Forward Deployed AI Engineer (Contract-to-Hire)

Avenera · Remote (US, client-facing) · Contract-to-Hire $55–$85/hr (contract phase) · $100,000–$150,000 USD (converted FTE)

ABOUT AVENERA

Avenera is an AI engineering and services company. We partner with enterprise leaders on AI over the long term, building proprietary AI systems on their data and operating those systems alongside their teams, so capability compounds over time. Our work sits across strategic decisions and hands-on technical execution, and we measure ourselves on business outcomes, not time spent. Learn more at avenera.ai.

THE ROLE

We're hiring a Forward Deployed AI Engineer to build and ship applied AI systems where the real work happens: inside client workflows, messy data environments, and production constraints. Your role sits between engineering, product, data, and client operations. You'll turn ambiguous business problems into scoped AI systems, data pipelines, workflow automations, and usable tools that client teams actually adopt.

This role is for someone who is strongest when the problem is not yet cleanly defined. You can sit with a business stakeholder to understand a workflow, identify the data and process constraints, prototype quickly, coordinate with engineers, and move the system into production or UAT. You write code. You also speak plainly with a non-technical client leader.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Partner with clients to identify high-value AI use cases, clarify business workflows, and translate ambiguous needs into technical scope
• Design and build LLM-enabled tools: retrieval workflows, agentic automations, summarization, classification, human-in-the-loop review
• Work across data engineering: API discovery, data-source mapping, ETL/ELT planning, incremental load strategy, database access coordination
• Run AI readiness engagements: stakeholder interviews, workflow analysis, opportunity prioritization, roadmap development
• Support client-facing demos, sprint reviews, steering committee updates, and delivery planning
• Contribute to Avenera's internal AI operations, including our company-memory system, Slack/meeting-note ingestion, and agent-based workflow automation
• Move systems from "AI idea" to usable implementation by identifying data dependencies, owners, success criteria, delivery risks, and next milestones

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• 3–6 years of hands-on experience shipping applied AI, data engineering, or software products
• Strong Python and comfort building and integrating LLM-based systems (prompt design, retrieval, agentic patterns, evaluation)
• Practical data engineering skills: APIs, ETL, working with messy real-world data sources
• Client-facing experience: able to run a discovery interview, translate what you heard into scope, and communicate progress to non-technical stakeholders
• Comfort with ambiguity; you can operate without a fully-specified problem
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Judgment about when to build custom vs. use an existing tool

ESPECIALLY VALUABLE

• Experience building agentic workflow systems or internal AI platforms
• Experience with retrieval-augmented systems over real enterprise data (Slack, meeting notes, docs, tickets, etc.)
• Domain exposure to manufacturing, healthcare/life sciences, or professional services
• Familiarity with Databricks, AWS, and modern data stacks
• Consulting, agency, or forward-deployed engineering background
• Experience integrating with ClickUp, Slack, Google Workspace, or similar operational tools

ENGAGEMENT STRUCTURE

• Contract-to-hire with potential to evolve into a longer-term role
• Hands-on responsibility and autonomy from day one
• Close collaboration with Avenera's AI Strategist, AI Architect, and AI Solutions Architect

COMPENSATION & LOCATION

• Contract phase: $55–$85 per hour, based on experience
• Converted FTE: $100,000–$150,000 USD, based on experience
• Remote (US), with some client-facing travel possible
• Open to sponsoring work authorization for the right candidate