Forward Deployed Engineer

About the role

Sia is a next-generation, global management consulting group. Founded in 1999, we were born digital. Today our strategy and management capabilities are augmented by data science, enhanced by creativity and driven by responsibility. We’re optimists for change and we help clients initiate, navigate and benefit from transformation. We believe optimism is a force multiplier, helping clients to mitigate downside and maximize opportunity.

With expertise across a broad range of sectors and services, our 3,000 consultants serve clients worldwide from 48 locations in 19 countries. Our expertise delivers results. Our optimism transforms outcomes.

Our Mumbai office was launched in 2024, marking an exciting new chapter for us. We’re building the team with people who are eager to shape something from the ground up — combining the agility and entrepreneurial energy of a startup with the backing and reach of a global brand.

We are seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to join Sia’s AI Factory (AIF), embedded directly within a client’s engineering, product, or service team. This role combines hands-on software engineering with client-facing delivery to close platform gaps and deliver production use cases. You will work within the client’s codebase and engineering standards, owning agreed deliverables from understanding requirements through deployment and handover.

Key Responsibilities

• Work embedded within the client’s team, participating in planning, standups, and delivery activities alongside client and Sia engineers.

• Translate client needs into scoped technical deliverables, clear acceptance criteria, and measurable outcomes.

• Design, develop, and deploy production-quality Python backend services, APIs, connectors, and integrations.

• Identify and address platform gaps within the agreed scope, aligning architectural changes and dependencies with the relevant owners.

• Develop and integrate RAG pipelines, tool-calling agents, and LLM workflows using approved model gateways and data sources, with appropriate evaluation and safeguards.

• Deliver use cases alongside platform improvements, balancing delivery timelines with maintainability, security, and reliability.

• Apply code reviews, automated testing, CI/CD, logging, and monitoring; track quality, latency, and cost for delivered AI components.

• Communicate technical trade-offs, progress, blockers, and risks clearly to client stakeholders, escalating scope changes and dependencies early.

• Document technical decisions and operational procedures, and provide knowledge transfer so the client’s team can maintain and operate the solution.

• Education: Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• Experience: 3–6 years of software development experience, with a strong focus on Python backend development in production.

• Strong Python skills and experience with FastAPI, Flask, Django, or a comparable framework, including API design and system integrations.

• Ability to understand unfamiliar codebases, troubleshoot issues, and contribute production-quality code.

• Experience with SQL databases such as PostgreSQL, a cloud platform such as AWS, GCP, or Azure, and Docker, Git, CI/CD, and automated testing.

• Practical experience with RAG, LLM applications, or tool-calling workflows, including an understanding of retrieval, evaluation, and AI safety considerations.

• Comfort working within an embedded client team, clarifying ambiguous requirements, and taking ownership of agreed deliverables.

• Experience working within governed enterprise environments, including approved libraries and services, data access controls, and security review processes.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical decisions to engineers and non-technical stakeholders.

• Good to have: agent orchestration frameworks, vector search tools, enterprise GenAI platforms, Kubernetes, or NoSQL databases.

• Good to have: Spark, Databricks, prior consulting or client-facing delivery, or experience in regulated domains such as financial services, healthcare, or the public sector.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to lead cutting-edge AI projects in a global consulting environment.

• Leadership development programs and training sessions at our global centers.

• A dynamic and collaborative team environment with diverse projects.

Position based in Mumbai (onsite)