Forward Deployed Engineer — Workflow at KLA in Ann Arbor, MI

Summary: KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. They are seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to embed with teams and develop AI-automatable solutions, enhancing workflow efficiency and effectiveness within the organization. Responsibilities: - Embed with KLA teams — including teams where nobody has written a line of code — and map their highest-friction workflows to AI-automatable solutions - Ship production agent systems within weeks of starting an engagement; iterate with the team until the system is stable and trusted - Build executive and business-facing AI tools: email summarization, meeting prep, action item tracking, cross-document intelligence, and presentation assembly from source data - Build agent wrappers around existing data infrastructure without rewriting source systems - Help build internal AI infrastructure that removes friction and makes every employee at KLA more effective with AI — not just the technical ones - Design reusable patterns and components that accelerate every future deployment — what you build once should make the next deployment faster - Build integration layers that connect enterprise tools into unified AI-ready environments for non-technical users - Identify and train the local AI champion on every engagement — transfer ownership completely and leave a written playbook - Contribute implementation patterns and best-known-methods to the team's internal library for citizen developer enablement - Stay ahead of the model and tooling frontier: track releases from major providers and the agentic orchestration ecosystem, and bring what's relevant back to the team Required Qualifications: - Master's Level Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field - 1+ years of experience building and deploying AI/ML systems or data-intensive applications (strong new grads with demonstrated projects considered) - Strong programming skills in Python; experience with SQL and data pipeline tooling - Hands-on experience with LLM APIs and agentic orchestration frameworks - Experience building RAG systems, document ingestion pipelines, and experimenting with model harnesses - Experience or strong interest in building plugin architectures, skill distribution systems, or extensible tool platforms - Ability to work across cloud and on-prem environments with an understanding of data governance requirements - Self-directed and comfortable with ambiguity — you identify problems and solve them without waiting to be told what to do next - Strong communication skills — able to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and work effectively across organizational levels - Bias toward action — you ship first, refine second, and learn by doing - Prior experience in manufacturing, semiconductor, or industrial enterprise environments is a plus - Familiarity with enterprise data platforms and low-code orchestration tools is a plus Required Skills: AI/ML systems development, Python programming, SQL, Data pipeline tooling, LLM APIs, Agentic orchestration frameworks, RAG systems, Document ingestion pipelines, Model harness experimentation, Plugin architectures, Skill distribution systems, Extensible tool platforms, Cloud, on-premises environments, Data governance, Enterprise data platforms, Low-code orchestration tools, Manufacturing domain knowledge, Semiconductor domain knowledge, Industrial enterprise domain knowledge, Self-direction, Bias toward action Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, Employee stock purchase program (ESPP), Student debt assistance, Tuition reimbursement program, Development and career growth opportunities and programs, Financial planning benefits, Wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), Paid time off, Paid company holidays, Family care and bonding leave