Forward Deployed Engineer - Tokyo
Remote • Tokyo, Japan • FullTime
Posted 1y ago
Remote Work Policy
Fully remote
Employment Type
FullTime
Categories
Applied AI Engineer
About the job
OpenAI's Forward Deployed Engineering team partners with customers to turn research breakthroughs into production systems, operating at the intersection of customer delivery and core platform development. Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) lead complex end-to-end deployments of frontier models in production alongside our most strategic customers. You will own discovery, technical scoping, system design, build, and production rollout, partnering directly with customer engineering and domain teams, and measuring success through production adoption, workflow impact, and feedback that shapes product and model roadmaps. This role requires fluency in both Japanese and English and is based in Tokyo with a hybrid work model.
Responsibilities
- Own technical delivery across multiple deployments from prototype to production.
- Build full-stack systems to deliver customer value and improve learning.
- Embed with customer teams to understand needs and guide adoption.
- Scope work, sequence delivery, and proactively remove blockers.
- Balance scope, speed, and quality, adjusting plans as needed.
- Contribute directly to code when necessary for progress or clarity.
- Codify working patterns into reusable tools and playbooks.
- Share field feedback to inform Research and Product teams about model performance.
- Maintain team momentum through clear communication and follow-through.
Requirements
- 5+ years of engineering or technical deployment experience, including customer-facing work.
- Experience scoping and delivering complex systems in dynamic or ambiguous environments.
- Proficiency in writing and reviewing production-grade code (frontend/backend) using Python, JavaScript, or comparable stacks.
- Experience building or deploying systems powered by LLMs or generative models.
- Ability to simplify complexity and make sound decisions under pressure.
- Clear communication skills with engineers, product teams, and customer stakeholders.
- Ability to identify risks early and adapt without losing momentum.
- Bilingual fluency in Japanese and English (spoken and written).
Benefits
- Hybrid work model (3 days in office per week).
- Relocation assistance for new employees.