Thought Machine
fintech
ForwardDeployedEngineer
Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for Mid+ candidates.
“Forward Deployed Engineer at Thought Machine. Skills: Backend development, Systems integration, Infrastructure, Technical consulting, Client delivery. Embed with client engineering teams on-site and remotely to deliver working implementations of Thought Machine Vault products, from initial design through production readiness. Own the technical success of your assigned client engagements”
What You'll Achieve.
Making the client successful; Deliver production-ready implementations of Vault and associated products; Ensuring requirements are implemented, tested and work to improve the product based on client feedback; Own the technical success of your assigned client engagements—you are accountable for solutions that work in practice, not just in architecture documents
Industry & Context.
Debug, troubleshoot, and resolve complex technical issues across distributed systems
Expected to travel to client sites (up to 25% of your time), Work autonomously in complex environments
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
hands-on experience with one of Python or Go, Comfortable working with ambiguous requirements to quickly iterate client ideas, Working knowledge of Linux/Unix environments, Working knowledge of container orchestration (Kubernetes), Working knowledge of databases (PostgreSQL or equivalent), Working knowledge of messaging systems (Kafka or equivalent), Familiarity with the technologies (Linux/Unix, Kubernetes, databases, messaging systems), Practical experience with at least one major cloud provider (AWS, GCP, or Azure), Deploying and operating workloads in production on a major cloud provider, Demonstrated ability to work directly with external clients or partners in a technical delivery capacity, Ability to explain complex systems to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders, Comfortable owning outcomes, Experience delivering technical projects end-to-end, Understanding of what it takes to move from design to production—not just the happy path, but the edge cases, rollback plans, and operability concerns
Nice to Have
Familiarity with retail banking, payments, ledgers, or regulatory environments, Understanding of the operational rigour expected in FSI, AWS Solutions Architect certification, GCP Professional Cloud Architect certification, Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification, Equivalent cloud architecture certifications
What You'll Do.
Embed with client engineering teams on-site and remotely to deliver working implementations of Thought Machine Vault products
from initial design through production readiness
Own the technical success of your assigned client engagements
Work closely with client architects
and programme leads to translate business requirements into technical delivery plans
Write production-quality code (primarily Python/Go; additional languages a plus) to build integrations
contribute to core products and extensions that connect Vault to the client's ecosystem
and resolve complex technical issues across distributed systems—including databases
container orchestration
and cloud infrastructure
Design and deliver scalable solutions covering high availability
and security in collaboration with client and internal teams
Contribute to internal tooling
and reusable patterns that accelerate delivery across all FDE engagements
Support the Commercial team during presales by answering deep technical questions
running proof-of-concept implementations
and demonstrating feasibility
Advise clients on best practices for Vault implementation
including system design beyond Vault's boundaries—empowering genuine digital transformation
Channel technical feedback
and feature requests to product and engineering teams
Identify patterns across engagements that can be turned into product improvements
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Embed with client engineering teams; Work closely with client architects, engineers, and programme leads; Collaborate with client and internal teams on scalable solutions; Channel technical feedback, pain points, and feature requests to product and engineering teams
Communication Scope
Explain complex systems to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders
Process & Methodology
Translate business requirements into technical delivery plans, Experience delivering technical projects end-to-end, Understand what it takes to move from design to production—not just the happy path, but the edge cases, rollback plans, and operability concerns
Full Job Description
Thought Machine's mission is bold – to properly and permanently rid the world's banks of legacy technology. To achieve this, we have developed the foundations of modern banking through core and payments technology which run natively in the cloud. What we are attempting is hard and means we need great people working together to build great technology. We have grown rapidly in the past few years – growing our team to more than 550 individuals across offices in London, New York, Singapore, Sydney and our newly established Engineering Hub in Lisbon. We have raised more than £500m in funding and our investors include Molten Ventures, Eurazeo, Intesa Sanpaolo, Temasek, Nyca Partners, JPMorgan Chase Strategic Investments, Standard Chartered Ventures, and more. We have created a culture that enables our team to produce the best work in the industry while ensuring we have fun along the way. We're regularly cited as having a fantastic workplace culture and have been recognised by Sifted magazine as having one of the highest Glassdoor ratings for a UK fintech company and the industry's most generous employee share package. Named one of the world's most innovative fintechs by Global Finance Magazine, we were also recognised by the Financial Times as one of Europe's fastest-growing companies for two consecutive years—and a UK Best Employer for 2026. The Forward Deployed Engineer is Thought Machine's primary technical interface with the client. FDEs embed directly with client engineering teams to design, build, and deliver production-ready implementations of Vault and associated products. This is a hands-on, generalist engineering role that spans backend development, systems integration, infrastructure, and technical consulting—driven by one goal: making the client successful. FDEs operate across the full project lifecycle ensuring requirements are implemented, tested and work to improve the product based on client feedback. You will be expected to travel to client sites (up to 2
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