FDE - Lead Data Engineer

This job is with Kyndryl, an inclusive employer and a member of myGwork – the largest global platform for the LGBTQ+ business community. Please do not contact the recruiter directly.

Who We Are

At Kyndryl, we run and reimagine the mission-critical technology systems that drive advantage for the world's leading businesses.  We are at the heart of progress; with proven expertise and a continuous flow of AI-powered insight, enabling smarter decisions, faster innovation, and a lasting competitive edge. For our people-Kyndryls-that means doing purposeful work that powers human progress. Join us and experience a flexible, supportive environment where your well-being is prioritized and your potential can thrive.

The Role

Your roleAt Kyndryl, Forward Deployed Engineers work where enterprise AI becomes real. This is not a traditional consulting role or a back office engineering position. Forward Deployed Engineers embed directly with customers to design, build, and deploy AI solutions that operate in complex, regulated, production environments.
As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you will own defined delivery workstreams within customer engagements-prototyping, deploying, and optimizing AI systems that create measurable business outcomes. You will operate with growing independence in customer environments, bridging deep engineering expertise with business context, and translating ambiguous problems into production ready solutions.
This role sits at the intersection of engineering, consulting, and delivery accountability. You will use modern AI development tools to accelerate solution design, code generation, testing, and deployment, while building the customer trust that sustains long term impact and referenceable success.
What you will do•Customer Engagement & Solution Integrity: Partner with customers to understand business challenges and translate them into high‑quality, fit‑for‑purpose technical solutions, prioritising the right outcome over the fastest one•Rapid Prototyping: Build and iterate custom AI solutions tailored to customer needs, leveraging agentic AI frameworks•Ownership, Deployment & Partnership: Own delivery end to end, from scoping to production. Work as part of the customer team to engineer and deploy production‑ready solutions that drive adoption and measurable business outcomes.•Optimization: Troubleshoot and enhance system performance, scalability, and reliability•Field Intelligence: Systematically capture deployment learnings, document best practices, and proactively share insights to inform enhancements to Kyndryl's core platforms and frameworks•Continuous Learning: Adapt quickly to emerging technologies and evolving customer requirements by engaging in ongoing professional development•Platform Contribution: Actively contribute to the evolution of Kyndryl's AI platforms through feedback, code contributions, and collaboration with product teams

Who You Are

Required skills and experience •Programming Proficiency: Demonstrable expertise in Python, (or another modern language such as C#, Node.js or TypeScript); experience working with AI/ML frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch is a plus•Software Engineering: Solid grasp of the software delivery lifecycle, version control (Git & GitHub), and data engineering tools such as Pandas and Spark•Cloud & Distributed Systems: Experience with cloud AI platforms (AWS, Azure, Google AI) and distributed computing architecturesPreferred skills and experience •Open-Source Ecosystems: Familiarity with community-driven AI tools and libraries, including Hugging Face and relevant repositories•T-shaped Profile: Deep technical expertise in one or two domains, with broad understanding across AI/ML, cloud, and consulting•Agentic AI Systems: Experience designing, building, or integrating multi-agent systems and orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, Agent Framework, AutoGen, CrewAI), including the development of agent protocols and coordination mechanisms•Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) & Knowledge Systems: Practical knowledge of deploying RAG architectures and integrating structured and unstructured knowledge sources into AI solutions•Performance & Security: Knowledge of system-level optimisation and security best practices for scalable AI systems•Business Acumen: Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions and communicate technical value to diverse stakeholders, including executive audiences•Flexibility: Willingness to travel and work on customer premises as required•

Education:
Degree-level qualification in Computer Science, Informatics, Data Science, Engineering, or a closely related discipline
- or equivalent professional experience

Being You

The "Kyn" in Kyndryl means kinship, which represents the strong bonds we have with each other, our custo