Role Overview

Join OpenAI's elite Forward Deployed Engineering team in Paris, France, where you'll transform cutting-edge AI research into production-ready systems for the world's most strategic customers. As a Forward Deployed Software Engineer (FDSWE), you'll partner directly with customers to build custom software solutions leveraging OpenAI's powerful APIs. This customer-facing role sits at the exciting intersection of client delivery and core platform innovation.

Based in Paris with a hybrid model (3 days/week in office), you'll enjoy relocation assistance and up to 50% travel to embed deeply with clients. If you have 7+ years of full-stack experience, love solving complex customer problems iteratively, and thrive in high-impact environments, this senior-level role at OpenAI is your chance to shape the future of AI deployment.

OpenAI's Forward Deployed team doesn't just ship code—we deliver transformative business outcomes. You'll design scalable abstractions, code side-by-side with customer engineers, and provide critical feedback to our Research and Applied teams. This is hands-on engineering at the forefront of artificial intelligence.

Key Responsibilities

• Deeply embed with strategic customers to comprehensively understand their unique business challenges and technical requirements.
• Architect and develop full-stack solutions using an experiment-driven, iterative methodology that delivers rapid value.
• Prepare comprehensive scopes of work and detailed project plans for both proof-of-concept prototypes and enterprise-scale production deployments.
• Serve as a hands-on technical expert, coding collaboratively with customer engineering teams directly on their infrastructure.
• Drive projects from ideation to successful completion, ensuring seamless integration and measurable business impact.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Solutions Engineering, Solutions Architects, and Customer Success Managers on shared accounts.
• Partner closely with OpenAI's Product, Research, and Applied Engineering teams to guarantee exceptional customer experiences.
• Deliver actionable, high-fidelity customer feedback that influences product roadmaps and research priorities.
• Contribute to and maintain internal knowledge bases, documenting best practices from customer engagements.
• Design reusable abstractions and patterns that scale delivery speed and quality across all Forward Deployed projects.
• Travel up to 50% to customer sites, building trusted advisor relationships through technical excellence.
• Champion iterative development practices, rapidly prototyping and refining solutions based on real customer feedback.
• Scale OpenAI's Forward Deployed Engineering function through codified insights and shared learnings.

Qualifications

To excel as a Forward Deployed Software Engineer at OpenAI in Paris, you'll bring:

• 7+ years of professional full-stack engineering experience (excluding internships) at fast-paced tech or product-driven companies.
• Proven customer-facing engineering experience—working directly with clients to deliver solutions.
• Bonus: Experience as a founder or early engineer at a startup, building products from the ground up.
• Deep expertise with relational databases (Postgres, MySQL) and scalable data architectures.
• Strong bias for action, thriving in iterative, experiment-driven development cycles.
• Full-stack proficiency across modern JavaScript frameworks, Python, cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes).
• Exceptional communication skills for technical advising and cross-functional collaboration.
• Comfortable with up to 50% travel and hybrid office work (3 days/week in Paris).
• Passion for AI and excitement to leverage OpenAI APIs in production customer solutions.

Salary & Benefits

OpenAI offers competitive compensation for Forward Deployed Software Engineers in Paris, estimated at $180,000 - $280,000 USD base salary (equivalent in EUR), plus significant equity. Total compensation includes:

• Comprehensive health, dental, vision insurance
• Generous PTO and flexible vacation
• Full relocation support to Paris
• Travel expenses covered (up to 50%)
• Professional development budget
• Parental leave and family benefits
• Wellness programs and gym reimbursement
• Equity in OpenAI with potential for substantial growth
• Hybrid Paris office with modern amenities

Why Join OpenAI?

OpenAI is the leading AI research and deployment company, dedicated to ensuring artificial intelligence benefits all humanity. By joining our Paris Forward Deployed team, you'll:

Work on transformative projects turning research breakthroughs into real-world impact. Collaborate with world-class researchers and engineers. Enjoy Paris's vibrant culture while advancing AI safety and capabilities. OpenAI values diverse perspectives and maintains a strict equal opportunity policy.

How to Apply

Ready to deploy AI at scale? Submit your resume, GitHub/portfolio, and a brief note on your most impactful customer-facing project. OpenAI Paris hiring team reviews applications continuously. Background checks apply per French law.