Ernst & Young
Global professional services: consulting, tax, assurance.
Forward Deployed Engineer Lead - Advanced Forward Engineering, Manager
Remote within the United States, with in-person client work expected 40–60% of the time.
About the job
- At least 8 years of experience delivering complex enterprise systems, ideally in regulated or client-facing contexts.
- Hands-on engineering depth across integration-heavy architectures, cloud platforms, and distributed systems.
- Experience with modern artificial-intelligence-enabled application stacks, including agentic systems, orchestration frameworks, and large-language-model-backed services.
- Proven ability to operate in forward-deployed, customer-facing, or solutions-architecture roles while owning outcomes end to end.
- Demonstrated ability to lead a small technical team while remaining an individual contributor.
- Strong stakeholder-management skills, including managing client expectations under pressure.
- Solid understanding of the software delivery lifecycle, quality gates, and production readiness in enterprise settings.
- Own end-to-end outcome delivery for the cell, including scoping, tradeoffs, technical direction, and production readiness, taking accountability for the business outcome rather than only the code.
- Embed directly with the client to define the real problem and translate ambiguous business needs into an executable technical solution under regulatory and environmental constraints.
- Serve as the primary technical interface and trusted advisor to client stakeholders, manage expectations, communicate tradeoffs, and sustain trust that drives adoption.
- Remain hands-on by personally designing and building critical parts of the solution and diving into the client’s systems, data, and codebase when required.
- Deploy, adapt, and stabilize solutions in the client environment using supported templates and profiles, owning release readiness and runtime accountability for what the cell ships.
- Direct the work of the cell’s Implementation Engineer and Data Engineer, ensuring integrations, orchestration, and data readiness form a coherent, production-grade outcome.
- Ensure every deployment meets safety, integrity, and cost constraints by partnering with control authorities and the Distinguished AFE on safe-to-ship decisions for regulated environments.
- A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.
- Experience deploying solutions into client environments, including cloud, on-premises, hybrid, or air-gapped environments.
- Experience working within artificial intelligence governance, security, or cost controls in production environments.
- Exposure to regulated delivery contexts such as financial services, tax, healthcare, or risk platforms.
About the company
EY is a global professional services firm that offers consulting, assurance (audits), tax, and transaction advisory services to a wide range of clients including corporations, SMEs, and government entities. It earns fees for these services and uses its industry expertise and a worldwide network to help clients optimize operations, manage risk, and achieve sustainable growth. EY differentiates itself through its scale and reach, industry specialization, focus on end-to-end services, strategic alliances, and emphasis on innovation and sustainability, including improving audit quality and addressing digital economy needs and supply chain visibility. The company’s goal is to help clients navigate complex regulatory and business environments, transform finance and tax functions, and drive efficiency and resilience across their operations.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Founded
1991
Get referred to Ernst & Young
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- EY reported AI-related revenue growth of 30% year-over-year in 2025.
- EY's AI router cut internal token costs by 60% since April 2026.
- EY opened Bengaluru's ey.ai Centre for Reimagination to sell enterprise AI transformation.
What critics are saying
- EY set aside £188 million for UK fines and legal claims in 2025.
- FRC fined EY for Made.com audit failures; NMC Health litigation still haunts audits.
- Australia is reviewing EY misconduct complaints after the PM bank-account breach scandal.
What makes Ernst & Young unique
- EY and Microsoft invested over $1 billion in May 2026 AI delivery.
- EY serves audit, tax, consulting, and transactions across 400,000 employees worldwide.
- EY wins massive public-sector training work, including the £137 million UK civil-service contract.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
Professional Development Budget
Flexible Work Hours
Remote Work Options
Company News
An Ernst & Young study found US oil and gas producers reached record production in 2025 while becoming more selective with investments. The analysis of 30 major exploration and production companies, representing 43% of US oil and gas output, showed oil production hit a study-period high, yet reserve additions from extensions and discoveries declined 11% year over year and failed to fully replace production volumes for the first time since 2021. Total capital expenditures fell 49% year over year, whilst M&A spending declined 70%. Exploration spending dropped 11% to $4.8 billion, representing only 3% of total capital expenditures. Natural gas showed stronger fundamentals, with production rising 18%, reserves increasing 14%, and discoveries up 21%.
Ernst & Young's US division is allocating $100 million this fiscal year to bonus payments rewarding employees who demonstrate adaptability, innovation, and judgement. Individual spot awards reach $500, whilst employees or teams making significant contributions can receive between $10,000 and $25,000, five times the previous programme's ceiling. The initiative also covers AI experimentation. "What we recognise signals what we value," said Ginnie Carlier, chief talent and culture officer for EY Americas. The bonuses form part of a broader strategy to reshape employee development across all career levels. Other professional services firms are pursuing similar approaches. KPMG restructured its audit internship this summer to emphasise critical thinking, whilst PwC US introduced training combining AI proficiency with human qualities like empathy. EY reported AI-related revenue grew 30% year-over-year in 2025.
EY-Parthenon has acquired SparkOptimus, a Dutch digital strategy consultancy founded in 2010. The Amsterdam-based firm employs around 50 consultants and specialises in AI transformation, digital business model redesign and technology-driven transformation. SparkOptimus founders Alexandra Jankovich and Tom Voskes, both former McKinsey consultants, said joining EY-Parthenon will create significant value for clients and staff whilst providing access to broader capabilities. The acquisition marks EY-Parthenon's first European deal since 2021. EY-Parthenon, established in 2014, is EY's strategy consulting and transactions advisory business with around 25,000 professionals globally. Mark Reich, Partner at EY-Parthenon Netherlands, said SparkOptimus' expertise will complement existing capabilities in the Dutch market. The deal closes on 1 September 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The UK Government has awarded a contract worth up to £456 million to KPMG and EY to train civil servants, the Financial Times reported, citing government procurement tracker Tussell. Under the arrangement, the firms will train officials across various skills areas, including AI, between 2026 and 2028. KPMG's share is capped at £319 million, representing almost a quarter of its total UK advisory net sales from last year. EY's portion is worth £137 million, equivalent to around 13% of its UK consulting revenue. The deal is the largest single contract awarded to Big Four companies since Tussell started tracking records in 2012. The previous record was a £322 million deal between the Foreign Office and PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2012.
EY has introduced an "invisible" AI router to manage internal AI spending, helping cut token consumption by up to 60% since its April rollout. The router sits behind specialised AI tools and directs employee queries to the most appropriate model for each task, rather than defaulting to the most powerful option. Token costs have become a growing concern as AI providers increasingly charge based on usage. EY's AI Pulse survey found that 82% of senior leaders at companies investing in AI were worried about token usage. The router has been deployed on department-specific platforms, including tax and risk functions, though not on the general Microsoft Copilot chatbot available to all staff. EY has also implemented token budgets based on employees' roles and departments. The firm's global consulting AI leader Dan Diasio said companies should focus AI investment on areas with the deepest impact rather than spreading resources thinly.