
Forward Deployed Software Engineer - Paris
OpenAI · Paris, Île-de-France, France
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- €250,000 / year
- Paris, Île-de-France, France
Job highlights
- Engineer custom software solutions for clients using OpenAI APIs.
- Embed with customers to understand and solve business challenges.
- Design, architect, and develop full-stack applications.
- Collaborate with internal teams and customer technical staff.
- Codify best practices and share customer insights.
About the role
About The Team
OpenAI’s Forward Deployed Engineering team partners with customers to turn research breakthroughs into production systems. We operate at the intersection of customer delivery and core platform development.
About The Role
We are looking for customer-focused software engineers to build effective custom software that leverages OpenAI’s APIs to solve real customer problems. As an FDSWE, you will work with our customers and OpenAI Forward Deployed Engineers to design and implement scalable solutions that solve their most difficult problems. You will design abstractions to solve customer problems, and then use them to scale our speed and quality of delivery across all Forward Deployed engagements.
You will collaborate closely with Sales, Solutions Engineering, Solutions Architects, and Customer Success Managers who work on the same account. You will also work with our Research and Applied Product and Engineering teams to provide insightful customer feedback.
This role is based in Paris. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week. We offer relocation assistance. Travel up to 50% is required.
In This Role, You Will
- Embed deeply with strategic customers to understand their business challenges and technical requirements in detail.
- Design, architect, and develop full-stack solutions using an experiment-driven, iterative approach.
- Prepare detailed scopes of work and project plans for both proof-of-concept prototypes and full production deployments.
- Work hands-on with customers' technical teams as a technical expert and trusted advisor, coding side-by-side to drive projects to completion on their infrastructure.
- Collaborate with Product, Research and Applied teams to ensure seamless customer experiences, project success and actionable product feedback
- Contribute to internal knowledge bases, codifying best practices and sharing insights gained from customer engagements to scale the Forward Deployed Engineering function.
You’ll Thrive In This Role If You
- 7+ years of professional full stack engineering experience (excluding internships) in relevant roles at tech and product-driven companies - customer-facing experience is highly desirable
- Former founder, or early engineer at a startup who has built a product from scratch is a plus
- Experience with relational databases like Postgres/MySQL
- Have a bias for action and willingness to work iteratively with your customers to deliver the right solution that solves their problem.
About OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.
For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.
Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.
To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.
OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy
At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.
Key skills/competency
- Full Stack Development
- Customer Engagement
- API Integration
- Solution Architecture
- Database Management (Postgres/MySQL)
- Problem Solving
- Iterative Development
- Technical Advising
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Knowledge Management
Skills & topics
- Forward Deployed Software Engineer
- Software Engineer
- Full Stack Development
- AI
- Machine Learning
- Customer Facing
- API
- Paris
- OpenAI
- Engineering
- Postgres
- MySQL
- Startup
- Hybrid Work
- Tech
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight full-stack engineering experience, customer-facing roles, and startup achievements.
- Showcase problem-solving: Emphasize your bias for action and iterative development approach.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Be ready to discuss database experience (Postgres/MySQL) and API integration.
- Demonstrate customer focus: Articulate how you've partnered with clients to deliver solutions.
- Research OpenAI's mission: Understand their commitment to AI benefiting humanity.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the work arrangement for the Forward Deployed Software Engineer role at OpenAI in Paris?
- This Forward Deployed Software Engineer position in Paris utilizes a hybrid work model, requiring 3 days per week in the office. Travel up to 50% is also expected for customer engagements.
- What are the primary responsibilities of a Forward Deployed Software Engineer at OpenAI?
- As a Forward Deployed Software Engineer at OpenAI, you will embed with strategic customers to understand their challenges, design and develop full-stack solutions using OpenAI's APIs, and act as a technical advisor to their teams.
- What kind of technical experience is most valued for the Forward Deployed Software Engineer position?
- OpenAI values extensive full-stack engineering experience (7+ years excluding internships), experience with relational databases like Postgres/MySQL, and a proven ability to deliver solutions iteratively with customers. Startup or founder experience is a plus.
- Does OpenAI offer relocation assistance for this role?
- Yes, OpenAI offers relocation assistance for the Forward Deployed Software Engineer position based in Paris.
- How does OpenAI ensure AI benefits all of humanity, and how does this role contribute?
- OpenAI is dedicated to developing and deploying AI safely for the benefit of all humanity. As a Forward Deployed Software Engineer, you contribute by translating AI research into production systems that solve real customer problems, ensuring practical application and impact.
- What is the expected travel percentage for this role?
- The Forward Deployed Software Engineer role requires travel up to 50% to work with strategic customers.
- Can you explain the collaborative aspect of the Forward Deployed Software Engineer role?
- This role involves deep collaboration with customers' technical teams, as well as internal teams such as Sales, Solutions Engineering, Solutions Architects, Customer Success, Research, and Applied Product and Engineering.