AI - Forward Deployed Engineer (contract)

Responsibilities

• Rapidly build and deploy end-to-end AI systems and core components of generative AI solutions, owning the full arc from problem framing and MVP development to deployed workflow with a bias to action
• Collaborate with technical leads, product managers, and cross-functional teams to contribute to the technical design of AI agents, orchestration patterns, and advanced context engineering modules
• Drive product advancements by developing robust RAG pipelines, context engineering workflows, and integrations with services like Azure AI Search and Databricks
• Champion production discipline by implementing rigorous testing and evaluation frameworks, including golden sets, regression harnesses, and red-teaming to ensure secure, observable, and auditable code
• Deliver in a fast-paced, outcome-accountable environment, operating in two-to-six-week cycles with direct client and stakeholder feedback to ensure solutions solve real-world problems and are ready for scale
• Deploy and maintain scalable AI microservices and containerized workloads, optimizing performance and reliability to meet enterprise standards
• Champion the use of modern development accelerators such as Claude Code, Lovable, Cursor, and others where policy permits, to increase delivery capacity and velocity while elevating code quality
• Ensure software reliability and high code quality by writing unit tests, participating in code reviews, and utilizing CI/CD pipelines for automated builds and deployments
• Engage in agile development processes including daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives
• Act with integrity, professionalism, and personal responsibility to uphold KPMG's respectful and courteous work environment

Qualifications

• Minimum three years of recent experience in software engineering with demonstrated success in building, testing, and shipping production AI, machine learning, or data-intensive applications
• Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university in computer science, engineering, artificial intelligence, or a related technical field is preferred
• Strong programming skills in Python; hands-on experience with modern AI/ML frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, or Semantic Kernel
• Practical knowledge of modern AI methodologies and engineering practices, including AI systems judgment, context engineering, agentic workflows, and evaluation discipline
• Skilled within an agile environment using SDLC tools like Azure DevOps, Git, and CI/CD pipelines for automated builds and deployments
• Solid experience with cloud platforms, preferably Azure (or GCP/AWS); familiar with containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes
• Familiarity with AI-first developer accelerators (such as Cursor, Claude Code, or Copilot) to drive high-velocity development
• Certifications in areas such as Claude Certified Architect, Claude Certified Developer, OpenAI Codex Deployment Practitioner, and OpenAI Codex Professional are preferred
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills; able to communicate technical ideas clearly, thrive in ambiguous environments, and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to demonstrate prior experience with real work via a portfolio, a GitHub repository, or a structured walk-through of a system designed and shipped

Pay

Pay Rate Range 50 - 120 USD hourly