Forward Deployed Engineer at Atlassian
Sydney / San Francisco · 10-20 FDEs · $160,000 - $245,000
Overview
Atlassian (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket) has begun hiring Forward Deployed Engineers to support enterprise customers adopting Atlassian Intelligence, their AI-powered suite of features. As Atlassian moves from project management tools to an AI-powered enterprise collaboration platform, FDEs help large customers integrate Atlassian products with their development workflows, data systems, and organizational processes at scale.
What FDEs Do at Atlassian
Atlassian FDEs deploy Atlassian Intelligence features for enterprise customers, build custom integrations between Atlassian products and customer development toolchains (GitHub, GitLab, CI/CD systems, Slack), configure advanced Jira workflows for large engineering organizations, and help customers migrate from legacy project management and documentation systems to Atlassian's platform. The work combines platform configuration expertise with custom integration development.
Tech Stack
Java, TypeScript, Atlassian Forge (app development platform), REST APIs, GraphQL, Atlassian Connect, SQL, cloud platforms (AWS primarily). Familiarity with software development workflows (CI/CD, git, code review) is essential since Atlassian's customers are primarily engineering organizations. Atlassian Forge is a proprietary development framework that FDEs learn on the job.
Interview Process
Atlassian FDE interviews are 4-5 rounds: recruiter screen, coding (Java or TypeScript), system design (enterprise integration scenario), customer scenario (focused on change management and adoption), and values fit. Atlassian's 'Values' interview evaluates alignment with their five company values including 'Don't #@!% the customer.' The interview process takes 3-4 weeks. The company is known for thoughtful, respectful interviewing.
Culture & Work-Life
Atlassian has a distributed culture with team members across Sydney, San Francisco, Austin, Bangalore, and remote. The company was an early adopter of remote work and maintains a flexible 'Team Anywhere' policy. FDEs work in a mature, well-resourced environment with clear career ladders, professional development budgets, and strong benefits. Work-life balance is among the best in the FDE market. Atlassian is publicly traded (TEAM) with liquid equity compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Atlassian's FDE program established?
It's newer than Palantir or Salesforce's programs. Atlassian began hiring FDEs in 2025 as they expanded Atlassian Intelligence for enterprise customers. The program is growing but still early-stage, which means more opportunity to shape the role and influence how FDE work is done at Atlassian. Engineers who join now will help define the FDE playbook for the company.
What is Atlassian FDE salary?
Base salary ranges from $160,000 to $245,000 depending on level and location. Total compensation including RSUs (TEAM stock) and bonus can reach $300,000-$400,000 at senior levels. Sydney-based roles are denominated in AUD. Atlassian's compensation is competitive with other large public tech companies.
Do I need Atlassian product experience?
Helpful but not required. Most software engineers have used Jira or Confluence, which gives baseline product familiarity. Deep Atlassian platform expertise (Forge, Connect, custom fields, advanced workflows) is a strong differentiator. Atlassian provides training and certification resources for new FDEs. The platform learning curve is moderate. less complex than Salesforce's ecosystem.
Is Atlassian FDE remote?
Yes. Atlassian's 'Team Anywhere' policy supports remote and distributed FDE work. The company has offices in Sydney, SF, Austin, NYC, and Bangalore, but remote positions are widely available. Customer work is primarily virtual with optional travel. Atlassian is one of the most remote-friendly large companies hiring FDEs.
Who are Atlassian's FDE customers?
Large engineering organizations that use Atlassian products at scale: 500+ person engineering teams, Fortune 500 IT departments, and technology companies standardizing on Atlassian for project management, documentation, and code collaboration. FDEs work with technical stakeholders (engineering managers, DevOps leads, CIOs) rather than non-technical business users, making the role more engineering-focused than some FDE positions.
Get the FDE Pulse Brief
Weekly market intelligence for Forward Deployed Engineers. Job trends, salary data, and who's hiring. Free.