Forward Deployed Software Engineer

📋 Description

• • IT Labs is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Forward Deployed Software Engineer to join a strategic delivery project for a cutting-edge deep-tech client. This client operates at the forefront of advanced engineering, physics-based simulation, and artificial intelligence, developing an AI-driven simulation and analytics platform. This platform is designed to revolutionize how engineering organizations accelerate innovation by applying modern cloud-native software practices to traditionally complex and time-consuming engineering workflows.
• • The platform serves a diverse range of critical industries, including Aerospace, Automotive, Energy, Materials, and Advanced Manufacturing. These sectors rely heavily on high-performance simulation, intricate data pipelines, and large-scale engineering computations. This role presents a unique opportunity to work on state-of-the-art applied AI systems that have a tangible impact on real-world engineering challenges and advancements.
• • As a Forward Deployed Software Engineer, you will be an integral part of the client’s delivery team, taking direct responsibility for designing, building, and deploying customer-specific software solutions that leverage and extend the client’s core platform. This position is a dynamic blend of hands-on software engineering, strategic solution architecture, and direct customer engagement. You will collaborate extensively with a multidisciplinary team, including machine learning engineers, data scientists, platform engineers, and the client's own engineering teams, to tailor and enhance the platform's capabilities to address highly complex engineering problems.
• • In this role, your day-to-day activities will involve a variety of critical tasks:
• • Extending the existing platform's functionalities through the development of custom integrations and bespoke features.
• • Modifying both frontend and backend services to seamlessly support unique customer-specific workflows and requirements.
• • Architecting and implementing robust system integrations and highly scalable application components that form the backbone of customer solutions.
• • Managing the deployment and ongoing operation of these solutions within customer cloud environments or Kubernetes clusters, ensuring high availability and performance.
• • This is a deeply hands-on role that demands engineers who are adept at merging core software engineering principles with sophisticated system design and effective customer-facing technical problem-solving. You will be expected to dive deep into technical challenges and deliver practical, effective solutions.
• • Key Responsibilities:
• • **BUILD CUSTOMER-SPECIFIC SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS:** Design, develop, and maintain robust backend services, primarily utilizing Python and the FastAPI framework. Implement efficient REST APIs and microservices that are crucial for supporting AI-driven engineering workflows. Extend existing platform applications by developing custom integrations and services tailored to specific client needs. Implement background workers, sophisticated data processing pipelines, and integrations for model inference to enhance platform capabilities.
• • **DESIGN SCALABLE SYSTEM SOLUTIONS:** Architect system designs and technical solutions that effectively integrate customer environments with the client's platform. Translate intricate and complex engineering workflows into resilient, scalable, and maintainable software systems. Actively participate in critical system design discussions and contribute to architectural decisions for customer implementations. Ensure all developed systems adhere to stringent standards for performance, scalability, reliability, and security.
• • **WORK DIRECTLY WITH CUSTOMERS:** Engage collaboratively with customer engineering teams to gain a deep understanding of their technical workflows, operational constraints, and specific requirements. Identify key integration points between the platform and the customer's existing engineering software or IT infrastructure. Rapidly iterate on developed solutions based on real-world usage, performance data, and direct customer feedback to ensure optimal outcomes.
• • **DELIVER END-TO-END ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS:** Develop both functional prototypes and production-ready systems that directly address defined customer use cases. Deploy and manage services effectively using containerization technologies like Docker and orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes. Work proficiently with essential infrastructure tools including Helm, Terraform, and major cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• • **CONTRIBUTE TO PLATFORM EVOLUTION:** Identify recurring patterns and common requirements across various customer solutions. Work to generalize these patterns into core platform capabilities, thereby enhancing the platform for future use. Collaborate closely with the core platform engineering team to propose and implement improvements to the platform's architecture, development tooling, and integration workflows.
• • This role is uniquely positioned at the intersection of deep software engineering, strategic system design, customer-facing technical delivery, and the application of AI within advanced engineering domains. It offers a challenging yet rewarding environment for engineers looking to make a significant impact.