{"id":2810817,"url":"https://alion.io/job/snapdrum-forward-deployed-ai-engineer","title":"Forward Deployed AI Engineer","company":{"id":4446803,"name":"Snapdrum","domain":"snapdrum.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/snapdrum","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Rooster","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":4,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-21T05:46:15Z"}},"role":"AI/ML","role_family":"AI/ML","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"unspecified","remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"inferred","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AWS","optional":false},{"name":"GCP","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"RAG","optional":false},{"name":"TypeScript","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-02T09:27:14Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-02","last_verified_at":"2026-10-22T04:42:34Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":80,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":80},"description":"About SnapDrumSnapDrum helps companies convert AI ambition into working production systems.\nOur forward-deployed engineers sit between engineering, product and the customer. They understand the user’s workflow, clarify the real problem, design the solution and remain involved until it is adopted successfully.\nWe are building a selective talent network for future UK and US client engagements.\nThe opportunity\nThis role is for an engineer who enjoys both building software and working directly with customers.\nYou will be expected to operate in ambiguous environments where the client may know the outcome they want but may not yet have a complete technical specification.\nYou must be able to ask strong questions, understand workflows, build rapidly, communicate trade-offs and take responsibility for implementation.\nThis is not a traditional account-management role and it is not purely a software-development role. It combines technical delivery, discovery, integration and stakeholder ownership.\nWhat you may do\nInterview users and stakeholders to understand current workflows.\nIdentify where AI, automation or software can create measurable value.\nConvert incomplete requirements into a practical implementation plan.\nBuild prototypes and evolve successful prototypes into production systems.\nIntegrate AI models with client data, applications and tools.\nDevelop APIs, backend services, user interfaces and automation workflows.\nEvaluate AI outputs and design appropriate human-review processes.\nWork with client engineering, security, operations and product teams.\nExplain technical choices and risks to non-technical stakeholders.\nManage implementation milestones, blockers and changing requirements.\nTrain users and support adoption after deployment.\nDocument the solution so that it can be maintained and scaled.\nUse AI development tools to accelerate execution while retaining full accountability.\nRequired experience\nStrong software-engineering capability in Python, TypeScript or both.\nExperience building and deploying real applications.\nExperience integrating APIs, databases and third-party systems.\nFamiliarity with LLMs, RAG, agents or AI-enabled workflows.\nAbility to understand unfamiliar business processes quickly.\nExcellent spoken and written English.\nConfidence working directly with clients.\nStrong judgment in ambiguous situations.\nAbility to explain complex technical concepts clearly.\nEvidence of taking a project or feature from idea to implementation.\nStrong candidates will also demonstrate\nConsulting, solutions-engineering or technical customer-facing experience.\nExperience running technical discovery sessions.\nExperience with cloud platforms such as GCP or AWS.\nExperience with security, privacy or regulated environments.\nProduct-management or product-design awareness.\nExperience deploying AI systems into real business workflows.\nAbility to balance speed, quality and commercial constraints.\nRelevant cloud or AI qualifications.\nWhat we value\nWe look for people who:\nsolve the client’s real problem rather than simply completing the requested ticket;\nare comfortable saying “I do not know” and then finding the answer;\ncommunicate risks before they become emergencies;\ncan challenge a requirement respectfully;\ncare about adoption, not merely deployment;\nuse AI intelligently but validate their work;\ntake ownership across technical and human aspects of delivery;\nremain calm and structured when requirements change.\nHiring process\n1. Application and eligibility review\n2. Asynchronous client-communication video interview\n3. Practical discovery and solution-design exercise\n4. Technical implementation assessment\n5. Live client-simulation interview\n6. Ownership and integrity interview\n7. References and credential verification\n8. Addition to the SnapDrum client-ready talent network\n9. Client-specific matching and interviews\nLocation and working model\nRemote from Sri Lanka\nFuture client-facing engagements with UK or US companies\nRegular working-hours overlap with the client will be required\nOccasional travel may be considered for some future engagements but is not guaranteed\nCompensation\nCompensation will depend on technical depth, client-facing experience, engagement requirements and working-hours overlap.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4257,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"All levels","optional":false}]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":[],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-18T09:32:28Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":11,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.397,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":79,"expected_fill_days":27,"reasons":["conf:2","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-21T05:46:15Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/snapdrum-forward-deployed-ai-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/snapdrum-forward-deployed-ai-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-22T06:06:31Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":843,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-23T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":4446803},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=4446803"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fsnapdrum-forward-deployed-ai-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fsnapdrum-forward-deployed-ai-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fsnapdrum-forward-deployed-ai-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/snapdrum-forward-deployed-ai-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fsnapdrum-forward-deployed-ai-engineer"}]}