanding complex customer requirements, managing customer relationships, and driving adoption of technical solutions.
DevOps and Infrastructure ManagementBackground in DevOps, cloud infrastructure, or infrastructure-as-code. Familiarity with deployment automation, monitoring systems, and infrastructure scaling challenges.
Technical Mentorship and CoachingDemonstrated ability to mentor junior and mid-level engineers, design effective feedback loops, and create learning opportunities within high-pressure environments.
International or Remote Team ManagementExperience managing distributed teams across time zones or geographic locations. Proven ability to maintain team cohesion and communication effectiveness in remote or hybrid environments.
Startup or High-Growth Environment ExperienceBackground in rapidly growing companies or startup environments. Comfort with ambiguity, rapid iteration, and building operating models that scale without added complexity.

Compensation & benefits

Salary

EUR 220,000 – 320,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity and Stock Options

Participate in OpenAI's long-term success through stock options grants aligned with company growth and mission impact.

Comprehensive Health Coverage

Full medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage with competitive employer contributions and low employee out-of-pocket costs.

Retirement Benefits

Competitive pension or retirement savings plans with employer contributions, enabling long-term financial security.

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Flexible vacation policy with unlimited paid time off to support work-life balance and personal well-being.

Professional Development Budget

Annual allowance for conferences, courses, certifications, and continuing education to support career growth and technical development.

Parental Leave

Generous parental leave policies supporting new parents with extended time off and flexible return-to-work arrangements.

Relocation Assistance

Comprehensive relocation package for international moves to Munich, including visa sponsorship support, housing assistance, and settling-in support.

Hybrid Work Flexibility

Flexible hybrid work arrangement with 3 days per week in Munich office and 2 days remote, enabling work-life integration.

Home Office Equipment

Stipend and equipment support for creating an effective home office setup for remote work days.

Interview process

  1. 1
    Initial Screening and Recruiter Conversation — Initial 30-minute call with OpenAI recruiter to discuss background, experience with customer-facing engineering roles, team leadership approach, and interest in the Forward Deployed Engineering mission. Alignment check on location preferences and relocation willingness.
  2. 2
    Hiring Manager Technical Conversation — 45-60 minute conversation with the hiring manager (FDE leadership) exploring team leadership philosophy, experiences managing high-pressure deployments, examples of navigating ambiguity, and approach to building trust with teams. Discussion of recent technical project where you drove delivery.
  3. 3
    Technical Leadership Interview — 60-minute technical assessment with FDE team members covering production code review exercise in Python or JavaScript, architectural decision-making under constraints, and discussion of how you'd handle a complex customer deployment scenario. Focus on code quality judgment and technical communication.
  4. 4
    Cross-Functional Partner Interviews — Two 45-minute conversations with Product and Research team members. Discuss how you translate field signals into actionable insights, examples of influencing roadmap decisions, and approach to balancing customer needs with long-term research priorities.
  5. 5
    Field Team Perspective Interview — 30-45 minute conversation with current FDE team member to assess leadership approach, team culture, mentorship style, and ability to support engineers in high-pressure customer environments. Discussion of how you handle disagreement and feedback.
  6. 6
    Executive Leadership Interview — 30-45 minute conversation with senior OpenAI leader discussing organizational impact, scaling philosophy, decision-making under uncertainty, and long-term vision for the Forward Deployed Engineering function.
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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
JavaScriptPython
Frameworks
React or Vue.jsFastAPI or DjangoNode.js
Databases
PostgreSQLRedis
Tools
Git and Version ControlDocker and Container OrchestrationCI/CD PlatformsMonitoring and Observability Tools
Other
OpenAI APIRESTful and Asynchronous APIsCloud Infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure)

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5 guides available for OpenAI

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