Job description

Director - Forward Deployed Engineer is a Senior strategic technical leader who will shape the future of AI-powered solutions for Citi Payment Express. This role sits at the nexus of cutting-edge applied AI, modern software engineering, and high-impact client engagement — demanding both technical depth and the ability to translate complex business challenges into transformative production systems. We're seeking an exceptional engineer-leader who thrives in ambiguity, operates with urgency, and brings the rare combination of hands-on technical excellence and proven people leadership. In this role, you will drive the build-out and delivery of CPX in multiple markets, working directly with stakeholders and deliver measurable business value. You'll lead cross-functional initiatives that span platform engineering, security, full-stack development, and AI tooling usage — ensuring every solution is production-grade, scalable, and aligned with enterprise standards. As both a builder and a leader, you'll mentor a high-performing engineering team while remaining deeply involved in architecture, code, and delivery. Your work will directly influence how Citi leverages AI to serve clients, streamline operations, and maintain competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving landscape. Responsibilities: Lead the Citi Payment Express Market Rollouts for Payments • Own the technical strategy, architecture, and delivery roadmap for CPX in key markets • Drive rapid, reliable deployment of solutions into production environments. • Ensure engineering execution aligns with business objectives and client needs. Forward Deployed Engineering • Work directly with clients, stakeholders, and end users to understand workflows and challenges. • Identify high-value opportunities where AI and engineering can drive measurable impact. • Deliver end-to-end solutions from concept through to production deployment. Engineering Leadership • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of engineers. • Foster a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and accountability. • Balance strategic leadership with hands-on technical contribution. Applied AI & Agent Development • Design and build leveraging: • Google Agent Development Kit (ADK) • Model Context Protocol (MCP) Servers Full-Stack Engineering • Develop scalable APIs and backend services using Python and Java. • Contribute across the full software development lifecycle. Platform Engineering & Infrastructure • Deploy, operate, and maintain services on Kubernetes/AWS. • Apply strong networking and cloud-native architecture principles. • Drive platform reliability, scalability, and operational excellence. Engineering Excellence & SDLC • Champion best-in-class AI Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC) practices. • Drive continuous improvement through DORA metrics and engineering KPIs. Platform Migration & Integration • Lead migration and integration initiatives across strategic internal platforms including: • ARC • AgentFlow • Ensure alignment with organizational standards and technology strategy. Stakeholder Management • Partner with senior leaders across Services and Technology. • Communicate delivery progress, risks, and strategic recommendations. • Align technical execution with business priorities. Qualifications: • 15+ years of experience as a Senior Engineering Leader , Engineering Manager , or Technical Architect with a track record of building, leading, and scaling high-performing engineering teams. • Proven ability to lead , coach , and mentor engineers across all levels, fostering technical growth, career development, and succession planning within the team. • Experience establishing engineering culture , defining team values , and driving accountability , innovation , and technical excellence across the organization. • Strong leadership in PDLC best practices , CI/CD pipelines , automated testing frameworks , and engineering performance metrics including DORA (Deployment Frequency, Lead Time, Change Failure Rate, MTTR) . • Experience operating in customer-facing, consulting, embedded, or Forward Deployed Engineering environments , with the ability to translate business challenges into technical solutions. • Good hands-on experience Developing Agentic AI Solutions using Google Agent Development Kit (ADK) and Model Context Protocol (MCP) Servers , with demonstrated ability to architect and integrate AI capabilities into production workflows. • Expert-level proficiency in Python and Java , with strong architectural skills in API design, microservices development, and distributed systems. • Extensive hands-on experience architecting, deploying, and operating services on Kubernetes , including pod management, service mesh , ingress controllers, cluster autoscaling, and multi-cluster orchestration. • Hands-on experience with Containerization technologies including Docker, multi-stage builds, container registries. • Proficiency with Cloud-Native Architectures and Modern Deployment methodologies , including experience Architecting Solutions on AWS (EKS, Lambda, S3, RDS, DynamoDB) • Experience with Event-driven Architectures and Message Brokers such as Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ, AWS SNS/SQS, or Google Pub/Sub , including designing for fault tolerance and scalability . • Strong understanding of NoSQL databases like MongoDB Education: • Bachelor’s degree/University degree or equivalent experience • Master’s degree preferred ------------------------------------------------------ Job Family Group: Technology ------------------------------------------------------ Job Family: Applications Development ------------------------------------------------------ Time Type: Full time ------------------------------------------------------ Primary Location: Jersey City New Jersey United States ------------------------------------------------------ Primary Location Full Time Salary Range: $170,000.00 - $300,000.00 In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards. Citi offers competitive employee benefits, including: medical, dental & vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs. Citi also offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays. For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com. Available offerings may vary by jurisdiction, job level, and date of hire. ------------------------------------------------------ Most Relevant Skills Please see the requirements listed above. ------------------------------------------------------ Other Relevant Skills For complementary skills, please see above and/or contact the recruiter. ------------------------------------------------------ Anticipated Posting Close Date: Oct 23, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------ Automated Processing and AI We use automated processing, including artificial intelligence, for our legitimate business interests (or our reasonable and appropriate business purposes) to identify and align the candidate's skills and abilities with a specific job opening. Additionally, if you so choose, or consent, we can match your skills and abilities to other suitable roles at Citi. Importantly, all our hiring processes and decisions, including determining your suitability for a role, are conducted, checked, and decided by individuals. Our automated processing and AI do not involve relying on automatic or autonomous decision-making. Please refer to any Jurisdictional Considerations, with specific provisions for your country (where relevant) for further details. Illinois residents – AI Notice and Right ------------------------------------------------------ Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity review Accessibility at Citi . View Citi’s EEO Policy Statement and the Know Your Rights poster.

Requirements

Must-haves

Lead the Citi Payment Express Market
Rollouts for Payments
Own the technical strategy, architecture, and delivery roadmap for CPX in key markets
Drive rapid, reliable deployment of solutions into production environments.
Ensure engineering execution aligns with business objectives and client needs.
Forward Deployed Engineering
Work directly with clients, stakeholders, and end users to understand workflows and challenges.
Identify high-value opportunities where AI and engineering can drive measurable impact.
Deliver end-to-end solutions from concept through to production deployment.
Engineering Leadership
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of engineers.
Foster a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and accountability.
Balance strategic leadership with hands-on technical contribution.
Applied AI & Agent Development
Design and build leveraging: • Google Agent Development Kit (ADK)
Model Context Protocol (MCP) Servers
Full-Stack Engineering
Develop scalable APIs and backend services using Python and Java.
Contribute across the full software development lifecycle.
Platform Engineering & Infrastructure
Deploy, operate, and maintain services on Kubernetes/AWS.
Apply strong networking and cloud-native architecture principles.
Drive platform reliability, scalability, and operational excellence.

Nice-to-haves

Master’s degree preferred

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

aipythonjavakubernetesawsci/cdapidockeraccessibility

Platform: eightfold
Effort: medium

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Dental

Vision

401(K)

Paid Time Off

Wellness