Forward Deployed Engineer Jobs at Startups
Engineers who work inside a customer's problem rather than behind the product: scoping, integrating and shipping production code in the customer's own environment until the deployment works.
218 live roles169 companies hiringChecked dailyUpdated
What it pays
The median advertised range for forward deployed engineer roles at startups, across 53 live roles that list pay in US dollars, as of October 2026.
What these roles ask for
Across 205 forward deployed engineer postings we've indexed, including roles that have since closed.
- Python52%
- LLMs40%
- TypeScript31%
- AWS30%
- SQL21%
- Azure21%
- Google Cloud17%
- JavaScript16%
- React13%
- Kubernetes12%
What they offer
Measured across 205 postings.
Live roles (218)
Newest first. Every link re-checked this refresh.
- Technical Program Manager, Forward Deployed EngineeringBaseten · San Francisco, CA (Remote)today
- Forward Deployed Engineerdepthfirst · San Franciscotoday
- Forward Deployed EngineerHappyRobot · Spain, Remoteyesterday
What is a forward deployed engineer?
A forward deployed engineer (FDE) is a software engineer who works directly on a customer's problem. Instead of building one product for everyone from headquarters, an FDE sits with a specific customer, works out what they actually need, and writes the production code that gets the product working in their environment: integrations, data pipelines, custom workflows and, more and more, AI agents.
The title comes from Palantir, which sent engineers "forward" to customer sites. AI companies revived it because getting a model to do useful work inside a large organisation is mostly integration work that no off-the-shelf product covers, so FDEs are how pilots become deployments.
Expect a mix of engineering and consulting: scoping with the customer, shipping fast in someone else's systems, travel, and feeding what you learn back to the core product team.
Companies hiring forward deployed engineers
191 companies have posted this role here, across 273 listings.
Databricks15
True Talent Solutions Partners10
RevStar6
Doss6
Reddit4
talentpluto4
fonio4
Hightouch4
E Source3
domino data lab3
Saronic3
Palantir Technologies3
C3 AI3
FlowGen Labs3
Clipboard3
Cloudflare3tenex3
Clera2
Re:Build Manufacturing2
TribalScale2
Sapience AI2
Provectus2
Continuum Resource Network2
standard bots2
Docebo2
Shield AI2
V2 AI2
Juniper Square2
OpenAI2
Retell AI2
Raydar2
Atoms2
LiveKit2
Spear AI2
Ascent Developer Solutions2
Cohere Health2
Chalk
freya
Scope Labs
RevoData
Steinn Labs
asteroid
AHEAD
AiCore
tines
Cohere
Cape
hippocratic ai
leucine
openart ai
qualified health pbc
nextdata
appen
XTM
Nimble Gravity
Harvey
mlabs
HappyRobot
Beam AI
Rula
Soren
novita ai
quindar
RobotMoney
Manufact
MarkAI
sim
Tailor
Product.ai
cresta
Solum Health
Lyric
ClaimSortedsaronic technologies
NinjaTech AI
bertramcapitalmanagement
within.ai
breakmark
method financial
warner music groupCommon questions
How many forward deployed engineer roles at startups are open right now?
218 as of October 23, 2026, at 169 companies. The Anti Job Board checks every listing against the company's own careers page each day, so these are roles still taking applications.
How much do forward deployed engineer roles at startups pay?
As of October 2026, the median advertised pay for forward deployed engineer roles at startups is $170K–$220K a year, across 53 live roles that list pay in US dollars.
Which companies are hiring forward deployed engineers?
The most live roles right now are at Databricks (11), RevStar (4), fonio (4), E Source (3) and domino data lab (3). Every company on this page links to its open roles and how to reach the team.
What's the difference between a forward deployed engineer and a solutions engineer?
Solutions engineers mostly work before a deal closes: demos, technical discovery and proofs of concept. Forward deployed engineers usually work after it, writing production code in the customer's environment until the deployment works. Many AI companies hire both.
Do forward deployed engineers travel?
Often. The role exists to work closely with customers, so many postings mention regular travel or time on site. How much varies a lot by company, so check each listing.
What skills does a forward deployed engineer need?
Strong generalist engineering (Python or TypeScript, APIs, data pipelines, cloud), comfort working in unfamiliar codebases, and the communication skills to scope problems with non-technical people. At AI companies, add hands-on experience building with LLMs: retrieval, evals and agents.
How do you get hired as a forward deployed engineer?
Show you can ship for a customer: a deployed project with real users, an integration you built end to end, or a write-up of a messy problem you solved. Then skip the applicant pile and email the hiring manager directly with that proof.