Forward Deployed Engineer (Chicago)

JLL empowers you to shape a brighter way. Our people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and technology for our clients. We are committed to hiring the best, most talented people and empowering them to thrive, grow meaningful careers and to find a place where they belong. Whether you’ve got deep experience in commercial real estate, skilled trades or technology, or you’re looking to apply your relevant experience to a new industry, join our team as we help shape a brighter way forward. Forward Deployed EngineerAbout JLLOur people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and technology for our clients. We are committed to hiring the best, most talented people and empowering them to thrive, grow meaningful careers and to find a place where they belong. Whether you’ve got deep experience in commercial real estate, skilled trades or technology, or you’re looking to apply your relevant experience to a new industry, join our team as we help shape a brighter way forward.Role OverviewAs a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will operate at the front lines of innovation — embedded directly with subject matter experts, product, and engineering teams to rapidly design, architect, prototype, and deploy solutions that solve high-priority business problems. This is not a traditional engineering role with long delivery cycles. You will be expected to go from concept to working prototype in days, not months, while maintaining enterprise-grade standards for quality, security, and scalability.You bring an exceptional combination of skills: deep hands-on engineering experience across AI agents and full-stack development, and the interpersonal skills to earn trust, drive alignment, and influence without authority. You are equally comfortable whiteboarding a system architecture with senior stakeholders and writing production code the same afternoon. You have direct experience developing agents on platforms like AWS Agent Core, and you thrive in fast, ambiguous environments where creative thinking and execution speed matter.Key ResponsibilitiesSolution Design & ArchitectureLead solution design for complex, cross-functional data and AI problems — from initial discovery through to technical blueprintDefine and communicate architecture decisions, trade-offs, and delivery approaches to both technical and non-technical audiencesDesign scalable, modular systems that balance the need for speed with enterprise standards for reliability, security, and maintainabilityParticipate in architecture reviews, ensuring alignment with enterprise patterns and platform standardsCreate clear technical documentation: architecture diagrams, data flow maps, API contracts, and solution briefsRapid Prototyping & Solution DeliveryDesign and deliver working prototypes for complex data and AI problems within compressed timeframes, often days to weeksTranslate ambiguous business requirements into concrete technical solutions with minimal hand-holdingBalance speed of delivery with enterprise standards — your prototypes are production-ready, not throwawayContinuously iterate on solutions based on direct feedback from product managers, program leads, and end usersDevelop intuitive front-end interfaces and dashboards that bring data and AI outputs to life for business usersApply strong UX instincts to simplify complex flows and make agent outputs accessible and actionable for non-technical stakeholdersAI Agent DevelopmentDesign, build, and deploy AI agents and multi-agent systems that automate complex workflows end-to-endDevelop and maintain agent skills — discrete, reusable capabilities that compose into larger agentic pipelinesImplement and extend Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and clients to connect AI agents with enterprise tools, APIs, and data sourcesDesign evaluation harnesses, guardrails, and monitoring pipelines to ensure agent reliability and safety in productionStay current with the rapidly evolving agentic AI landscape and proactively introduce new techniques and tooling to the teamIntegrate LLMs, RAG systems, and ML models into production workflowsCollaboration & Stakeholder EngagementEmbed directly with product, program, and engineering teams to co-define problems and co-deliver solutionsInfluence technical direction and build alignment across teams without relying on formal authorityCommunicate complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical business stakeholders — in writing, in meetings, and in executive presentationsMentor and elevate junior engineers, sharing patterns and practices for agentic development, prompt design, and rapid deliveryFoster a collaborative, low-ego team culture where speed and quality go hand in handQualificationsCritical skills8+ years of professional software engineering experience, including solution design and architecture ownershipDemonstrated ability to architect end-to-end systems — from requirements through deployment — with clear documentation and stakeholder communicationHands-on experience building AI agents, including defining agent skills, tool use, memory, and multi-step reasoningExperience with AI-Augmented Engineering (Harness Engineering) — actively use tools like Claude Code, Codex, or equivalent assistants to accelerate coding, documentation, and problem-solving day-to-day.Direct experience with AWS Agent Core or equivalent — building, deploying, and operating agents in productionWorking knowledge of Model Context Protocol (MCP) — including building or consuming MCP servers to connect agents with external systemsExperience with agentic frameworks such as LangChain, LangGraph, AutoGen, CrewAI, or Semantic KernelProficiency in Python and at least one front-end framework (React, Vue.js, or Angular)Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills — you can earn trust quickly, navigate ambiguity, and drive alignment across diverse teamsComfort working in fast-paced environments with shifting priorities and high ownership expectationsDesirable skillsExperience with RAG architectures, vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, pgvector), and semantic searchFamiliarity with prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and LLM evaluation techniquesExperience with agent observability and tracing tools (LangSmith, Arize, Weights & Biases, or similar)Experience with containerization and CI/CD practices (Docker, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions)Background in real estate, financial services, or other data-intensive enterprise domainsExperience facilitating technical discovery workshops, design sprints, or architecture reviewsThis position does not provide visa sponsorship. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.Estimated compensation for this position:280,000.00 – 300,000.00 USD per yearThis range is an estimate and actual compensation may differ. Final compensation packages are determined by various considerations including but not limited to candidate qualifications, location, market conditions, and internal considerations.Location:On-site –Chicago, IL, San Francisco, CAIf this job description resonates with you, we encourage you to apply, even if you don’t meet all the requirements. We’re interested in getting to know you and what you bring to the table!Personalized benefits that support personal well-being and growth:JLL recognizes the impact that the workplace can have on your wellness, so we offer a supportive culture and comprehensive benefits package that prioritizes mental, physical and emotional health. Some of these benefits may include:401(k) plan with matching company contributionsComprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision CarePaid parental leave at 100% of salary Paid Time Off and Company HolidaysEarly access to earned wages through Daily PayAt JLL, we harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to efficiently accelerate meaningful connections between candidates and opportunities. Using AI capabilities, we analyze your application for relevant skills, experiences, and qualifications to generate valuable insights about how your unique profile aligns with the specific requirements of the role you're pursuing.JLL Privacy NoticeJones Lang LaSalle (JLL), together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading global provider of real estate and investment management services. We take our responsibility to protect the personal information provided to us seriously. Generally the personal information we collect from you are for the purposes of processing in connection with JLL’s recruitment process. We endeavour to keep your personal information secure with appropriate level of security and keep for as long as we need it for legitimate business or legal reasons. We will then delete it safely and securely.For more information about how JLL processes your personal data, please view our Candidate Privacy Statement.For additional details please see our career site pages for each country.For candidates in the United States, please see a full copy of our Equal Employment Opportunity policy here.Jones Lang LaSalle (“JLL”) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process – including the online application and/or overall selection process – you may email us at View email address on apply.placed-app.com. This email is only to request an accommodation. Please direct any other general recruiting inquiries to our Contact Us page > I want to work for JLL.Pursuant to the Arizona Civil Rights Act, criminal convictions are not an absolute bar to employment.Pursuant to Illinois Law, applicants are not obligated to disclose sealed or expunged records of conviction or arrest.Pursuant to Columbia, SC ordinance, thi