Director, AI Forward Deployed Researcher
TELUS Digital · Remote
Who We Are
Welcome to TELUS Digital - where innovation drives impact at a global scale. As an award-winning digital product consultancy and the digital division of TELUS, one of Canada’s largest telecommunications providers, we design and deliver transformative customer experiences through cutting-edge technology, agile thinking, and a people-first culture. With a global team across North America, South America, Central America, Europe, and APAC, we offer end-to-end expertise across eight core service areas: Digital Product Consulting, Digital Marketing Services, Data & AI, Strategy Consulting, Enterprise Technology, Enterprise Applications, Cloud Engineering, and QA & Test Engineering. From mobile apps and websites to voice UI, chatbots, AI, customer service, and in-store solutions, TELUS Digital enables seamless, trusted, and digitally powered experiences that meet customers wherever they are. All backed by the secure infrastructure and scale of our multi-billion-dollar parent company.
Location and Flexibility
This role can operate remotely within the US (we are prioritizing candidates based on the US West Coast) OR be based out of one of our major US office locations - Charlottesville, VA, Durham, NC, Columbus, OH, or Boston, MA.
The Opportunity
The Director, Forward Deployed Researcher is a strategic leader, advanced AI research specialist, and manager who directly oversees and engages in the highest-value client implementations. This role is responsible for driving frontier AI research into production, setting the strategic technical direction for enterprise clients, and managing a team of Forward Deployed Researchers and Engineers. This role operates at the critical intersection of cutting-edge research, software engineering, executive-level strategic consulting, and team management
As a Forward Deployed Researcher, Director, you will embed directly within Fortune 500 and highly regulated client organizations to advance frontier AI implementations, shape AI strategy, deliver bespoke production systems, and build world-class technical teams. Unlike traditional research leaders who remain in labs or remote environments, you will be embedded within client teams, walking the halls of banks, healthcare organizations, and tech companies to understand their unique challenges, conduct applied research, and lead the delivery of transformative AI solutions grounded in both frontier techniques and practical enterprise constraints.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic AI Research & Executive Consulting
Act as a trusted technical and research advisor to client executive leadership (CTOs, Heads of AI, VPs of Engineering, Board Members) on overall AI strategy, roadmap, and competitive positioning
Translate frontier AI research and complex technical concepts into actionable business strategies and implementation plans that justify premium engagement and drive measurable ROI
Shape client understanding of what constitutes "production-ready," "scalable," and "competitive" AI systems within regulated industries
Conduct market and technical landscape analysis to inform client AI strategy and identify emerging opportunities
Provide thought leadership on AI best practices, emerging technologies, research trends, and industry benchmarks
Identify opportunities for AI adoption, value creation, and competitive advantage within client organizations
Mentor client AI leadership teams on research methodologies, experimentation, and validation practices
Team Leadership & Capability Building
Manage, mentor, and scale a team of Forward Deployed Researchers and Engineers embedded at high-value client organizations
Oversee the development and delivery of bespoke, research-backed production systems across multiple, concurrent client engagements
Establish best practices, technical frameworks, methodologies, and accelerators for the team that benefit multiple clients and scale across TELUS Digital
Recruit, develop, and retain top-tier Forward Deployed talent; create career development pathways and technical competency frameworks
Serve as an internal thought leader, sharing research insights, lessons learned, and best practices across the Forward Deployed Engineer community
Mentor junior Forward Deployed Engineers and Solutions Engineers on technical, consulting, and leadership skills
Foster a culture of innovation, client-centricity, continuous improvement, and technical excellence within the team
Establish metrics, KPIs, and performance management systems for team success and client impact
Client-Embedded Research & Production Delivery
Lead high-impact, applied AI research initiatives to address the client’s most complex and ambiguous challenges during 3-6 month+ onsite engagements
Design and implement advanced GenAI/LLM solutions (e.g., advanced RAG, multi-agent systems, custom fine-tuning, synthetic data generation, RLHF) tailored to clients’ unique requirements and constraints
Build production-ready AI systems addressing data quality, evaluation, governance, and deployment challenges in regulated environments
Conduct frontier AI experiments (novel architectures, training methodologies, evaluation frameworks) with direct applicability to client use cases
Ensure all production systems meet stringent security, compliance, performance, and scalability requirements for Fortune 500 and highly regulated clients
Integrate TELUS Digital capabilities with client infrastructure, data platforms, and workflows
Architect systems that the client can operate and evolve long-term with reduced dependency on external support
Own end-to-end delivery from discovery, research, and validation through production deployment and optimization
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Product Influence
Partner with TELUS Digital Product, Engineering, and Research teams to leverage platform capabilities and inform product roadmap based on client research insights
Collaborate with Sales and Account teams on opportunity expansion, account strategy, and client success
Represent client voice internally to drive product, service, and research improvements
Participate in analyst relations and thought leadership initiatives to elevate TELUS Digital's market position
Work with other Forward Deployed Directors and Engineers to share learnings and establish organizational best practices
Technical Excellence & Innovation
Stay at the frontier of AI models, frameworks, and deployment patterns; maintain hands-on expertise in cutting-edge areas
Experiment with emerging AI technologies and assess applicability to client challenges and competitive positioning
Publish or present technical work, contributing to TELUS Digital's thought leadership and industry recognition
Build and maintain expertise in frontier areas (LLMs, multimodal AI, agentic systems, synthetic data, RLHF, evaluation frameworks, etc.)
Document technical approaches, architectures, research methodologies, and lessons learned
Contribute to open-source projects or TELUS Digital's technical community
Competencies
10+ years of hands-on software engineering and AI/ML experience with production systems
4+ years in senior leadership or management roles managing technical teams of at least 5+ professionals (e.g., managing Forward Deployed Engineers, Solution Engineers, or Research teams)
Proven ability to serve as a strategic advisor and technical authority to C-level stakeholders
Deep expertise in frontier GenAI/LLMs, including:
RAG systems and vector databases
Agentic AI and multi-agent systems
Fine-tuning, prompt engineering, and in-context learning
Evaluation frameworks and metrics for LLM systems
Production MLOps and deployment
Hands-on proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and modern AI/ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, LangChain, Hugging Face)
Proven track record of success in ambiguous, complex environments with a high degree of autonomy
Excellent communication skills across technical, research, and executive audiences
Self-directed and resourceful, comfortable operating independently at client sites and leading without direct authority
Client-centric mindset with the ability to build trust and credibility quickly with C-level stakeholders
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, AI/ML, or related field
Bonus Points
Advanced degree (MS/PhD in Computer Science, AI/ML, or related field)
Experience at AI platform/research companies (Anthropic, OpenAI, Palantir, Scale AI, Cohere, etc.) in research, Forward Deployed, or leadership roles
Experience at top-tier consulting firms (McKinsey, Bain, Deloitte) in technical or engineering leadership roles
Published technical work or recognized AI/ML expertise, contributing to thought leadership and industry recognition
Prior work in regulated industries (financial services, healthcare) with compliance requirements and enterprise complexity
Track record of mentoring engineers and building high-performing teams
Computer vision and/or data annotation platform expertise
Multilingual capabilities for global client engagement
Open-source contributions or active participation in the AI research community
Experience building bespoke solutions vs. configuring off-the-shelf products
What Success Looks Like
First 90 Days
Successfully embedded at assigned client account(s)
Built trust and credibility with the client's technical and executive leadership
Conducted discovery and scoped research initiatives aligned with client strategy
Established team structure, processes, and success metrics for the Forward Deployed team
Delivered initial research insights, POC, or quick wins demonstrating value
Established a clear research roadmap and delivery milestones
Year 1
Delivered production AI system(s) informed by applied research, driving measurable client business outcomes
Client views TELUS Digital as an indispensable technical and research partner
Identified and scoped additional research and implementation opportunities within client organization(s)
Mentored client AI teams and Forward Deployed team members, building their research and production capabilities
Contributed technical and research insights that influenced TELUS Digital product/service offerings
Built reusable patterns, frameworks, or accelerators benefiting other clients and Forward Deployed Engineers
Established team as a high-performing unit with strong retention and client satisfaction
Ongoing
Consistently delivers high-quality, production-ready, research-backed AI solutions across multiple client engagements
Maintains deep, trusted relationships with client technical and executive leadership
Expands TELUS Digital's footprint and influence within client organizations
Serves as a technical authority and thought leader in AI research and enterprise implementation
Mentor Forward Deployed Engineers, Solutions Engineers, and client teams
Contributes to TELUS Digital's thought leadership through publications, presentations, or research initiatives
Drives continuous innovation in AI solution architecture and deployment methodologies
Builds and scales a high-performing Forward Deployed team with strong talent retention and career development
Work Environment
Embedded at client locations (Fortune 500 enterprises, banks, healthcare organizations, AI-native companies)
Work within client facilities alongside their engineering and research teams
Adapt to client culture, processes, and working styles
Build deep relationships and trust through consistent presence and technical credibility
Travel Expectations
60-80% travel to client sites
Extended onsite engagements (weeks to months)
Occasional travel to TELUS Digital offices for team collaboration, research initiatives, and knowledge sharing
Flexibility to support multiple client locations as needed
Client Types
Fortune 500 enterprises (Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google, and similar)
AI-native companies and frontier AI research teams
Highly regulated industries (financial services, healthcare) with complex AI requirements
Organizations with mission-critical, research-intensive AI challenges
Why This Role Matters
In AI, the gap between research and production is where most organizations fail. While many companies can demonstrate AI capabilities or conduct research in isolation, few can successfully bridge cutting-edge research with complex enterprise implementations, combining frontier techniques with real data, real constraints, and real business impact.
Directors of Forward Deployed Research are the bridge between possibility and production. By embedding with clients and leading high-performing teams, they ensure TELUS Digital's AI solutions don't just impress in research papers or demos; they deliver transformative, research-backed results in the real world. They also elevate TELUS Digital's market position from services vendor to trusted AI research and implementation partner, while building the next generation of technical leaders.
This role is for technical leaders who want to:
Conduct applied AI research with real-world impact at enterprise scale
See their research and code drive tangible business outcomes
Work on diverse, frontier AI challenges across industries
Build and mentor high-performing technical teams
Operate at the intersection of cutting-edge AI research and enterprise reality
Shape how organizations adopt and scale AI
Contribute to the advancement of AI in production environments
Grow into executive leadership within a high-growth AI company
What We Offer
Executive leadership role overseeing cutting-edge AI research and implementations with Fortune 500 enterprises
Opportunity to build and scale a world-class Forward Deployed team
Exposure to diverse industries, use cases, and frontier technical challenges
Direct impact on client success, TELUS Digital growth, and AI industry advancement
Collaboration with world-class AI researchers, engineers, and thought leaders
Professional development in AI research, consulting, and executive leadership
Opportunity to contribute to thought leadership (publications, presentations, open-source)
Competitive compensation with performance bonuses
Comprehensive benefits package
Remote flexibility with meaningful client engagement
Equal Opportunity Employer
At TELUS Digital, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. All aspects of employment, including the decision to hire and promote, are based on applicants’ qualifications, merits, competence and performance without regard to any characteristic related to diversity.
We will only use the information you provide to process your application and to produce tracking statistics. Since we do not request personal data deemed sensitive, we ask you to abstain from sharing that information with us.