Senior Applied AI Engineer / Forward Deployed Engineer

Expleo is seeking a Senior Applied AI Engineer / Forward Deployed Engineer to design, build, and ship production-grade AI systems that solve genuine enterprise problems. This is a remote, full-time role open to candidates authorized to work anywhere in the United States (nationwide) (nationwide).

About the Role

This is hands-on, applied engineering — not a research-only position. As a Senior Applied AI Engineer / Forward Deployed Engineer, you will embed alongside a client team, translate ambiguous business needs into working software, and deliver reliable AI applications that produce measurable value. If you enjoy operating at the meeting point of engineering, data, and business outcomes, this opportunity is for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with business and technical stakeholders to map workflows, pain points, and success metrics.
• Turn open-ended problems into clear designs, technical solutions, and delivery roadmaps.
• Build AI-powered applications using LLMs, APIs, and enterprise data, with production backends in Python (FastAPI or Flask).
• Develop and refine RAG pipelines: ingestion, chunking, embeddings, vector/keyword/hybrid search, reranking, relevance tuning, and source grounding.
• Integrate solutions with SharePoint, Microsoft Graph, SQL, internal APIs, and other enterprise platforms while respecting access control, governance, and compliance.
• Establish evaluation frameworks measuring accuracy, groundedness, latency, completeness, and failure modes.
• Iterate quickly from prototype to pilot to release, and document architecture, trade-offs, and operational needs.

Qualifications

• 5+ years across software engineering, applied AI, or enterprise systems.
• Strong Python skills building production APIs and services.
• Hands-on experience with LLM applications and platforms such as Azure OpenAI or the OpenAI APIs.
• Proven track record designing RAG systems and a firm grasp of prompting, grounding, context management, and LLM limitations.
• Experience integrating enterprise data sources within secure, governed environments, plus excellent communication and systems thinking.
• Bonus: forward-deployed or solutions engineering background; Azure AI Search; LangChain, LlamaIndex, or Semantic Kernel; Microsoft 365, Graph API, or Copilot Studio; CI/CD and observability in Azure.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent experience. Microsoft or Azure certifications are a plus.

About Expleo

Expleo partners with leading organizations to deliver high-impact solutions while keeping its engineers supported and set up for lasting success. Compensation ranges from $75–$85 per hour, based on skills, experience, and geography. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, free tele-health, an HSA with company contribution, life and disability insurance, 401(k) with matching, and paid time off.

How to Apply

To apply, complete your application directly on this page, or you'll be redirected to the employer's application platform to finish submitting there.