Forward Deployed Engineer (SeniorStaff), AI Delivery Team
Chicago, IL - USA
Job Summary
Are you ready to make an impact
At West Monroe we believe the next generation of consulting will be built by small highly capable teams that ship real software solve hard problems and create measurable value quickly. We are hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer to build and deploy Operational Intelligence solutions for clients. This is a role for engineers who want to be close to the work: writing code deploying systems integrating messy source data building applications people use and helping turn new ideas into durable software assets.
You will work directly with clients and cross-functional teammates to build production-ready systems that improve how businesses operate. One project might involve integrating fragmented operational systems into a single platform. Another might involve building a workflow automation layer an internal application or an AI-enabled interface that helps users act on live business data. The work is varied fast-moving and centered on shipping.
This role is best suited for someone who wants to build maintainable software who likes solving new problems and who wants to help shape both client solutions and the future of West Monroes platform capabilities.
About the role
You will play a leading role in designing building and deploying software in client environments. You will work across infrastructure integrations data workflows and applications. You will move from problem definition to prototype to production often in close partnership with users and stakeholders.
You will also contribute to the development of repeatable platform capabilities and reusable technical assets that can be applied across engagements.
By the time you have completed a few projects you will have shipped software across a wide range of environments business problems and technical contexts with more variety and end-to-end ownership than many traditional engineering roles offer.
What you will do
- Build and deploy leading-edge operational intelligence platforms and products that turn fragmented data and workflows into practical usable systems that improve client operations and drive measurable business outcomes
- Partner with world-class engineers and product leaders to shape technical solutions improve delivery approaches and strengthen what we build over time
- Develop full-stack solutions including services APIs applications dashboards and intelligent features that help users understand and act on business data
- Integrate client systems and build the data pipelines required to unify information across operational and analytical environments
- Design and implement workflow automations that coordinate actions across people systems and processes
- Work directly with users and client stakeholders to understand needs test ideas and refine solutions based on feedback
- Support systems in production by monitoring performance resolving issues across the stack and continuously improving reliability
- Help create reusable engineering patterns deployment approaches and software assets that strengthen future client delivery
- Document architectures operational procedures and handoff materials so client teams can own and extend what has been built
What we are looking for
We are looking for engineers who care deeply about building.
You are likely a strong fit if:
- You write clean production-ready code and care about the craft of software engineering
- You like building from zero not just maintaining existing systems
- You are energized by hard unfamiliar problems and can learn quickly when needed
- You are comfortable working across different architectures codebases and business contexts
- You can balance speed and quality without becoming rigid about either
- You want to work closely with users and understand whether what you are building is actually useful
- You are comfortable operating with ownership ambiguity and a high degree of trust
- You want to help shape not just project outcomes but how a team builds and delivers over time
Qualifications
Required:
- 5 years of experience in software engineering platform engineering or a related technical role with significant hands-on building.
- Know how to work as a team write kind and maintainable code and are excited about the end user not just engineering for the sake of engineering
- Production experience with some or all of GraphQL neo4j PostgreSQL Python TypeScript/React Erlang Golang
- Experience integrating multiple third-party systems via REST APIs webhooks event-driven patterns custom connectors and batch processes
- Ability to operate autonomously in fast-paced ambiguous client environments with minimal supervision
- Ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. We want engineers who are excited to share (e.g. write make videos) about their work to one another and non-engineers.
- Experience building and deploying production software in cloud environments such as AWS Azure or GCP
- Willingness to travel and embed on-site with clients (25-50%)
Preferred:
- Familiarity with AI/ML tooling: Data warehousing and analysis (e.g. Databricks Snowflake) LLM integration RAG pipelines or similar frameworks
- Background in workflow orchestration (e.g. Temporal Inngest Airflow)
- Experience with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform Kubernetes Docker)
- Exposure to field services logistics construction utilities or similar operationally complex industries
- Prior consulting or client-facing engineering experience
- Experience in forward deployed client-embedded startup or product-oriented engineering roles
How you will work
You will spend most of your time building. Some weeks that will mean designing a system and writing code heads down. Other weeks it will mean deploying into a client environment debugging an integration refining an application based on user feedback or partnering with stakeholders to make tradeoffs in real time.
You will work on small teams with high ownership. You will be expected to move between technical depth and practical execution. You will likely touch multiple layers of the stack in the same week.
This role is not built for someone who wants to stay narrowly scoped avoid ambiguity or sit far from users. It is built for someone who wants to ship.
Why this role is compelling
- You will build real systems that operate in real business environments
- You will work on meaningful problems not internal abstractions disconnected from outcomes
- You will ship software across a wide range of use cases industries and client contexts
- You will have end-to-end ownership from understanding the problem to deploying the solution
- You will help shape how West Monroe builds and deploys operational intelligence solutions
- You will contribute to both immediate client delivery and longer-term platform innovation
Who should be excited about this role
This role is a strong fit for engineers who want:
- More building less bureaucracy
- More ownership less narrow specialization
- More real-world deployment less theoretical architecture
- More exposure to users and outcomes less distance from the problem
- More opportunities to create new systems and capabilities not just maintain old ones
Based on pay transparency guidelines the salaryrange for this role canvary based on your proximity to one of our West Monroe offices (seetable below). Information on our competitive total rewards packageincluding our bonus structure and benefits ishere. Individual salaries are determined by evaluating a variety of factors including geographyexperience skills education and internal equity.
Employees (and their families) are covered by medical dental vision and basic life insurance. Employeesare able toenroll in our companys 401k planpurchase shares from our employee stock ownership program and be eligible toreceive annual bonuses. Employees will also receive unlimited flexible time offand ten paid holidays throughout the calendar year. Eligibility for ten weeks of paid parental leave will also be available upon hire date.
Seattle or Washington D.C.
$236300 - $277700 USD
Los Angeles
$247500 - $291000 USD
New York City or San Francisco
$258800 - $304200 USD
A location not listed above
$225000 - $264500 USD
Other consultancies talk at you.
At West Monroe we work with you.
Were a global business and technology consulting firm passionate about creating measurable value for our clients delivering real-world solutions.
The combination of business and technology is not new but how we bring them together is unique. Were fluent in both. We know that technology alone is not the answer but how we apply it is. We rely on data to constantly adapt and solve new challenges. Actions that work today with outcomes that generate value for years to come.
At West Monroe we zero in on the heart of the opportunity getting to results faster and preparing people for whats next.
Youll feel the difference in how we work. We show up personally. Were right there in the room with you co-creating through the challenges. With West Monroe collaboration isnt a lofty promise but a daily action. We work together with you to turn vision into clear action with lasting impact.
West Monroeis an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer
We believe in treating each employee and applicant for employment fairly and with dignity. We base our employment decisions on merit experience and potential without regard to race color national origin sex sexual orientation gender identity marital status age religion disability veteran status or any other characteristic prohibited by federal state or local law. To learn more about diversity equity and inclusion at West Monroe visit If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in our recruiting process please inquire by sending an email to .
Please review our current policy regarding use of generative artificial intelligence during the application process.
If you are based in California we encourage you to read West Monroes Notice at Collection for California residents provided pursuant to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and linkedhere.
Required Experience:
Senior IC
About Company
Other consultancies talk at you. At West Monroe, we work with you. We’re a global business and technology consulting firm passionate about creating measurable value for our clients, delivering real-world solutions. The combination of business and technology is not new, but how we brin ... View more