Implementation Engineer
FDE Pulse Glossary
Also: Implementation Engineer, Integration Engineer
An Implementation Engineer gets a purchased product working for a customer: configuration, data migration, integrations, and onboarding. The scope is bounded by the product's existing capabilities.
A Forward Deployed Engineer goes beyond configuration and builds new functionality on top of the product, often writing substantial custom code for one customer. Implementation is about standing the product up; forward deployed work is about extending it.
The roles sit on a spectrum. Many implementation engineers move into FDE roles as they take on more custom building, and the pay tends to rise with that scope.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an Implementation Engineer and a Forward Deployed Engineer?
An Implementation Engineer configures and integrates an existing product for a customer. A Forward Deployed Engineer builds new software on top of the product for that customer. The FDE scope is broader and more code-heavy.
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