A forward deployed engineer for your AI project, without hiring one
A forward deployed engineer sits with your team, learns how the work really gets done, and builds AI into it, then stays until it runs. Companies everywhere are advertising for this role, but most Australian businesses need one for a project, not a permanent salary. Infraworx provides forward deployed engineer services in Sydney and across Australia: an experienced engineer embedded with your people, on-site in Sydney or remotely anywhere in Australia, who scopes, builds, deploys and hands over. It sits alongside our AI automation consulting for Sydney and Australian businesses.
Why Sydney and Australian Businesses Want a Forward Deployed Engineer
AI projects rarely stall because of the model. They stall in the gap between a promising demo and the way your team actually works.
Pilots That Never Leave the Demo
The proof of concept impressed everyone, then stopped. Nobody had the time or the access to connect it to real systems, real data and the awkward edge cases.
Licences Without Integration
You have Copilot, ChatGPT or Claude, but the work still moves by copy and paste. The value is in connecting AI to your inbox, documents, CRM and line-of-business systems.
A Hard Role to Hire For
Forward deployed engineers combine software engineering, AI knowledge and the patience to sit with the people doing the work. They are scarce, and recruiting one for a single project is slow and risky.
Hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer vs Engaging Infraworx
Same outcome: AI built into your real workflows by someone who sits with your team. A very different commitment.
Hiring your own
- • Recruiting can take months, and the role is competitive.
- • Salary, super and on-costs continue after the project ends.
- • One person’s knowledge; if they leave, it leaves with them.
- • Security, tooling and AI governance are yours to set up.
Engaging Infraworx
- ✓ Starts with a scoped engagement, not a job ad.
- ✓ Pay for the project, then keep support only if you want it.
- ✓ Backed by a Sydney team covering infrastructure, security and Microsoft 365.
- ✓ Documentation and handover built in, so your team owns what we build.
What Our Forward Deployed Engineers Do
The same work an in-house forward deployed engineer would do, delivered as a defined engagement with a clear outcome.
Sit With the Work
We spend time with the people who run the process, in finance, operations, sales or service, and map where the hours actually go before writing any code.
Build the Integration
We connect AI to the systems you already run, such as Microsoft 365, your CRM, ticketing, accounting and line-of-business apps, using APIs, workflow tools and AI agents.
Choose the Right Model
Claude, GPT, Gemini or a private model hosted in Australia, chosen for the task, the sensitivity of your data and your running costs.
Test on Real Cases
We test against your real documents, emails and edge cases with your team, and keep a person in the loop wherever the stakes are high.
Deploy Securely
Access control, logging and data handling set up in line with the OAIC guidance on AI products and the Voluntary AI Safety Standard, on infrastructure we can support.
Hand Over and Step Back
Documentation, runbooks and training so your team can run and extend what we built. Ongoing support is available if you want it, never a lock-in.
How It Works
A defined engagement with an agreed scope, not an open-ended contract.
Scoping Call and Discovery
A short call, then time with the people who do the work. We agree the outcome, the systems involved and what finished looks like before any build starts.
Embedded Build
Your engineer works alongside your team, on-site in Sydney or remotely, building in short cycles and showing progress early so your feedback shapes the result.
Deploy, Hand Over, Support If You Want It
We put it into production, document it and train your team. Then you choose: run it yourselves, or keep us on for support and the next project.
Works With Your Stack
Microsoft 365 and Copilot, SharePoint and Teams, Google Workspace, Salesforce and HubSpot, Xero and MYOB, n8n and Power Automate, and the APIs of most line-of-business systems. Where information has to stay onshore, we deploy private AI hosted in Australia. And because we also run managed IT services, we can look after the infrastructure underneath.
Not sure where an engineer would make the biggest difference?
Our free AI automation audit looks at how your team works today and shows where AI could save the most time. The report is AI-generated, tailored to your business, and arrives within one business day. No sales call required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about forward deployed engineering and how we provide it.
What is a forward deployed engineer?
A forward deployed engineer is a software engineer who works directly with a customer’s team instead of back at head office. They learn how the work is done, build and deploy software or AI into those workflows, and stay close until it runs reliably. The role became well known through Palantir and is now common at AI companies.
Why engage one instead of hiring?
Most businesses need forward deployed engineering for a project, not a permanent role. Engaging Infraworx gives you an experienced engineer for the length of the work, backed by a wider team, without recruitment, an ongoing salary or the risk of the knowledge leaving with one person.
How long is a typical engagement?
It depends on the scope. Some engagements cover a single focused workflow; others take on several processes in stages. We agree the scope and a realistic timeline on the discovery call rather than putting a number on a web page.
Do you work on-site?
Yes. Our engineers work on-site across Sydney, remotely, or a mix of both, depending on what the work needs.
Do you provide forward deployed engineers across Australia?
Yes. We are based in Sydney and provide forward deployed engineer services to businesses across Australia, working on-site in Sydney and remotely with teams in other cities.
What happens to our data?
We design every deployment around your obligations under the Privacy Act, following the OAIC’s guidance on using AI products. Where information is sensitive, we can use models hosted in Australia or on your own infrastructure, and we keep a person in the loop for high-stakes decisions.
What does it cost?
It depends on scope and duration. We go through it on a short call and confirm it in writing before work starts. No prices on this page, and no surprises on the invoice.
Need a Forward Deployed Engineer for Your Next AI Project?
Book a 15-minute call and we’ll tell you honestly whether our forward deployed engineer services are the right fit, or whether something simpler would do.
Related Services & Industries
Explore related services: AI automation consulting, AI agents, Claude AI for business, generative AI solutions, managed IT services Sydney. New to the role? Read what is a forward deployed engineer.