Manager, Forward Deployed Engineer

OpenAI

Manager leading the Forward Deployed Engineering team at OpenAI, delivering production systems with frontier models. Overseeing technical and business value outcomes while ensuring team growth and performance.

Posted 7/21/2026full-timeTokyo • 🇯🇵 JapanSeniorLeadWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive experience in leading engineering teams and managing high-pressure technical projects, with a focus on delivering production systems and providing actionable feedback. Bilingual proficiency in Japanese and English enhances communication and collaboration in diverse environments.

Highest-signal resume keywords

8+ Years Engineering Experience2+ Years Managing FDEProduction-Grade Code ReviewHigh-Pressure Project LeadershipBilingual Japanese and English

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Production Systems DeliveryFrontend and Backend DevelopmentTechnical Quality AssurancePrototype to Production TransitionCode ReviewTechnical Project ManagementActionable Feedback GenerationComplex Work SimplificationUrgent Decision-MakingTeam Performance Elevation

Soft Skills

Clarity in CommunicationBuilding TrustCalm Under PressureFocus and JudgmentDirect Feedback

Industry Keywords

FDE ManagementTechnical DeliveryCustomer-Facing EngineeringAgile MethodologiesTeam Growth and Development

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead and grow a team of FDE delivering production systems with frontier models
Own end-to-end delivery outcomes through clarity, speed, tight coordination, and technical quality
Codify what works into tools, playbooks, and roadmap inputs that create leverage for both OpenAI and the wider developer community
Notice early indicators and raise them with urgency, whether in product behavior, customer environments, or delivery practices
Use judgment to distinguish what requires action and what does not
Set a high bar for FDE performance and support each person’s growth through direct, actionable feedback
Define staffing and support for field teams that can scale without added complexity

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years of engineering or technical delivery experience, including 2+ years managing high-performing FDE or customer-facing engineers
Experience leading high-pressure technical projects from prototype to production
Ability to write and review production-grade code across frontend and backend
Ability to simplify complex work and make fast, sound decisions under pressure
Ability to elevate team performance through clarity, not process
Ability to operate with urgency in ambiguous or evolving environments
Ability to translate field experience into sharp, actionable feedback for Product and Research
Ability to build deep trust with your team by modeling calm, focus, and judgment when it matters most
Bilingual—fluent in both Japanese and English (spoken and written)

Benefits

Comp & perks

Relocation assistance to new employees
3 days in the office per week