Job Title: FDE (Forward Deployment Engineer)
Location: 100% Remote
Job Type: Contract – W2
Experience: 7+ Years
Primary Skill: Cloud, Data & AI Consultant – Google Cloud Platform
Job Summary
We are seeking a highly skilled and customer-focused Forward Deployment Engineer (FDE) / Cloud, Data & AI Consultant with strong expertise in Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform), cloud infrastructure, modern data platforms, AI/ML, and application modernization.
The ideal candidate will work closely with customers and engineering teams to design, implement, and optimize scalable cloud-native solutions. This role requires a hands-on technical consultant who can lead architecture discussions, customer workshops, modernization initiatives, and implementation activities.
Key Responsibilities
Architect, design, and implement scalable cloud solutions on Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform).
Design cloud infrastructure using Kubernetes/GKE, networking, load balancers, API gateways, and security services.
Build modern data platforms using Lakehouse architecture, BigQuery, Delta Lake, Iceberg, and Apache Spark/PySpark.
Develop real-time data pipelines and event-driven solutions using Apache Kafka, CDC, and Debezium.
Design and deploy AI/ML and Generative AI solutions using Vertex AI and modern MLOps practices.
Develop cloud-native applications using Java, Python, React, Spring Boot, and Microservices.
Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform), and DevOps automation.
Develop analytics and reporting solutions using Looker, Power BI, Tableau, and other BI platforms.
Lead customer workshops, technical discovery sessions, architecture reviews, and cloud modernization initiatives.
Partner with engineering teams to establish technical best practices and reusable solutions.
Create reference architectures, technical accelerators, implementation patterns, and documentation.
Provide technical guidance throughout the solution lifecycle, from architecture and design through implementation and optimization.
Required Skills
Strong Google Cloud Platform Cloud Architecture & Infrastructure experience
Kubernetes / GKE
Cloud networking and load balancing
API Management / API Gateways – Apigee, Kong, or similar
Apache Kafka and CDC technologies
Lakehouse and modern data platform architecture
Apache Spark / PySpark
AI/ML, Generative AI, Vertex AI, and MLOps
Java and Python
React and cloud-native application development
Spring Boot and Microservices
Terraform / Infrastructure as Code
CI/CD and DevOps
BigQuery
Enterprise data analytics
BI tools such as Looker, Power BI, and Tableau
Preferred Qualifications
7+ years of experience in cloud consulting, architecture, software engineering, or related technical roles.
Google Cloud Platform Professional Cloud Architect, Professional Data Engineer, or Professional Machine Learning Engineer certification.
Experience leading enterprise-scale cloud, data, and AI transformation programs.
Strong customer-facing and consulting experience.
Excellent communication, presentation, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work effectively with both technical and business stakeholders.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical consultant with broad expertise across Google Cloud Platform, Kubernetes, Kafka, API Gateways, Lakehouse/Data Platforms, BigQuery, AI/ML, GenAI, Java, Python, React, and Spark.
The candidate should be comfortable working directly with customers, leading technical discussions, designing architectures, and driving enterprise-scale cloud, data, and AI modernization initiatives from strategy through implementation.