Forward deployed engineers for life sciences
Industries / Life sciences
Pharma, biotech and medtech teams have the data and the use cases. Forward deployed engineers for life sciences build inside a validated environment and talk to scientists, quality and IT. You tell us who you need, and we send 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
Why life sciences teams use FDEs
Validated systems move slowly unless someone owns them
In a GxP setting, a working prototype is the easy part. The system also needs requirements, test evidence, access controls, audit trails and change control. Only then will quality let it near a regulated record.
A forward deployed engineer plans for that from the first commit. They work with scientists to get the workflow right, and with quality to agree the validation approach. They work with IT to deploy into an environment your auditors already understand.
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
What FDEs fix
Life sciences work an FDE can own
- Lab and assay data pipelines Getting instrument, ELN and LIMS data into one structured place with lineage. Scientists stop rebuilding spreadsheets before every analysis.
- Regulatory and medical writing support Drafting tools for clinical study reports, safety narratives or submission sections. They are grounded in source documents, and writers review every output.
- Pharmacovigilance intake Pulling adverse event details from case reports, emails and literature into structured cases for safety reviewers to confirm.
- Validation-ready deployment Requirements traceability, test scripts, audit trails and change control built alongside the code. The system can then go through your computer system validation process.
Hiring forward deployed engineers for life sciences
- 01
Say whether it touches GxP records
Name the system and the scientific or business owner. Tell us whether it touches GxP records, since that sets how much validation runs alongside the build. Sending your requirement is free.
- 02
We read every requirement
We read it ourselves and ask if something is unclear. We then look through the senior people who have applied to us, and our own contacts.
- 03
You get CVs and notes
Our shortlist gives each person's CV and a short note on why they fit. A good candidate will ask about your quality system before your tech stack.
- 04
You decide
Talk to whoever you like and choose. You do not have to hire anyone. You pay only when someone starts, on one agreement and one invoice.
Life sciences rules to plan around
| Rule | What it means for the build |
|---|---|
| FDA electronic records rule | Electronic records and signatures used under FDA predicate rules need secure, time-stamped audit trails, access controls and validated systems. |
| FDA draft guidance on AI in drug development | Proposes a risk-based credibility assessment for AI models used to support regulatory decisions, tied to a defined context of use. |
| AI-enabled medical devices | If the software could be a device function, bring in regulatory affairs early. FDA keeps a public list of AI-enabled devices it has authorised. |
| Data provenance | Patient-level and trial data carry consent and contractual limits. The engineer tracks where each dataset came from and what it may be used for. |
Hiring in-house vs a forward deployed engineer
Permanent hire
- Good for long-running platform and data teams
- Hard to find people who know both GxP and modern AI tooling
- Slow to recruit for a niche profile
- Validation knowledge stays if they stay
Forward deployed engineer
- Focused on one system with a defined finish
- Builds validation evidence as part of the work
- Hands over docs and test scripts to your team
- Chosen by you from a shortlist
For companies
Tell us who you need.
Send your requirement. It is free and there is no deposit. We read it ourselves and send you a shortlist of people who fit. You pay only when someone starts.
- No deposit to get started
- Every requirement read by us
- A best-fit shortlist, not a pile of CVs
- One agreement, one invoice
Fees, how it works and related industries
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
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.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Can the engineer work inside our validated environment?
Yes, under your SOPs and change control. The usual pattern is to build and test in a development environment, then promote through your normal validation and release process.
Who writes the validation documents?
The engineer writes the technical parts: requirements, design notes, test scripts and evidence. Approval and the overall validation strategy stay with your quality team.
What about using LLMs on confidential research data?
That is a policy question, so set your limits in your requirement. Options include approved enterprise model providers, private deployments, or only non-confidential data at first.
Does this fit medtech as well as pharma?
Yes. Device software that may fall under FDA oversight changes the plan, so say so in your requirement.
Explore more
- How it works
What happens after you send your requirement, step by step.
- Fees
No deposit. One agreement and one invoice when someone starts.
- What is fractional
Senior leaders for part of the week, and when that makes sense.
- Locations
Talent based across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.
How it works
Fees
What is fractional
Locations