Forward Deployed Engineer - Cleared - US

About the Role

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will operate as a technical lead on high-stakes, ambiguous customer deployments and own both technical and business value outcomes end-to-end. You will set the bar for customer engagement and deployments of our technology, helping establish the foundation for OpenAI Deployment.

You will ramp quickly toward management responsibilities and help grow a team that can operate under pressure to deliver meaningful outcomes for customers.

You will also help shape how AI can be leveraged to drive real-world impact, as well as how the team organizes to deliver that impact. You will partner closely with OpenAI’s core functions to ensure field work informs roadmap priorities, drives new exploration, and supports safe deployment at scale.

An active U.S. government security clearance is required. While TS/SCI with polygraph is preferred, all levels will be considered. Candidates must be able to maintain their clearance and obtain customer-specific access.

For cleared engagements, build within customer-approved environments and account for restrictions on data, connectivity, tooling, and access. Work closely with the Technical Deployment Lead and customer engineers to establish a feasible path from prototype to a system the customer can operate.

This role is based in Washington, D.C., New York, or San Francisco. Candidate location will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and candidates based elsewhere may be considered depending on customer needs, access requirements, and the ability to work onsite.

We use a hybrid work model with three days per week in the office and offer relocation assistance. Office and secure customer-site arrangements will be discussed case by case. This role will also require up to 50% travel; some work may require access to secure facilities.

In this role, you will

• Lead technical engagements end to end, delivering quickly with sound engineering judgment.
• Build reusable deployment capabilities and guide implementation strategy.
• Coach teammates, capture repeatable practices, and escalate emerging customer or product issues.
• Design integrations that respect the target environment’s access boundaries and approved data flows.
• Evaluate AI behavior using permitted datasets, and develop appropriate testing, observability, and human review for the customer workflow.
• Partner with customer security and infrastructure teams on environment readiness, release procedures, and operational handoff.
• Share reusable lessons through approved channels while keeping customer-sensitive details within their authorized boundaries.

You may thrive in this role if you

• Have 4+ engineering years; build production frontend and backend systems in JavaScript or Python.
• Ship ambiguous projects, choose reuse versus customization wisely, and make calm, clear decisions.
• Strengthen teams, earn trust, and turn customer learning into product feedback.
• Have built or integrated software in environments with restricted access, connectivity, or data handling.
• Can diagnose deployment problems with limited tooling and collaborate effectively with cleared customer teams.
• Have an active U.S. government security clearance. While TS/SCI with polygraph is preferred, all levels will be considered. Candidates must be able to maintain their clearance and obtain customer-specific access.