Jobs / United States / OpenAI UK Ltd
Forward Deployed Engineer, Gov
OpenAI UK Ltd · 🇺🇸 Washington, DC; Seattle; San Francisco
Sponsorship verdict
Posting rules out sponsorship
The posting rules out sponsorship or requires citizenship/clearance.
- No government sponsor record hereThis employer does not appear with approvals in the government data SponsorApply holds.
- The posting doesn’t mention sponsorshipSilence isn’t a refusal — ask the recruiter before investing much time.
- No salary bar for this routeH-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area. Cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b, rules effective 2026-02-27.
- Security clearance mentionedFrom the posting’s own wording.
- Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
US H-1B: cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level — Level I gets 1 entry, Level IV gets 4 (DHS projected selection odds ≈15% at Level I to ≈61% at Level IV). Universities and non-profit research employers are cap-exempt. The $100,000 fee for new petitions from abroad is currently blocked by a court order (appeal pending).
A verdict summarises public evidence; it is not legal advice and never a guarantee — the employer and the immigration authority decide. Sign in to factor in where you can already work.
Or apply yourself on the official page →
Why not apply?
The posting mentions a security clearance — usually restricted to citizens of that country.
No register record and no sponsorship wording in the posting. Worth asking the employer before investing significant time.
SponsorApply flags time-wasters so your applications go where they can land. These come from the posting's own wording — read the original listing to confirm. See better-fit alternatives →
Sponsor Radar — OpenAI UK Ltd
This employer does not appear with approvals in the government data SponsorApply holds.
Past sponsorship or register membership never guarantees sponsorship for this vacancy or for you. Full Sponsor Radar for OpenAI UK Ltd →
About the role
About the team The OpenAI for Government team is a dynamic, mission-driven group leveraging frontier AI to transform how governments achieve their missions. Our team works to empower public servants with secure, compliant AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Gov) and mission-aligned deployments that meet government technical requirements with strong reliability and safety. About the role Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) lead complex deployments of frontier models in production. You will embed with our most strategic government and public sector customers—where model performance matters, delivery is urgent, and ambiguity is the default. You’ll map their problems, structure delivery, and ship fast. This includes scoping, sequencing, and building full-stack solutions that create measurable value, while driving clarity across internal and external teams. You will work directly with defense, intelligence, and federal stakeholders as their technical thought partner, guiding adoption, maximizing mission impact, and ensuring successful deployments at scale. Along the way, you’ll identify reusable patterns, codify best practices, and share field signal that influences OpenAI’s roadmap. This role is based in Washington DC, Seattle or San Francisco. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week. We offer relocation assistance. Travel up to 50% is required, including on-site work with customers. In this role you will - Own technical delivery across multiple government deployments, from first prototype to stable production. - Deeply embed with public sector customers to design and build novel applications powered by OpenAI models. - Enable successful deployments across customer environments by delivering observable systems spanning infrastructure through applications. - Prototype and build full-stack systems using Python, JavaScript, or comparable stacks that deliver real mission impact. - Proactively guide customers on maximizing business and operational value from their applications. - Forge and manage relationships with customer leadership and stakeholders, ensuring successful deployment and scale. - Scope work, sequence delivery, and remove blockers early—making trade-offs between scope, speed, and quality. - Contribute directly in the code when clarity or momentum depends on it. - Codify working patterns into tools, playbooks, or building blocks others can use. - Share field feedback with Research and Product to influence model and product development. - Keep teams moving through clarity, judgment, and consistent follow-through. You might thrive in this role if you - Bring 5+ years of engineering or technical deployment experience, ideally in customer-facing or government environments. - Active TS/SCI clearance or equivalent - Have scoped and delivered complex systems in fast-moving or ambiguous contexts. - Write and review production-grade code across frontend and backend, using Python, JavaScript, or similar stacks. - Are familiar with cloud deployment models (Azure, AWS), Kubernetes, Terraform, and related infrastructure. - Have experience building or deploying systems powered by LLMs or generative models, and understand how model behavior affects product experience. - Simplify complexity, make fast, sound decisions under pressure, and communicate clearly across technical and non-technical audiences. - Spot risks early, adjust without slowing down, and model calm judgment when stakes are high. - Are humble, collaborative, and eager to help others with empathy. - Operate with high horsepower, thrive in dynamic environments, and can ruthlessly prioritize across multiple projects. About OpenAI OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ens