Forward Deployed Software Engineer (FDSE)

This is a remote position.

About the Role

This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who can move between technical development and real-world business problem-solving.

You will work closely with Business Analysts, business leadership and other technical specialists to turn business requirements into working software solutions.

Rather than developing isolated prototypes or standalone automations, you will build and deploy practical AI-powered applications, intelligent workflows, agents and system integrations that solve actual business problems.

You will be involved throughout the solution lifecycle, from understanding the problem and designing the technical approach through development, integration, deployment and continuous improvement.

We are looking for an engineer who enjoys building from the ground up, takes ownership of solutions and can work independently in a lean, collaborative technology environment.

Key Responsibilities

1. Solution Engineering & Software Development

• Design, develop and deploy software solutions addressing real business and operational challenges.

• Translate business requirements and functional specifications into technical architectures and working applications.

• Build AI-powered applications, workflow components and intelligent automation solutions.

• Develop reusable software components, services and integrations.

• Take ownership of solutions from technical design through implementation and deployment.

• Ensure solutions are reliable, maintainable, scalable and fit for their intended business purpose.

2. AI Engineering & Agent Development

• Integrate Large Language Models (LLMs), including OpenAI, Claude, Gemini or equivalent platforms.

• Develop AI agents and multi-step agentic workflows.

• Build applications that incorporate AI reasoning, information extraction, classification and structured output generation.

• Implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and knowledge-base integrations where appropriate.

• Develop mechanisms for AI output validation, error handling and human-in-the-loop review.

• Evaluate and optimise AI models, prompts and orchestration approaches based on performance and business requirements.

3. Systems Integration & Workflow Orchestration

• Design and implement integrations between AI applications, APIs, databases and existing business systems.

• Work with REST APIs, webhooks, JSON and other integration technologies.

• Develop automated workflows connecting multiple platforms and applications.

• Implement workflow orchestration using tools such as n8n, Make or equivalent platforms where appropriate.

• Troubleshoot integration issues and ensure reliable data exchange between systems.

• Develop reusable integration components to support future client projects.

4. Forward Deployment & Business Collaboration

• Work alongside Business Analysts to understand client requirements, operational challenges and intended outcomes.

• Participate in technical discovery and solution-design discussions.

• Translate business problems into practical software and AI solutions.

• Collaborate with stakeholders to validate technical approaches and solution functionality.

• Deploy solutions into actual business workflows and environments.

• Gather feedback, troubleshoot issues and iterate on solutions based on real-world usage.

• Communicate technical concepts and implementation considerations to non-technical stakeholders.

5. Automation Map Technology Development

• Help develop the technology infrastructure supporting Maintain's Automation Map methodology.

• Review and improve existing Python-based document-generation scripts and workflow processes.

• Build AI-assisted processes for analysing questionnaires, discovery information and business documentation.

• Develop components that support the extraction, consolidation and analysis of information across business functions.

• Support the development of intelligent workflows for identifying and structuring automation opportunities.

• Integrate AI capabilities into existing tools, applications and document-generation processes.

• Contribute to the development of reusable technology that enables Maintain to scale its consulting delivery.

6. Deployment, Testing & Continuous Improvement

• Test, debug and optimise developed applications and workflows.

• Implement appropriate logging, monitoring, error handling and validation.

• Maintain technical documentation, architecture diagrams and implementation records.

• Identify opportunities to improve system performance, reliability and usability.

• Apply appropriate security, privacy and data-handling practices.

• Continuously evaluate emerging AI technologies and development approaches that could improve Maintain's solutions.

Required Skills & Experience

• Minimum 4–5 years of professional experience in software engineering, software development, AI engineering, systems integration or a closely related technical discipline.

• Demonstrable experience designing, developing and deploying software applications or technical solutions.

• Practical experience integrating Large Language Models (LLMs), such as OpenAI, Claude, Gemini or equivalent platforms, into applications or business workflows.

• Strong understanding of APIs, REST services, webhooks, JSON and system integrations.

• Experience developing multi-step workflows, automation processes or AI-powered applications.

• Experience working with databases, data structures and application integration.

• Ability to translate business requirements into technical designs and working solutions.

• Experience troubleshooting, testing, deploying and maintaining software solutions.

• Strong problem-solving and analytical capabilities.

• Ability to work independently, take ownership of technical deliverables and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Requirements

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Python programming and scripting.

• Experience with AI agents, multi-agent systems and agentic AI architectures.

• Familiarity with LangChain, LangGraph, LlamaIndex or equivalent AI development frameworks.

• Experience with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), embeddings and vector databases.

• Experience with n8n, Make, Zapier or other workflow orchestration platforms.

• Familiarity with frontend and backend application development.

• Experience with cloud platforms, application deployment and containerisation.

• Experience with Git, CI/CD and software development practices.

• Experience with automated document processing and generation.

• Exposure to ERP, CRM or enterprise application integrations.

• Experience implementing AI-powered solutions in production or live business environments.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will help transform Maintain's AI and automation concepts into practical, deployable technology solutions.

You will be expected to:

• Develop and deploy working AI-powered applications and workflows.

• Translate business requirements into reliable technical implementations.

• Integrate AI models, agents and existing business applications.

• Work collaboratively with Business Analysts and business stakeholders.

• Deliver solutions that address actual operational problems.

• Improve existing workflows, applications and technical infrastructure.

• Build reusable components that support future client engagements.

• Contribute to the scalability of Maintain's AI-enabled consulting capability.

Engagement Structure

• Initial three-month contract.

• The first month will serve as a trial period to assess technical capability, delivery, collaboration and mutual fit.

• Continuation beyond the first month is subject to a satisfactory review and agreement between the parties.

• Any extension beyond the initial three-month engagement will depend on business requirements, performance and mutual agreement.

• Detailed commercial terms will be discussed during the recruitment process.

Benefits

• 100% Remote Work: Work remotely from the Philippines while collaborating with an Australian technology consulting business.

• Competitive Compensation: Attractive compensation based on experience, technical capability and contribution.

• Build & Own: Take ownership of designing and building AI-powered solutions from the ground up.

• Technical Autonomy: Influence technical decisions, explore emerging technologies and shape solution architecture.

• Real-World AI Implementation: Work on practical AI applications that solve genuine business problems rather than isolated experiments.

• Direct Leadership Collaboration: Work closely with business leadership and contribute to the company's technical direction.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work alongside Business Analysts and other technical specialists.

• Opportunity to Grow: Develop your expertise in AI engineering, software development and forward-deployed solution delivery.