Hire forward deployed engineers (FDEs)
A forward deployed engineer is a software engineer who works directly with customers to deploy, integrate and adapt a product, increasingly an AI product, inside the customer's own environment. FDEs combine strong engineering with consulting skills: they scope problems, write production code and feed what they learn back to the product team.
Skills we vet for
- Full-stack and API integration
- Python and TypeScript
- LLM application patterns (RAG, agents, evals)
- Data integration and SQL
- Customer discovery and technical communication
- Works in your customers' time zone
What forward deployed engineers do
- Meet customer teams and map their workflows
- Write integration and configuration code
- Tune AI behavior on real customer data
- Report product gaps back to your engineers
Why demand for FDEs is growing
AI products rarely work out of the box. They need customer data connected, workflows mapped, prompts and evals tuned, and trust built with users. Forward deployed engineers close the gap between a demo and a deployment.
How we vet every forward deployed engineer
Technical ability first, CV second. You only meet people who have already shown they can do the work.
Our vetting process- Initial screening of English, communication and remote-work readiness
- Practical technical assessment, reviewed by a panel of senior engineers
- Technical interview with a lead architect or lead engineer on system design and past production work
- Reference checks with past managers and senior colleagues
Hiring a forward deployed engineer: questions, answered.
What does a forward deployed engineer do day to day?
They meet customer teams, map their workflows, write integration and configuration code, tune AI behavior on real data, and report product gaps to the product team.
How is an FDE different from a solutions engineer?
A solutions engineer mainly supports the sale. A forward deployed engineer writes and owns production code after the sale.
Can an offshore FDE work with US or EU customers?
Yes. Our forward deployed engineers work in your time zone, so they are available when your US or EU customers are, and English and communication are checked at the first stage of our vetting.
Other AI talent we place
Ready to hire your forward deployed engineer?
Tell us what you're building. We'll help you find the people to move it forward.