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OpenAI's Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team partners directly with customers to transform AI research into production systems. This role focuses on the legal services vertical, embedding deeply with law firms and legal teams to identify high-value use cases, rapidly prototype solutions, and drive measurable adoption.
You will own the full technical lifecycle: discovery and proof-of-concept through production deployment. Early work will likely center on creating "hero" workflows demonstrating how OpenAI's models can support legal analysis, drafting, research, and case management. You'll translate customer workflows and constraints into actionable product feedback, then codify successful patterns into repeatable tools and playbooks that scale across accounts and the broader legal market.
Key responsibilities include embedding with customers to understand workflows and select initial use cases; building full-stack systems that deliver value while generating learning signals; guiding adoption and managing trade-offs between scope, speed, and quality; contributing hands-on code when needed; and surfacing field insights to shape Research and Product direction.
You should bring 5+ years of software or ML engineering experience with customer-facing ownership, ideally in financial services or regulated industries. Experience with legal tech, compliance workflows, or professional services is valued but not required. You must have owned complex AI/data systems end-to-end in high-stakes environments where errors carry real financial or regulatory consequences. Strong production-grade coding across backend and frontend (Python, JavaScript, or similar), hands-on LLM deployment experience, and ability to communicate clearly across engineering, product, risk, compliance, and executive stakeholders are essential. Systems thinking, high execution standards, and calm decisiveness under urgent, ambiguous, high-stakes conditions are critical.
The role is based in San Francisco or New York City with a hybrid model (three days in-office per week). Up to 50% travel may be required. Relocation assistance is offered.
