Manager, Deployment Lead, Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE)

OpenAI•New York, NY

4d•$302,000 - $385,000•Hybrid

About The Position

OpenAI’s Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team partners with customers to turn research breakthroughs into production systems, working at the intersection of customer delivery and core platform development. The foundational Deployment Lead Manager will lead and grow a team of Deployment Leads through high-stakes customer deployments, owning technical and business outcomes end to end while helping define the function’s scope and ways of working amid significant ambiguity. The manager will partner with FDE, Product, Research, and go-to-market teams to balance customer-specific solutions with reusable capabilities and ensure field insights inform product priorities. They will guide decisions about scope, feasibility, sequencing, and delivery readiness, helping the team make sound tradeoffs and build lasting customer trust. Success is measured by deployment impact, the growth of Deployment Leads, and the ability to scale the team and its delivery model. The role is based in New York City, follows a hybrid model requiring three days in the office per week, and requires travel up to 25%. Relocation assistance is offered to new employees.

Requirements

At least 8 years of customer-facing technical delivery or product leadership experience.
At least 2 years of experience managing high-performing teams.
Personal experience leading complex technical deployments from prototype through production, adoption, and handoff.
A strong product mindset and ability to balance customer-specific needs with reusable solutions.
Ability to navigate ambiguity, create structure where little exists, make sound decisions with incomplete information, and adapt as priorities evolve.
Ability to build deep trust across technical teams, Product, Research, go-to-market teams, and customer leadership.
A strong track record of hiring, coaching, and developing technical, customer-facing talent.
Ability to elevate team performance through clarity rather than process.

Nice To Haves

Product management experience.

Responsibilities

Lead and grow a team of Deployment Leads delivering production systems with frontier models.
Own end-to-end delivery outcomes, from scoping through production, adoption, and handoff.
Set direction and build trust across technical teams, go-to-market teams, and customer executives.
Turn successful approaches into practical playbooks, consistent delivery practices, and product roadmap inputs.
Set a high performance bar through hands-on coaching, actionable feedback, and career development.
Make staffing decisions, develop future Deployment Lead leaders, and build a team that can scale without unnecessary complexity.
Guide decisions on deployment scope, feasibility, sequencing, and delivery readiness.
Partner with FDE, Product, Research, and go-to-market teams to balance customer-specific needs with reusable capabilities.