Hire a forward deployed engineer. Shortlist in two days.
Tell us the role. We hand-pick four or five engineers who fit.
We only do one thing.
Matched to your requirements and comp range.
From brief to shortlist. Not weeks. Two days.
We know the pool.
Live FDE roles
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Everything about the FDE role.
What is an FDE?
The full breakdown of the role — what it is, who does it, and what it demands.
Read the guideInterview Prep
Real questions, frameworks, and what interviewers actually test for in FDE loops.
Read the guideSalary & Comp
What FDEs earn at startups vs. big labs, across levels and locations.
Read the guideHow to Break In
What experience counts, what to build, and how to position yourself for the role.
Read the guideQuestions, answered.
What is a forward deployed engineer?
A forward deployed engineer (FDE) is a technical, customer-facing engineer who embeds directly with a customer — deploying your product in their environment, modeling their data, and feeding what they learn back to the product team. The role sits between engineering, product, and the customer. It is not a sales engineer or a solutions architect. FDEs write production code at the customer site.
How is FDEnest different from a recruiter?
Most recruiters cover every type of role. We only work on forward deployed engineering — so you're not getting a generalist who looked up "FDE" this morning. We know the pool, the comp, and what the work actually demands.
How do you vet engineers?
The screen is run by a practicing CTO and senior engineers who have done FDE work themselves. We check production engineering ability, judgment in ambiguous customer situations, and whether they can act as a trusted technical advisor — not just a developer.
What if the shortlist isn't right?
Tell us what's missing and we'll re-curate. You only move forward when someone genuinely fits — there's no pressure to pick from the first list.
Ready to hire?