Forward Deployed Engineer

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.
Job Description
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. The FDE is a hybrid role that pairs hands-on software engineering with client-facing delivery, sitting close to the client to close platform gaps and ship production use cases in parallel, rather than working at arm’s length through a traditional delivery layer.
Key Responsibilities:
Work embedded full-time within the client’s engineering, product, or service team, participating directly in their planning, standups, and delivery cadence.
Close platform gaps in real time: build the missing components, connectors, or tooling the client’s platform doesn’t yet provide.
Deliver production use cases in parallel with platform build-out, balancing near-term delivery pressure against longer-term platform health.
Integrate with the client’s approved tools, APIs, and governance frameworks (e.g. controlled AI gateways) rather than introducing external dependencies.
Communicate technical trade-offs and blockers directly to client stakeholders, translating between Sia’s team and the client’s engineering leadership.
Collaborate within a cross-functional pod (client engineers, platform engineers, Sia engineers) in an agile/SCRUM setup.
Escalate platform or scope risks early. FDE roles sit at the point where client demand and platform maturity meet.
Qualifications
Education: Bachelor’s/master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
Experience & Technical Skills:
Strong Python skills, with production engineering experience, not limited to prototyping.
Comfortable operating embedded within a client or external stakeholder team, with less structure/definition than an internal team typically has.
Ability to quickly understand an unfamiliar codebase or platform and contribute production-quality code within it.
Experience with agent orchestration, RAG/LLM-based applications, and tool/API integration is a strong plus.
SiaGPT or comparable GenAI platform experience is a strong plus.
Comfort working within governed enterprise environments (approved libraries/APIs/services, controlled AI gateways).
Good to have: Spark, Databricks, AWS.
Good to have: prior experience in regulated or enterprise domains (e.g. financial services, healthcare, or public sector).
Additional Information
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)
Sia is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, remuneration, or discipline, are based solely on performance, competence, conduct, or business needs.

Work arrangement
Hybrid