As a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer, you will lead the design and deployment of AI/ML solutions, analyze complex data, mentor teams, and align technical strategies with business goals.
Working at Atlassian
Atlassians have flexibility in where they work - whether in an office, from home, or a combination of the two. That way, Atlassians have more control over supporting their family, personal goals, and other priorities. We can hire people in any country where we have a legal entity. Interviews and onboarding are conducted virtually, as part of being a distributed-first company.
Your future team
As a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) at Atlassian, you'll be at the forefront of applied AI, working directly with customers and cross-functional teams to deliver innovative, AI-powered solutions. The FDE team partners with top organizations across industries, helping them leverage Atlassian's AI capabilities to solve complex, real-world problems. You'll collaborate with product, engineering, and design, rapidly growing your technical and domain expertise while making a tangible impact on business outcomes. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role for those who thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and are passionate about shaping the future of AI-powered teamwork.
What you'll do
As a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer, you will:
Your background
On the first day, we'll expect you to have:
It's great, but not required, if you have:
Compensation
At Atlassian, we strive to design equitable, explainable, and competitive compensation programs. To support this goal, the baseline of our range is higher than that of the typical market range, but in turn we expect to hire most candidates near this baseline. Base pay within the range is ultimately determined by a candidate's skills, expertise, or experience. In the United States, we have three geographic pay zones. For this role, our current base pay ranges for new hires in each zone are:
Zone A: $206,100 - $269,075
Zone B: $186,300 - $243,225
Zone C: $171,900 - $224,425
This role may also be eligible for benefits, bonuses, commissions, and equity.
Please visit go.atlassian.com/payzones for more information on which locations are included in each of our geographic pay zones. However, please confirm the zone for your specific location with your recruiter.
Benefits & Perks
Atlassian offers a wide range of perks and benefits designed to support you, your family and to help you engage with your local community. Our offerings include health and wellbeing resources, paid volunteer days, and so much more. To learn more, visit go.atlassian.com/perksandbenefits .
About Atlassian
At Atlassian, we're motivated by a common goal: to unleash the potential of every team. Our software products help teams all over the planet and our solutions are designed for all types of work. Team collaboration through our tools makes what may be impossible alone, possible together.
We believe that the unique contributions of all Atlassians create our success. To ensure that our products and culture continue to incorporate everyone's perspectives and experience, we never discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
To provide you the best experience, we can support with accommodations or adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Simply inform our Recruitment team during your conversation with them.
To learn more about our culture and hiring process, visit go.atlassian.com/crh .
Atlassians have flexibility in where they work - whether in an office, from home, or a combination of the two. That way, Atlassians have more control over supporting their family, personal goals, and other priorities. We can hire people in any country where we have a legal entity. Interviews and onboarding are conducted virtually, as part of being a distributed-first company.
Your future team
As a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) at Atlassian, you'll be at the forefront of applied AI, working directly with customers and cross-functional teams to deliver innovative, AI-powered solutions. The FDE team partners with top organizations across industries, helping them leverage Atlassian's AI capabilities to solve complex, real-world problems. You'll collaborate with product, engineering, and design, rapidly growing your technical and domain expertise while making a tangible impact on business outcomes. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role for those who thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and are passionate about shaping the future of AI-powered teamwork.
What you'll do
As a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer, you will:
- Lead the design, development, and deployment of AI/ML-powered solutions tailored to customer needs, leveraging frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and agent-based platforms (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex).
- Architect and implement robust application integrations using Python, JavaScript, or similar languages, with a focus on APIs, microservices, and enterprise-scale systems.
- Drive data-driven solution development by analyzing complex datasets to extract insights and inform product direction.
- Champion the adoption of AI-augmented workflow automation within customer environments, maximizing business value and operational efficiency.
- Oversee the end-to-end deployment of AI solutions into production, ensuring continuous evaluation, monitoring, and improvement.
- Navigate risk and compliance requirements, including AI risk assessment, data privacy (GDPR), and regulatory frameworks.
- Mentor and guide junior engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
- Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, creating concise artifacts for peers, partners, and leadership.
- Align technical solutions with business objectives, setting a clear vision for technological progress and measurable results.
Your background
On the first day, we'll expect you to have:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience in backend software development.
- 5+ years of experience delivering impactful AI/ML solutions in production environments, including experience as a founding or forward-deployed engineer in 0-to-1 product development.
- Deep expertise in applied AI/ML, including generative AI, LLMs, and agent-based frameworks.
- Proficiency in Python, JavaScript, or similar languages, and experience with APIs, microservices, and enterprise integration.
- Demonstrated ability to solve complex, ambiguous problems and thrive in rapidly changing environments.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, with experience influencing cross-functional teams without formal authority.
- Experience with AI risk assessment, data privacy, and compliance (e.g., GDPR).
- Strategic and innovative thinking, with a track record of aligning technical solutions to business goals.
It's great, but not required, if you have:
- Experience with Atlassian Intelligence, Rovo AI, or AI-powered Atlassian features.
- Familiarity with regulated industries (e.g., finance, healthcare).
- Experience deploying AI solutions to complex production systems at scale.
- Prior experience mentoring or leading engineering teams.
Compensation
At Atlassian, we strive to design equitable, explainable, and competitive compensation programs. To support this goal, the baseline of our range is higher than that of the typical market range, but in turn we expect to hire most candidates near this baseline. Base pay within the range is ultimately determined by a candidate's skills, expertise, or experience. In the United States, we have three geographic pay zones. For this role, our current base pay ranges for new hires in each zone are:
Zone A: $206,100 - $269,075
Zone B: $186,300 - $243,225
Zone C: $171,900 - $224,425
This role may also be eligible for benefits, bonuses, commissions, and equity.
Please visit go.atlassian.com/payzones for more information on which locations are included in each of our geographic pay zones. However, please confirm the zone for your specific location with your recruiter.
Benefits & Perks
Atlassian offers a wide range of perks and benefits designed to support you, your family and to help you engage with your local community. Our offerings include health and wellbeing resources, paid volunteer days, and so much more. To learn more, visit go.atlassian.com/perksandbenefits .
About Atlassian
At Atlassian, we're motivated by a common goal: to unleash the potential of every team. Our software products help teams all over the planet and our solutions are designed for all types of work. Team collaboration through our tools makes what may be impossible alone, possible together.
We believe that the unique contributions of all Atlassians create our success. To ensure that our products and culture continue to incorporate everyone's perspectives and experience, we never discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
To provide you the best experience, we can support with accommodations or adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Simply inform our Recruitment team during your conversation with them.
To learn more about our culture and hiring process, visit go.atlassian.com/crh .
Top Skills
APIs
JavaScript
Langchain
Llamaindex
Microservices
Python
PyTorch
TensorFlow
Atlassian Chicago, Illinois, USA Office
Chicago, IL, United States
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