Junior Forward Deployed AI Engineer

Accenture Federal Services•Arlington, VA

19d•$72,600 - $132,100

About The Position

At Accenture Federal Services, our purpose is to make the US federal government stronger and safer, and to improve the lives of its citizens through technology and ingenuity. We are a technology company within the global Accenture network, recognized as a Glassdoor Top 100 Best Place to Work. We foster a collaborative and supportive community where employees are empowered to grow, learn, and thrive through hands-on experience, certifications, and industry training. The APX (Advanced Partnership Accelerator) Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) Program is a strategic initiative designed to position Accenture Federal Services at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation within the government sector. This program embeds highly skilled technical talent directly with federal clients to accelerate the adoption and implementation of advanced AI capabilities from leading laboratories such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. As an FDE, you will act as a crucial link between cutting-edge AI technology and the mission-critical needs of federal clients. You will work directly with the most advanced AI models available, translating their potential into tangible value for defense, intelligence, civilian, and public health missions. This role is distinct from traditional consulting; FDEs are technical practitioners, innovators, and trusted advisors operating at the leading edge of AI within highly regulated and secure federal environments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree or demonstrated hands-on coding experience building and shipping software projects.
Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., Python, R, Rust) with knowledge of building production services.
Familiarity with Generative AI (LLMs, chatbots, or AI-powered apps) and eagerness to learn how model outputs influence product workflows.
Exposure working with APIs and simple data flows, managing structured and unstructured data and ensure data quality.
Must be a U.S. Citizen and ability to obtain a federal security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, Statistics, or a related technical field.
Prior client experience or collaborative technical work (consulting internships, hackathons, customer success engineering, or team-based builds).
Exposure to cloud services (AWS, Azure, GCP) from coursework, certificates, internships, or individual projects.
Experience integrating or deploying code in environments with constraints (legacy systems, governance, access controls).
Demonstrated ability to take a small idea from zero-to-prototype independently.
Curiosity about how different frontier labs operate and eagerness to learn their platforms: Vertex AI, Azure OpenAI, Claude, etc.
Relevant Google, Anthropic, or OpenAI certifications or training courses.
Ability to travel depending on business need and client requirements.
Active federal security clearance.

Responsibilities

Embed within client environments as part of a forward deployed engineering (FDE) team to build rapid prototypes using AI tools, coding assistants, and modern frameworks.
Use AI tools (LLMs, coding assistants, agentic frameworks) as part of daily development work.
Support integration of solutions into complex client environments, including legacy systems and regulated data contexts.
Work across the tech stack (frontend, backend, APIs, simple data pipelines) and help develop applications and workflows that use structured and unstructured enterprise data.
Assist in evaluating model outputs, testing workflows, and applying responsible AI guardrails.
Implement AI solutions such as RAG workflows, semantic search, prompt engineering patterns, and simple agent behaviors.
Work with senior FDEs to clarify problem statements and translate them into technical plans.
Participate in rapid experimentation cycles and incorporate user feedback into updates, documenting solution decisions and contributing to internal learning assets.
Leverage technical expertise to help clients navigate the rapidly evolving technological landscape, serving as a trusted advisor on emerging AI capabilities, increasing user adoption and scaling mission impact.
Share observations, user friction points, reusable assets and field intelligence back to APX teams to improve delivery approaches.