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How to hire a forward deployed engineer

Buyer guide

A forward deployed engineer (FDE) works inside a customer's team and builds what is needed to get a product into real use. Here is how to hire a forward deployed engineer: decide if you need one, write the role, find candidates and choose between a full-time hire and a fractional one.

Send your requirement
  • No deposit to get started
  • Every requirement read by us
  • A best-fit shortlist, not a pile of CVs
  • One agreement, one invoice

First question

Do you need an FDE at all?

You need one when customers buy your product but do not reach production use without engineering help: custom integrations, messy data, an LLM workflow fitted to their process. If the blocker is closing deals, you need a sales engineer. If it is strategy, a consultant.

If customers keep needing the same custom work, an FDE also tells you what to build into the product. OpenAI asks its FDEs to turn working patterns into "tools, playbooks, or building blocks".

Tell us the role and the hours. We send you a shortlist of people who fit.

  • No deposit to get started
  • Every requirement read by us
  • A best-fit shortlist, not a pile of CVs
  • One agreement, one invoice
Send your requirement

How to hire a forward deployed engineer, step by step

  1. 01

    Define one deployment

    Write down the first customer system this person will own and the measure it should move. That is your job description.

  2. 02

    Set pay from real bands

    Use posted pay at companies like yours. The FDE salary guide lists posted bands by company and level.

  3. 03

    Write the role around results

    Production code, customer discovery, how much travel and on-call duty. The FDE job description guide has a template.

  4. 04

    Look where FDEs are

    Engineers with consulting, solutions, support or founder backgrounds. A clear pay range in the post helps it stand out.

  5. 05

    Run a practical interview loop

    Coding, a decomposition case and a client simulation. See the guide to interviewing FDEs.

  6. 06

    Plan the first weeks

    Have access, credentials and a customer sponsor ready before the start date. Most early delays are about access, not skill.

Hire full time, or fractional through us

Fractional, through usFull-time hire
CommitmentPart of the week or a fixed period, on work you agreeOpen-ended
How you payYou pay only when someone starts. One agreement and one invoice.Salary, equity, benefits and recruiting costs
Best whenYou need one system live and want to learn the model firstYou have a steady flow of deployments

For companies

Want one through us instead?

Send your requirement. We read it ourselves and send a shortlist of people who fit, each with a CV and a short note.

Send your requirement
  • No deposit to get started
  • Every requirement read by us
  • A best-fit shortlist, not a pile of CVs
  • One agreement, one invoice

Related FDE guides

Get started

Tell us what you need.

Send your requirement. We send you a shortlist of senior leaders who fit. One agreement and one invoice, with the terms agreed in writing before anything starts.

  • No deposit to get started
  • Every requirement read by us
  • A best-fit shortlist, not a pile of CVs
  • One agreement, one invoice
Which side are you on?

Send your requirement

  • No deposit to get started
  • Every requirement read by us
  • A best-fit shortlist, not a pile of CVs
  • One agreement, one invoice

Apply to join

Talent never pays to apply, be shortlisted or be placed.

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FAQ

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to hire a forward deployed engineer?

Pay depends on seniority, company and location. The FDE salary guide lists posted bands. If you hire through us, you pay only when someone starts, and talent never pays.

How senior should my first FDE be?

Senior. The first FDE writes the playbook. OpenAI and Anthropic both ask for years of experience in their FDE postings.

Where do I find FDE candidates?

Look past the title. Strong candidates come from consulting firms, solutions and support engineering, and startups they founded. Anthropic openly invites former technical founders.

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