Forward Deployed AI Engineer - Associate Director
EY· enterprise· Professional Services· Oct 1, 2026 · 26d ago
Phoenix, AZ, US, 85004
In office
Full-time
Director
$190K–$247K est.
6+ years exp
Job description
At EY, we’re all in to shape your future with confidence.
We’ll help you succeed in a globally connected powerhouse of diverse teams and take your career wherever you want it to go.
Join EY and help to build a better working world.
The Opportunity
As an Associate Director in EY’s Forward Deployed Engineering team, you will support the design, development, and deployment of AI-driven, data-centric solutions within strategic client environments. This role blends strong technical expertise with emerging leadership capabilities to contribute to business impact through collaboration with client teams and internal stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
• Client Engagement & Solution Support
• Collaborate with senior client stakeholders and technical teams to support AI and data strategy initiatives.
• Assist in the full lifecycle of solution development—from problem definition, architecture design, prototyping, deployment, to scaling and adoption.
• Help align client technology roadmaps with business objectives and emerging AI trends.
• Forward Deployment & Engineering Execution
• Develop and implement AI and LLM-powered applications leveraging Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), autonomous agents, and orchestration frameworks.
• Demonstrate proficiency in Python and agent frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, or AutoGen.
• Rapidly develop functional prototypes and production-ready demos within project timelines.
• Commercial & Growth Enablement
• Support identification and pursuit of technical expansion opportunities to accelerate account growth.
• Contribute to proposal development, technical demos, and client engagements by articulating AI/ML capabilities and business value.
• Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Leadership & Team Collaboration
• Mentor and guide junior engineers and data scientists within cross-functional pods.
• Foster a culture of innovation, agility, and continuous improvement.
• Contribute to the refinement of EY’s Forward Deployed Engineering frameworks, best practices, and technical capabilities.
Skills and Attributes for Success
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced client environments.
• Strong hands-on AI/ML engineering skills combined with emerging solution leadership capabilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Commercial awareness focused on delivering measurable business outcomes.
• Passion for AI, cloud-native architectures, and emerging technologies.
Required Qualifications
• 6+ years in software engineering, data engineering, or AI/ML solution delivery.
• Proven experience delivering scalable AI/ML solutions in client-facing or collaborative roles.
• Solid expertise in machine learning, generative AI, NLP, computer vision, data platforms, and big data technologies.
• Experience with cloud-native development, microservices, container orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker).
• Proficiency with cloud platforms: Azure, AWS, GCP.
• Familiarity with DevOps practices including CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible), monitoring, and logging.
• Exposure to agentic architectures, multi-agent orchestration, or cognitive harness patterns.
• Consulting or technical delivery experience with enterprise clients.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to complex technical engagements and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.
Preferred Qualifications
• Knowledge of MLOps, LLMOps, AI governance, ethical AI frameworks, and model interpretability tools.
• Industry-specific expertise (financial services, healthcare, energy).
• Experience supporting sales, pursuits, or account growth initiatives.
What we offer you
At EY, we’ll develop you with future-focused skills and equip you with world-class experiences. We’ll empower you in a flexible environment, and fuel you and your extraordinary talents in a diverse and inclusive culture of globally connected teams. Learn more .
Are you ready to shape your future with confidence? Apply today.
To help create an equitable and inclusive experience during the recruitment process, please inform us as soon as possible about any disability-related adjustments or accommodations you may need.
EY | Building a better working world
EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets.
Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.
EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.
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