Entrylevel Forward Deployed Engineer Jobs in Illinois

About AHEAD

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.

At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard.

AHEAD is an equal‑opportunity employer, and does not discriminate based on an individual's race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived.

We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.

Position: Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)

The Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) is a hands‑on role embedded within AHEAD's internal AI transformation function. You will design, build, and run production AI applications on enterprise GPT platforms, including custom agents, workflows, connectors, and integrations. You will operate as the technical build resource within a cross‑functional delivery team, partnering closely with business stakeholders, a transformation consultant, and an adoption lead to support one of AHEAD’s key domains, such as Services, Go‑to‑Market, or Corporate & Technology. This person owns the full solution lifecycle from discovery and design through build, rollout, optimization, and ongoing support.

This role is well suited for someone who enjoys working directly with business teams, translating ambiguous needs into practical AI‑enabled solutions, and building production AI patterns such as orchestration, model integration, evaluation, observability, and secure enterprise deployment. Success in the role requires comfort working inside a shared team model where solution design, user adoption, and business outcomes are delivered in close coordination rather than in isolation.

Duties / Responsibilities

• Build on the Enterprise GPT Platform: Design and ship agents and multi‑step workflows using Glean, Claude, and other GPT platforms, applying platform tools such as Agent Builder, actions, MCP tools, and adjacent automation tools (e.g., n8n, Zapier, Make).
• Apply AI solution patterns such as retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), workflow orchestration, agent‑assisted processes, model integration, API‑based automation, and human‑in‑the‑loop review.
• Integrate & orchestrate: Create connections to ingest data from enterprise systems like Salesforce, ServiceNow, SharePoint/Teams, email, and internal APIs; extend platform capabilities through MCP‑based integrations and context‑aware workflows; implement custom services and integrations, including REST APIs and webhooks; ensure solutions are secure, reliable, observable, and compliant with enterprise standards; create reusable templates, components, and solution patterns that can be applied across teams and use cases.
• Identify & solve business friction points: Proactively surface pain points across business workflows and reimagine them leveraging the best available technology to create impact; rapidly prototype, validate with real users, and harden MVPs into scalable, production solutions; partner with stakeholders to prioritize high‑impact use cases; measure and communicate the value of solutions delivered.
• Own LLM Quality, Telemetry & Cost: Apply production LLM practices—prompt and agent design, guardrails, and evaluation; use test sets, quality metrics, and online/offline evaluation methods; instrument usage, reliability, and token/credit consumption at the agent and team level; use data to improve quality and reduce unnecessary spend.

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Data and Analytics.
• Experience in technical roles such as Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Integration Engineer, Automation Engineer, or similar roles with direct stakeholder engagement.
• Experience designing or supporting AI‑enabled solutions in production environments, including prompting, system design, agent development, and workflow configuration.
• Familiarity with evaluation approaches such as test sets, quality metrics, and iterative improvement loops.
• Working knowledge of AI solution patterns such as RAG, orchestration, model integration, vector‑backed retrieval, and human‑in‑the‑loop workflows.
• Ability to configure existing connectors to access required data; experience integrating enterprise applications using APIs, webhooks, automation tools, or lightweight services.
• Familiarity with observability, monitoring, governance, guardrails, and responsible AI controls in enterprise environments.

Preferred Experience

• Familiarity with common business systems such as Salesforce, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, ServiceNow, ticketing or ITSM platforms, and CRM or ERP tools.
• Hands‑on experience with Enterprise GPT platforms (e.g., Glean, Claude) and automation tools (e.g., n8n, Zapier, Make).
• Familiarity with enterprise security concepts such as RBAC, least privilege, SSO, SAML, OAuth, OIDC, and auditability.
• Experience working in cross‑functional delivery teams that pair solution building with business process transformation, user enablement, and change support.

How You Work

• Operate as a builder and long‑term advisor, not just an implementer.
• Comfortable being embedded with business teams while upholding platform and security standards.
• Communicate clearly with executives and non‑technical stakeholders about trade‑offs, risks, and impact.
• Move fast on prototypes, but know when to slow down for risk, security, or cost.
• Stay current on the cutting edge of AI—new models, MCP developments, agentic frameworks, and emerging tooling—and bring relevant innovations back to AHEAD.
• Continuously scan the business for friction points and unmet needs; show up with ideas, not just execution.
• Work effectively as part of a small, embedded team where technical build, business problem framing, and adoption support are closely coordinated.

Compensation

$160,000 - $190,000 a year (On‑Target Earnings include base salary and any applicable target bonus). OTE may vary based on experience, qualifications, and location.

Benefits (USA)

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k)
• Paid company holidays
• Paid time off
• Paid parental and caregiver leave
• Plus more! See benefits https://www.aheadbenefits.com/ for additional details.