H-1B Visa Forward Deployed Engineering Jobs
Forward Deployed Engineering roles sit at the intersection of software development and on-site client implementation, and they consistently qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field. Employers in this space file LCAs under SOC codes tied to software development, so prevailing wage compliance is built into every offer.
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Get Access To All JobsSUMMARY
This position can be based remotely anywhere in the U.S. Please note that this role would not provide relocation as a result. The expectation of working hours and travel (domestic and/or international) will be defined by the Hiring Manager.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Strategy, Platforms & Transformation team is dedicated to enabling improved decision-making at Novartis by leveraging data and advanced analytics capabilities to generate actionable insights that drive business growth. We work within the US business, bringing insights and challenging ideas to empower smarter, data-driven decision-making. This role is crucial in driving AI transformation by bringing the best in AI and tech to unlock opportunities for growth and improve patient outcomes.
The Executive Director, AI Forward Deployed Engineering Lead will lead the engineering delivery of agentic AI solutions embedded within business functions, with responsibility across solution architecture, development, implementation, operations, and continuous improvement. This role will be critical to transforming existing processes, products, and services into agentic AI products and intelligent workflows by partnering closely with business teams to design and deploy practical, scalable solutions that address high value use cases. The ideal candidate will bring strong engineering leadership, solution orientation, and cross functional execution skills to guide the development of fit for purpose AI applications, oversee deployment into real world operating environments, and ensure solutions are reliable, maintainable, and aligned with enterprise standards. Working closely with product leaders, platform teams, data partners, business stakeholders, and transformation leaders, this role will help accelerate AI adoption, drive measurable business impact, and ensure solutions continuously evolve based on operational feedback and emerging needs.
MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES
- Define and lead the engineering strategy, delivery model, and execution approach for forward deployed agentic AI solutions across business functions.
- Oversee the design, development, implementation, and ongoing support of AI solutions that transform business processes and products into agentic workflows.
- Partner directly with business stakeholders, product teams, and domain experts to identify requirements, shape technical solutions, and ensure adoption in operational environments.
- Lead engineering teams in building, deploying, and maintaining scalable, reliable, and user centered AI applications aligned with enterprise architecture and standards.
- Drive integration of AI solutions with existing systems, data sources, workflows, and operational processes to enable effective end to end execution.
- Establish engineering practices, support models, and feedback loops that promote quality, reliability, operational performance, and continuous improvement.
- Coordinate closely with platform, data, security, and infrastructure teams to ensure solutions leverage shared capabilities and comply with enterprise requirements.
- Communicate engineering priorities, solution progress, business impact, risks, and resource needs to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor degree required and advanced degree preferred, ideally in business, engineering, computer science, data science, or a related field.
- 15 plus years of progressive product management experience, including significant leadership over senior product leaders, with a strong track record of defining and scaling enterprise level product strategy and execution.
- Deep expertise in AI driven product management, including experience bringing innovative data, machine learning, and generative AI products from concept to commercialization in complex enterprise environments.
- Proven people leadership and organizational development capability, with experience leading directors and senior product teams, building high performing organizations, and establishing effective product operating models and governance.
- Strong cross functional and executive influence skills, with demonstrated success partnering across Engineering, Innovation, Commercial, Data Science, and business leadership to align strategy, prioritize investments, and drive outcomes.
The salary for this position is expected to range between $225,400.00 and $418,600.00 annual per year. The final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors. Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards. US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.
WHY NOVARTIS: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together?
BENEFITS AND REWARDS: Learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally.
EEO STATEMENT:
The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
ACCESSIBILITY & REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS
The Novartis Group of Companies are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call +1(877)395-2339 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.
LOCATION
Location: USA
JOB TYPE
Job Type: Full time
EMPLOYMENT TYPE
Employment Type: Regular
SHIFT WORK
Shift Work: No
SUMMARY
This position can be based remotely anywhere in the U.S. Please note that this role would not provide relocation as a result. The expectation of working hours and travel (domestic and/or international) will be defined by the Hiring Manager.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Strategy, Platforms & Transformation team is dedicated to enabling improved decision-making at Novartis by leveraging data and advanced analytics capabilities to generate actionable insights that drive business growth. We work within the US business, bringing insights and challenging ideas to empower smarter, data-driven decision-making. This role is crucial in driving AI transformation by bringing the best in AI and tech to unlock opportunities for growth and improve patient outcomes.
The Executive Director, AI Forward Deployed Engineering Lead will lead the engineering delivery of agentic AI solutions embedded within business functions, with responsibility across solution architecture, development, implementation, operations, and continuous improvement. This role will be critical to transforming existing processes, products, and services into agentic AI products and intelligent workflows by partnering closely with business teams to design and deploy practical, scalable solutions that address high value use cases. The ideal candidate will bring strong engineering leadership, solution orientation, and cross functional execution skills to guide the development of fit for purpose AI applications, oversee deployment into real world operating environments, and ensure solutions are reliable, maintainable, and aligned with enterprise standards. Working closely with product leaders, platform teams, data partners, business stakeholders, and transformation leaders, this role will help accelerate AI adoption, drive measurable business impact, and ensure solutions continuously evolve based on operational feedback and emerging needs.
MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES
- Define and lead the engineering strategy, delivery model, and execution approach for forward deployed agentic AI solutions across business functions.
- Oversee the design, development, implementation, and ongoing support of AI solutions that transform business processes and products into agentic workflows.
- Partner directly with business stakeholders, product teams, and domain experts to identify requirements, shape technical solutions, and ensure adoption in operational environments.
- Lead engineering teams in building, deploying, and maintaining scalable, reliable, and user centered AI applications aligned with enterprise architecture and standards.
- Drive integration of AI solutions with existing systems, data sources, workflows, and operational processes to enable effective end to end execution.
- Establish engineering practices, support models, and feedback loops that promote quality, reliability, operational performance, and continuous improvement.
- Coordinate closely with platform, data, security, and infrastructure teams to ensure solutions leverage shared capabilities and comply with enterprise requirements.
- Communicate engineering priorities, solution progress, business impact, risks, and resource needs to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor degree required and advanced degree preferred, ideally in business, engineering, computer science, data science, or a related field.
- 15 plus years of progressive product management experience, including significant leadership over senior product leaders, with a strong track record of defining and scaling enterprise level product strategy and execution.
- Deep expertise in AI driven product management, including experience bringing innovative data, machine learning, and generative AI products from concept to commercialization in complex enterprise environments.
- Proven people leadership and organizational development capability, with experience leading directors and senior product teams, building high performing organizations, and establishing effective product operating models and governance.
- Strong cross functional and executive influence skills, with demonstrated success partnering across Engineering, Innovation, Commercial, Data Science, and business leadership to align strategy, prioritize investments, and drive outcomes.
The salary for this position is expected to range between $225,400.00 and $418,600.00 annual per year. The final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors. Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards. US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.
WHY NOVARTIS: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together?
BENEFITS AND REWARDS: Learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally.
EEO STATEMENT:
The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
ACCESSIBILITY & REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS
The Novartis Group of Companies are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call +1(877)395-2339 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.
LOCATION
Location: USA
JOB TYPE
Job Type: Full time
EMPLOYMENT TYPE
Employment Type: Regular
SHIFT WORK
Shift Work: No
See all 302+ H-1B Visa Forward Deployed Engineering Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new H-1B Visa Forward Deployed Engineering Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship in Forward Deployed Engineering
Confirm your role's SOC code early
Forward Deployed Engineers are typically filed under software developer or systems engineer SOC codes. Check the O*NET profile for your target title to verify the degree requirement aligns with your credentials before an employer submits your LCA.
Target defense and enterprise software employers
Companies building tools for federal agencies or large enterprises have established H-1B filing infrastructure and frequently hire for forward deployment roles. Search Migrate Mate to filter employers with verified LCA filing history in this occupation.
Document client-site travel in your offer letter
Forward Deployed Engineers often work across multiple client locations. USCIS requires that your I-129 petition or an amended filing covers each new worksite, so get the expected deployment locations listed in your offer documentation from day one.
Use OFLC Wage Search to benchmark your offer
Your employer's LCA must certify a wage at or above the DOL prevailing wage for your SOC code and work location. Run the OFLC Wage Search for your specific metro area before negotiating, since deployed roles sometimes span high-cost cities.
File an amended petition for new client sites
If you're deployed to a client location not covered in your original H-1B petition, USCIS requires an amended I-129 before you start work there. Confirm with your employer's HR team that a new LCA and amendment are filed for each material worksite change.
Ask about premium processing before your start date
Forward deployment roles often have hard client start dates. USCIS premium processing guarantees a 15-business-day adjudication decision. Confirm whether your employer or you will cover that cost, and factor it into your start date negotiation.
H-1B Visa Forward Deployed Engineering: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Forward Deployed Engineering jobs qualify as H-1B specialty occupations?
Yes. Forward Deployed Engineering roles require theoretical and applied knowledge in software development, systems integration, or a closely related engineering field, which meets USCIS's specialty occupation standard. Your employer must demonstrate that the position normally requires at least a bachelor's degree in a specific technical discipline, and most legitimate FDE roles at enterprise software companies clear that bar without difficulty.
How does working across multiple client sites affect my H-1B status?
Each worksite where you spend more than minimal time must be covered by a certified LCA posting. If your deployment schedule changes significantly after your I-129 is approved, your employer is responsible for filing an amended petition with USCIS before you begin work at the new location. Make sure your employer has a process for tracking and filing amendments when client deployments shift.
How do I find employers that sponsor H-1B visas for Forward Deployed Engineering roles?
Migrate Mate filters job listings by verified LCA filing history, so you can identify which employers have actually sponsored H-1B workers in software and systems engineering roles rather than relying on employer claims. Enterprise software, defense tech, and government contractor firms represent the most consistent sponsors for this job title specifically.
Can I change employers after my H-1B is approved for a Forward Deployed Engineering role?
Yes. Under AC21 portability rules, you can move to a new H-1B employer in a same or similar occupation once your petition has been approved for at least 180 days. For FDE roles, same or similar typically means another software development or systems integration position. Your new employer must file an H-1B transfer petition before your last day with the current sponsor.
What happens to my H-1B status if my client deployment ends early?
Your H-1B status is tied to your employer, not the specific client engagement. If a deployment ends, you remain in valid status as long as your employer maintains the employment relationship and your approved petition is still valid. If your employer terminates you, you have a 60-day grace period to find a new sponsoring employer, change status, or depart the U.S.