Senior Forward Deployed Engineer, Data & AI
Senior Forward Deployed Engineer, Data & AI at Synaptiq — Remote
- Company: Synaptiq
- Location: Remote
- Employment type: CONTRACTOR
- Salary: USD 80–120 / hour
- Posted: 2026-07-08
About this role
Primary Focus: Execution & Client Partnership. You are a hands-on engineer deployed to solve high-impact, real-world problems. You own the technical delivery, but you thrive on the direct feedback loop that comes from working side-by-side with our partners.
Join Synaptiq and help solve problems that make an impact on communities all over the world through the power of AI and data.
At Synaptiq, we build real AI systems for real-world impact. Using modern data platforms and cutting-edge AI, we tackle problems like monitoring coral reef health, improving infrastructure in Rwanda, and reducing the risk of strokes and heart attacks. We're looking for people who want to use the latest technology not just to build, but to make a difference.
Synaptiq values not only the work we do, but also the people we work with.
The Synaptiq team:
• Is passionate about discovering and solving problems that improve lives
• Has the audacity to believe we can solve seemingly impossible challenges
• Believes AI is the natural path forward to solving world-class problems, and has a responsibility to be an ethical participant in the AI arena
• Is inclusive, collaborative, purpose-driven, and thrives on making meaningful impact
In this role:
You will bridge the gap between raw data and actionable insights. You are responsible for building robust data pipelines (the "plumbing") in Databricks and applying advanced analytical models (the "brains") to solve complex business problems. You will work closely with our interdisciplinary team to move from data ingestion, to data analysis, to model deployment.
On any given day, we hope that you will:
• Technical Communication & Engagement — Partner with clients and product teams to translate business pain points into technical requirements, and complex technical solutions into actionable insights.
• Design & Build Pipelines — Develop end-to-end data workflows, integrating data from various APIs and databases.
• Architect Data Solutions — Implement Medallion architectures (Bronze/Silver/Gold) to organize data for analytics and AI.
• Develop Models — Build, track, and manage machine learning and data analysis experiments (e.g., using MLflow).
• Integrate AI into Workflow — Incorporate AI tools into daily development to accelerate prototyping, streamline debugging, and reduce repetitive work, while critically evaluating outputs and ensuring production-quality results.
• Collaborate — Partner with Product Managers and Designers to translate vague requests like "I want better analytics" into technical requirements and dashboard prototypes.
• Ensure Quality — Implement data governance, schema enforcement, and unit tests to maintain high data-quality standards.
To succeed, you will need some combination of the following:
Experience: 5+ years of hands-on experience in data engineering and/or data science roles.
Technical Proficiency:
• Strong proficiency in Databricks, Spark/PySpark, and Delta Lakehouse architecture.
• Expertise in Python, SQL, and PowerBI.
• Experience with Azure tools (e.g., Data Factory, Key Vault).
• Comfortable with Git-based version control and collaborative development workflows.
• Data Science — Strong foundation in statistics (experimental design, hypothesis testing, causal inference) and proven ability to apply these methods to complex datasets.
• Data Analysis — Ability to explore, clean, and analyze large datasets to identify trends, anomalies, and actionable insights.
• Data Visualization & Storytelling — Distill complex analyses into clear, compelling narratives and visualizations for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Pipeline Orchestration — Schedule and monitor data workflows using tools like Databricks Workflows, Airflow, or Azure Data Factory.
• AI-Assisted Coding — Leverage AI tools (code copilots, LLMs) to accelerate development, automate repetitive tasks, and improve code quality, with strong judgment around validation, correctness, and security.
Soft Skills:
• Empathy and strong communication skills to support teammates and engage stakeholders.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and resolve technical blockers proactively.
Education: Bachelor's degree in a technical field or equivalent practical experience.
Bonus Points:
• Consulting or professional services background.
• Healthcare, data-intensive industries, or AI/ML product experience.
• Experience building dashboards with Databricks, Genie, PowerBI, or similar tools.
We believe in taking care of our people:
• Anyone can work from anywhere
• Fun-loving, generous, and kind coworkers
• Direct, honest, and transparent — always
• Open-minded and curious; committed to embracing other cultures, customs, and experiences that bring out the best in all of us
• We are teachers and mentors to one another, committed to raising our collective AI game
This is a contract position with the opportunity to convert to W2 employment with Synaptiq.
Compensation: $80–$120 per hour (contractor rate).
We are an equal opportunity employer. We welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.