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Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering

OpenAINew York City
Hybrid Full-time

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Experience Level

Manager

Qualifications

8+ years of experience in engineering or technical delivery, including 2+ years managing high-performing Forward Deployed Engineering or customer-facing teams. Proven expertise in leading high-pressure technical projects from concept to production. Strong coding skills with a focus on production-grade quality and maintainability.

About the job

About Our Team

At OpenAI, our Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team plays a pivotal role in collaborating with clients to transform cutting-edge research into fully operational systems. We thrive at the intersection of client engagement and essential platform innovation.

About the Role
As the FDE Manager, you will guide your team through complex and high-pressure customer deployments while taking full ownership of both technical and business outcomes. You'll cultivate a resilient team capable of performing under pressure, ensuring that OpenAI continually learns from real-world applications.

In this position, you will work closely with Product, Research, Sales, and Go-To-Market teams to ensure that insights from fieldwork shape our roadmap priorities, fuel new initiatives, and facilitate secure large-scale deployments. Your strategic decisions will significantly impact the trust our customers place in OpenAI, and your success will be evaluated based on your team's delivery frequency, the clarity of communication to Research and Product sectors, and the long-term effectiveness of your team and delivery model.

This role is based in New York City and follows a hybrid work model, requiring three days in the office each week. We offer relocation assistance, and the position may involve travel up to 25% of the time.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead and develop a team of FDEs responsible for deploying advanced production systems with innovative models.

  • Oversee end-to-end delivery outcomes by ensuring clarity, speed, coordination, and technical excellence.

  • Document successful processes into tools, playbooks, and roadmap contributions to enhance the productivity of OpenAI and the broader developer ecosystem.

  • Identify early warning signs and address them promptly, whether related to product performance, customer environments, or operational practices.

  • Exercise sound judgement in determining actionable items versus those that do not require intervention.

  • Establish high-performance standards for the FDE team while fostering individual growth through targeted, constructive feedback.

  • Define staffing and support strategies for field teams that can scale efficiently without added complexity.

Ideal Candidate Profile

  • Possess over 8 years of engineering or technical delivery expertise, including at least 2 years in managing high-performing FDE or customer-facing engineering teams.

  • Demonstrated experience leading high-stakes technical projects from initial prototype to successful production.

  • Proficient in writing and reviewing production-grade code with a focus on quality and maintainability.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is at the forefront of artificial intelligence research and deployment, dedicated to ensuring that advanced AI benefits all of humanity. Our Forward Deployed Engineering team plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between groundbreaking research and practical applications, working collaboratively with clients to implement transformative systems.

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