Senior Forward Deployed Engineer

About the role

Handshake AI is looking for a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer to manage the full lifecycle of technical deployments for frontier AI labs. You will bridge the gap between complex customer requirements and production-ready engineering solutions while collaborating with teams across India and the US. In this capacity, you will act as the primary technical liaison for strategic customers, ensuring their unique demands are understood and translated into robust, scalable software. Your work will directly influence the direction of the product by providing feedback from the field to the product and research teams. You will be responsible for maintaining the highest standards of code quality and system performance in all solutions you deliver. This role requires a proactive mindset to identify potential issues before they escalate and to propose preventative measures. You will play a key part in fostering strong relationships with partners through consistent execution and technical excellence.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Investigate and resolve intricate technical challenges presented by AI laboratories to ensure seamless integration.
• Synthesize requirements from diverse stakeholders to formulate a coherent technical strategy for deployment.
• Construct and uphold resilient production applications that emphasize security, reliability, and optimal performance metrics.
• Develop modular frameworks and standardized deployment patterns to accelerate the delivery of future customer initiatives.
• Conduct experiments and refine prototypes based on immediate feedback from key strategic partners in the ecosystem.
• Lead technical design sessions and code reviews to elevate the overall engineering standards across the India organization.
• Serve as a domain expert to guide the career development of junior engineers within the expanding India team.
• Monitor system health and establish observability practices to ensure high availability and rapid incident response.
• Collaborate with US-based teams to align timelines, expectations, and deliverables for cross-continental projects.
• Document architectural decisions and operational procedures to maintain institutional knowledge and facilitate onboarding.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and assess their applicability to current customer pain points and long-term product goals.
• Drive the end-to-end delivery of projects from initial scoping through final production rollout and support.
• Partner with product managers to validate feature sets and ensure alignment with customer expectations and business objectives.
• Optimize application performance to handle scale efficiently while maintaining a superior user experience for laboratory workflows.

Requirements

• Bring a minimum of 6 years of professional software engineering experience to the table, demonstrating consistent delivery of results.
• Show a proven track record of leading complex, customer-facing, or forward-deployed engineering initiatives with measurable impact.
• Demonstrate proficiency in TypeScript, React, and modern backend system design principles.
• Exhibit expertise in relational databases such as PostgreSQL, distributed systems architectures, and cloud-based infrastructure management.
• Possess hands-on experience operating production systems within AWS or GCP environments, managing the full stack lifecycle.
• Display the ability to manage stakeholders and communicate effectively across global teams with varying technical backgrounds.
• Hold the capability to work independently with minimal supervision while maintaining strict adherence to deadlines and quality gates.
• Maintain a strong commitment to writing clean, maintainable code that is thoroughly tested and documented for future maintenance.

Nice to have

• Possess a background in LLM infrastructure, AI-powered products, or machine learning platforms that enhance deployment workflows.
• Have direct experience working with strategic enterprise partners in high-stakes environments.
• Show familiarity with Kubernetes, Docker, and robust CI/CD workflows to automate deployment pipelines.
• Bring previous work experience supporting applied AI or ML research groups in academic or industrial settings.
• Thrive in high-growth startup environments where agility and adaptability are critical to success.

Practical notes

This role is based in Bengaluru, India, requiring consistent on-site presence at the office location. The engagement is structured as a full-time position, aligning with standard business hours and project demands. Travel may be required to support customer deployments or internal initiatives as dictated by project needs. No specific visa sponsorship details are provided by the company for this listing. Applicants must ensure they meet the practical requirements regarding location and availability before applying. The role is contingent upon successful completion of the hiring process, including interviews and background checks.

About the company

Handshake is a career community for college students and recent graduates. Founded in 2014, Handshake connects students at over 1,400 educational institutions with employers for internships and entry-level jobs.