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# Platform Engineer (Forward Deployment)

- **Company:** Lightning AI
- **Location:** London, UK
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Software Debugging, Distributed Systems, Python (Programming Language), Software Engineering, Software Systems, TypeScript, Web Application Frameworks, ReactJS, Backend, Kubernetes, Information Technology, Low Latency, Deployment Automation, Machine Learning Operations, TensorRT, Automation Anywhere, Docker, Programming Languages
- **Published:** August 5, 2026
- **Apply:** https://uk.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=e43ff94bb5c2a814

## About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Platform Engineer to partner directly with Lightning customers to architect, build, and deploy production AI systems. Working alongside customer engineering teams, you'll solve complex technical challenges across inference infrastructure, distributed systems, APIs, and AI workflows-building reliable, observable systems that perform at scale. You'll translate customer requirements into production-ready software, turn bespoke solutions into reusable platform capabilities, and help shape the evolution of the Lightning Platform.

We're looking for a highly technical, customer-oriented platform engineer who thrives in fast-moving, ambiguous environments where success requires deep software engineering expertise, sound systems thinking, and the ability to collaborate directly with customer engineering teams to bring complex AI applications into production.

This role is based in one of our hubs (New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, or London), with a minimum of 2 in-office days per week and occasional team and company offsites., * Strong software engineering experience building production full-stack applications, including modern frontend frameworks such as React and TypeScript, and backend services in Python, Go, or similar programming languages.

 * Experience working directly with customers in highly technical environments, such as Forward Deployed Engineering, Solutions Engineering, Applied AI Engineering, Technical Product Engineering, or related roles
 * Familiarity with AI/ML pipelines and the lifecycle of model development, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring
 * Experience deploying and operating production AI/ML systems in cloud or distributed environments
 * Familiarity with modern AI infrastructure and tooling such as Docker, Kubernetes, APIs, model serving systems, or distributed inference workloads
 * Strong communication and collaboration skills, especially when working through complex technical topics with customers, engineers, and cross-functional stakeholders
 * Ability to translate business needs into technical solutions and drive projects from initial concept through production delivery
 * Ability to execute effectively in ambiguous, fast-moving, high-growth environments
 * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field

Nice-to-Haves

 * Experience building, deploying, or optimizing large-scale AI/ML systems in production environments
 * Experience with modern AI stacks and tooling such as vLLM, TensorRT, Ray, LangGraph, vector databases, or workflow orchestration systems
 * Familiarity with inference optimization, distributed systems, or GPU-accelerated workloads
 * Startup experience or experience operating in highly cross-functional environments
 * Track record of rapidly shipping proof-of-concepts and production systems while maintaining strong engineering quality
 * Advanced degree (Master's or PhD) in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, AI, or a related technical field

## Description

* Partner directly with customers to design, implement, and deploy end-to-end AI systems and workflows on Lightning's platform
 * Translate vague customer objectives into clear technical specifications, proof-of-concepts, and scalable production implementations
 * Own customer technical engagements end-to-end, from early discovery and architecture through deployment, monitoring, and expansion
 * Develop and maintain production-grade software systems and services using modern programming languages, with a strong preference for Python
 * Build reliable, observable systems with strong attention to latency, throughput, quality, scalability, and cost efficiency in production environments
 * Debug and optimize AI systems across inference infrastructure, model behavior, APIs, and distributed workloads to improve performance and reliability
 * Work closely with customer engineering teams throughout the full lifecycle of AI deployments, including technical discovery, implementation, deployment, and scaling
 * Collaborate cross-functionally with Lightning's product and engineering teams to improve platform capabilities, influence roadmap priorities, and identify opportunities for reusable product improvements
 * Navigate ambiguity with sound technical judgment, making thoughtful tradeoffs and selecting the right tools and approaches without introducing unnecessary complexity
 * Demonstrate strong ownership and accountability in execution, with a commitment to delivering high-quality outcomes for both customers and internal teams


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