Senior Forward Deployed AI Engineer - Strategic Finance

About the Company

Fanatics Collectibles is a new company operating at the intersection of collectibles, culture, and technology. Backed by world-class investors, operators, and sports & entertainment partners, we are building the global leader in next-generation collectibles. As part of the broader Fanatics ecosystem, we leverage a digital sports platform that spans over 900 sports properties and engages more than 81 million fans. Together, we are reimagining every part of the collectibles experience for fans, partners, and creators.

Role Summary

Reporting to Finance Leadership and partnering directly with Strategic Finance and business function teams across the company, the Forward-Deployed AI Engineer will serve as an embedded AI-native builder — identifying high-impact problems and rapidly delivering practical technology solutions that create immediate business value.

This is a highly hands-on role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys open-ended problem solving, and operates with a strong builder mentality. The ideal candidate is deeply fluent in modern AI capabilities, comfortable working across evolving technology stacks, and motivated by creating leverage through automation, workflow optimization, and intelligent tooling. Success in this role requires a balance of technical execution, business partnership, rapid iteration, and practical problem-solving.

Solutions built in this role may range from lightweight operational tools and AI-enabled workflows to scalable systems that are later transitioned to broader engineering teams for long-term production support.

Responsibilities:

• Partner directly with Strategic Finance and operational business teams to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and high-impact opportunities for AI-enabled solutions.
• Rapidly prototype and implement internal tools, workflows, automations, dashboards, and operational systems that drive measurable business impact.
• Build AI-native solutions that leverage LLMs, intelligent automation, workflow orchestration, and modern AI tooling to improve operational speed, visibility, and decision-making.
• Build integrations and connectors across the tools and platforms each function relies on — including Slack, Microsoft 365, Oracle, Snowflake, Sigma, Airtable, and Notion — to streamline workflows, automate handoffs, and centralize information.
• Translate ambiguous business problems into practical technical solutions with a strong focus on speed, usability, and value creation.
• Quickly develop fluency in the business context, financial processes, and operational priorities of each function you support — enabling independent problem identification without hand-holding.
• Collaborate with finance, operations, and technology stakeholders to iterate quickly and refine solutions based on real-world feedback and evolving business needs.
• Work closely with broader engineering and technology teams to transition high-value solutions into scalable, production-ready systems when appropriate.
• Evaluate and experiment with emerging AI technologies, tools, and frameworks to continuously improve internal capabilities and operational leverage.
• Operate as a trusted technical partner to business leaders, helping shape solution strategy and implementation priorities.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Demonstrated experience building and shipping software, automations, internal tools, or AI-enabled solutions — we care about what you’ve built and the impact it had, not how many years you’ve been doing it.
• Strong hands-on experience with modern AI tools, LLMs, agentic workflows, and practical AI application development.
• Experience rapidly prototyping and deploying business-facing technical solutions in fast-paced or ambiguous environments.
• Strong proficiency in modern programming languages and development frameworks such as Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Node.js, or similar technologies.
• Experience integrating APIs, operational platforms, databases, and third-party business systems.
• Demonstrated ability to independently identify problems, architect solutions, and drive implementation with minimal oversight.
• Experience building dashboards, workflow automations, reporting tools, or operational systems that improve business processes and decision-making.
• Strong understanding of AI-assisted development workflows and modern productivity tooling.
• Ability to balance quick experimentation with thoughtful technical judgment and scalability considerations.
• Ability to quickly internalize financial processes, business metrics, and operational context — translating business problems into technical solutions without hand-holding. Prior exposure to finance or enterprise environments is a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Skills & Abilities:

• AI-native mindset with strong curiosity around emerging technologies and practical AI applications.
• Strong builder mentality with a bias toward execution, iteration, and business impact.
• Comfortable operating in highly ambiguous, evolving, and fast-moving environments.
• Ability to simplify complex operational challenges into intuitive technical solutions.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills working directly with business stakeholders and leadership teams.
• High ownership mindset with the ability to independently drive projects from concept through implementation.
• Practical systems thinker who can balance speed, flexibility, and long-term value.
• Entrepreneurial, resourceful, and motivated by creating operational leverage through technology.

Ensure your Fanatics job offer is legitimate and don’t fall victim to fraud.  Fanatics never seeks payment from job applicants. Feel free to ask your recruiter for a phone call or other type of communication for interview, and ensure your communication is coming from a Fanatics email address (including @collectfanatics.com).  For added security, where possible, apply through our company website at www.fanaticsinc.com/careers

NYC Salary Range 145000 - 181250 USD