Forward Deployed Engineer (Downstream O&G) – Houston, TX
Airswift is working in partnership with a
leading technology company pioneering industrial physics-informed AI solutions. Their platform integrates data, physics, and computation to enable real-time decision-making in complex industrial systems.
The company fosters a collaborative and innovative environment that values technical expertise and a passion for solving complex problems, driving continuous learning and improvement. They are transforming industrial operations, particularly in the oil and gas industry, working with super-majors to provide advanced solutions for a variety of operations, such as artificial lift.
Why should I be interested?
- Pioneers in AI Adoption: Leading the next frontier of AI adoption within industrial operations, shaping how operations teams leverage real-time intelligence at scale.
- Expert Team: Collaborate with a world-class team of AI engineers, computational physicists, and domain experts to solve high-value challenges that impact the future of energy.
- Recognized Global Leader: Founded by a leading academic in the space, making the company a global leader in hybrid modeling, combining AI and physics.
- Innovative Approach: Their hybrid modeling approach (AI + physics) differentiates them from traditional AI or simulation-only platforms.
- Commercial Expansion: The platform is now commercial, and they are actively growing into other sectors to drive productivity of large industrial assets.
- Scalability and Uniqueness: Fast-evolving, commercially unique, and scalable.
- Collaborative Impact: Every team member plays an essential role in creating impactful solutions.
Role Overview
The Forward Deployed Engineer will work closely with internal teams but primarily join customer teams on-site and remotely to help integrate, configure, and deploy real-time decision-support and optimization tools powered by the platform. Acting as a strategic partner to operations, engineering, and IT stakeholders, you will operate at the intersection of domain knowledge, modeling, and technical implementation.
Unlike traditional consultants, you will not only scope problems but own them, solve them, and see them through to tangible results. This role combines delivery ownership, systems thinking, and hands-on configuration within a high-performance startup environment.
Primary Goals:
- Lead real-time optimization initiatives for oil & gas refinery operations using our platform.
- Act as a strategic partner to operations, engineering, and IT stakeholders.
- Drive project scaling for initiatives already in progress.
- Integrate, configure, and deploy decision-support tools on-site and remotely.
- Identify customer needs through relationship building and active listening.
- Provide technical account management to drive new solution initiatives and adoption.
- Own end-to-end problem-solving: scope, solve, and deliver tangible results.
- Support the mission to expand footprint in Oil & Gas by driving impactful delivery and technical problem-solving.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Partner with refinery stakeholders to understand workflows and optimization challenges.
- Deliver and deploy optimization models and real-time solutions including data, runtime logic, and interface layers.
- Translate high-level objectives into scoped, technically viable modeling use cases.
- Coordinate across Engineering, Applications, and Product to deliver results.
- Gather feedback, advocate for domain needs, and contribute to platform evolution.
- Quantify and communicate business value through dashboards and metrics.
Essential Skills & Experience:
- Expertise in Process Automation, Control & Optimization for downstream Oil & Gas operations.
- Strong background in computational modeling, simulation, and optimization.
- Proficiency in commercial RTO platforms and Python for scripting.
- Demonstrated experience in cross-functional project delivery.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Structured problem-solving and adaptability in dynamic environments.
- Ownership mindset and influencing skills.
Desirable Skills:
- Familiarity with process modeling tools (HYSYS, UniSim, gPROMS).
- Experience with operational optimization environments (Aspen GDOT, AVEVA, KBC RTO).
- Awareness of machine learning or hybrid ML-physics modeling.
- Background with major Oil & Gas companies.
- Interest in long-term growth into technical or solution leadership roles.
Benefits:
- Competitive base salary
- Performance bonus, paid quarterly
- Equity potential
- Unlimited PTO plus company-paid holidays
- 401K plan (100% vested)
- Medical, Dental, Vision
- Life AD&D, Long Term Disability