> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/3465545-forward-deployed-engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/3465545-forward-deployed-engineer). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md).

---

# Forward Deployed Engineer

- **Company:** Kla Services
- **Location:** Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- **Experience:** Experienced
- **Salary:** $111,900.0 - $190,200.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Automation of Tests, Continuous Integration, Data Governance, Python (Programming Language), Tensorflow, Software Engineering, Management of Software Versions, AI Infrastructure, Data Processing, Build Management, Containerization, Information Technology
- **Published:** September 4, 2026
- **Apply:** https://startup.jobs/forward-deployed-engineer-1000-kla-corporation-2-8517056

## About the Role

* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field; Master's preferred
 * 3+ years of experience building and operating ML/AI systems in production, including ownership of production-grade infrastructure
 * Strong proficiency in Python and experience with ML frameworks and model fine-tuning techniques
 * Hands-on experience with inference optimization and model serving infrastructure, including on-prem deployment patterns
 * Experience building internal tools, platform infrastructure, or developer experience layers that other engineers or non-technical users depend on
 * Experience designing plugin architectures, marketplace systems, or extensible platform components that scale adoption
 * Experience building persistent memory, context management, or personalization systems for AI products
 * Working knowledge of CI/CD, containerization, orchestration, and Infrastructure-as-Code
 * Experience designing evaluation harnesses and automated testing for AI systems
 * Strong understanding of data governance and security - comfortable operating within tiered data handling policies
 * Owns outcomes, not tasks - you identify what needs to happen and drive it without being managed
 * Technical leadership experience: mentoring engineers, leading design reviews, setting standards
 * Prior experience in semiconductor, manufacturing, or scientific/industrial ML is a plus, * Doctorate (Academic) Degree and 0 years related work experience; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 3 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 5 years

## Description

* Build and enhance AI products and tools for the business, owning product quality and reliability end to end
 * Deploy AI capabilities into KLA's teams, serving as the bridge between R&D and production use
 * Own the internal AI infrastructure - the foundational layer that removes friction, compounds organizational learning, and scales without adding headcount
 * Architect and maintain reusable infrastructure: agent scaffolding, eval frameworks, and integration patterns
 * Design and build persistent context and memory systems that make AI environments personalized and progressively more useful over time
 * Build skill and plugin distribution systems that let one person's breakthrough become everyone's baseline
 * Design and operate on-prem inference infrastructure for deployments where data cannot leave the network
 * Fine-tune or adapt foundation models on proprietary data where it creates meaningful capability uplift
 * Build CI/CD pipelines for agents: testing, evaluation, versioning, and rollback
 * Set technical standards and mentor junior engineers; lead design reviews and define golden paths for development
 * Track the AI frontier at a deep technical level - not just what shipped but how it works and what it changes about what's possible