Principal Forward-Deployed Engineer

Role Overview

We are seeking a Principal Forward-Deployed Engineer to spearhead the technical strategy and execution of our most ambitious lighthouse projects within Thoughtworks’ global Customer Experience, Product and Design team. This role involves rapidly transforming a client’s vision into tangible, customer-ready products through a disciplined iterative approach known as the 3/3/3 method: aligning on product concept in three days, delivering a functional prototype in three weeks, and launching a minimum lovable product in three months.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead concept sprints with client executives and cross-functional teams to clearly define project scope, objectives, and success criteria before development begins.
• Collaborate with account leadership to craft compelling technical narratives for pursuing and securing new work; manage technical scope and pricing within established parameters.
• Direct prototyping phases by determining what should be built versus simulated, identifying necessary evidence to validate solutions, and integrating AI evaluation mechanisms including datasets, guardrails, and cost controls.
• Design and implement scalable, production-quality architectures that accommodate long-term evolution and maintain alignment across larger multi-stream initiatives.
• Serve as a trusted technology advisor to stakeholders, facilitating workshops and steering committee presentations to align technical strategies with business goals.
• Mentor and develop engineering talent by pairing, code reviewing, and fostering knowledge sharing across teams and communities.

Technical Expertise Required

• Strong programming skills in Python or TypeScript, with proficiency in at least one additional language used in production environments.
• Practical experience with major Large Language Model (LLM) providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Bedrock, Vertex), vector databases (pgvector, Pinecone, Elastic), and agent frameworks like LangGraph and LangChain.
• Competence in AI model evaluation and observability techniques using tools such as Braintrust, LangSmith, or custom evaluation harnesses.
• Use of AI-assisted development tools including Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, and rapid prototyping platforms (v0, Lovable, Figma Make) to accelerate product delivery.
• Expertise in cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), Infrastructure as Code (Terraform), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and automated CI/CD processes.
• A solid foundation in software architecture principles encompassing API design, event streaming (Kafka, Kinesis, Pub/Sub), microservices, and integration with enterprise legacy systems.
• Experience in modern data engineering platforms such as Snowflake, BigQuery, and Databricks, along with orchestration tools like dbt and Airflow geared toward AI workload support.
• Frontend development skills for building prototypes using React/Next.js and adhering to engineering best practices including TDD, pair programming, continuous deployment, and security threat modeling (e.g., OWASP LLM).
• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance frameworks relevant to complex environments such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, Saudi PDPL, and EU AI Act.
• Previous delivery experience in GCC or international markets, with Arabic language skills or public engagement in tech communities considered advantageous.

Professional Competencies

• Exceptional communication capabilities, comfortable with presentations, workshops, documentation, and executive interactions.
• A product-focused mindset prioritizing outcomes, iterative discovery, and minimum lovable product delivery.
• Inclusive leadership style promoting mentorship, empowerment, and collaborative problem-solving among diverse teams.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguous, dynamic environments, balancing strategic guidance with hands-on technical contributions.
• Embracing constructive feedback and fostering knowledge exchange across disciplines.

Location and Travel

This position is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with approximately 40% regional travel within GCC markets and occasional international travel (~10%) for global team interactions and cross-region collaboration.

Additional Information

• Learning and Development: We support individualized career growth through tailored coaching, development programs, and team collaboration.
• Responsible AI Use in Recruitment: We utilize AI tools for administrative support in hiring but conduct all assessments and decisions solely by our people, committed to fairness and rigorous governance.
• About the company: Thoughtworks is an inclusive and innovative technology consultancy applying technology to solve complex business challenges globally for over 30 years.