Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)
Role Description
About this role
We are looking for a Forward Deployed Engineer with 2+ years of experience to work directly with the world's top revenue teams and bring AI-native workflows to life. The right person is engineering-first, writes expert-level Python and strong SQL, and has supported technical B2B SaaS customers, ideally as an FDE at an enterprise AI company. We need builders who can own enterprise deployments from start to finish and help decide how humans and AI agents work together.
What will you be doing?
- Owning post-sale onboarding and deployment from start to finish, from technical scoping through integration to user activation
- Building customer integrations and data ingestion pipelines in Python and SQL to connect enterprise data to revenue agents
- Running scoping and solution design sessions with GTM and RevOps teams to map complex workflows and set up high-impact POCs
- Giving live demos, trainings, and solutioning sessions to both technical and business stakeholders, remotely and in person
- Passing field insights to product and engineering to shape the roadmap, and building playbooks that help the team scale
Role Requirements
- Founding Applied Research Engineer role requires strong backend engineering skills, particularly in Python and SQL.
- Candidates should have two to six years of experience, preferably with a mix of startup and large company backgrounds.
- Must have excellent technical skills and be able to interact with high-level clients like Intuit and Philips.
- Experience with data integration and system architecture is critical; ML experience is a plus.
Ideal Candidate Profile
- Looking for candidates with a strong business sense, capable of extreme ownership and impact.
- Preferred backgrounds include top CS programs or ex-founders with engineering experience.
.
Work experience
Software engineer, Forward Deployed Engineer or technical founder with prior SWE experience
Experience in B2B SaaS supporting technical customer relationships (pre - or post-sale)
Hard skills
Builds backend integrations and data pipelines in Python and SQL
Seniority
2 - 6 years of experience as a software engineer or FDE at enterprise AI companies
Experience at an early-stage startup, high-growth scale-up and enterprise tech
Education
Computer science degree from a top program
About Forward Deployed Engineering
Forward Deployed Engineers are embedded directly with customers to build custom solutions, integrate products into existing infrastructure, and bridge the gap between product engineering and customer success. The role combines deep technical skills with the ability to operate in client environments and translate business requirements into working software.
Originally pioneered by Palantir, the FDE model has spread across AI, enterprise SaaS, and cloud infrastructure companies. FDEs write production code, architect integrations, train customer teams, and feed product insights back to the core engineering organization. At companies like OpenAI, Salesforce, and Databricks, FDE teams are treated as elite engineering units that can ship custom solutions in days rather than quarters.
Typical FDE stack: Python, TypeScript, SQL, REST/GraphQL APIs, cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure), and increasingly LLM APIs and AI orchestration frameworks. Strong communication and the ability to context-switch between technical and business conversations are as important as coding ability.
Similar Roles
Get the FDE Pulse Brief
Weekly market intelligence for Forward Deployed Engineers. Job trends, salary data, and who's hiring. Free.