What does a Forward Deployed Engineer do at Skanda solutions?

Forward Deployed Engineers at Skanda solutions are embedded directly with enterprise customers to implement and customize the platform, build integrations, and solve technical problems in real-world client environments. They combine software engineering skills with direct customer interaction, writing production code while also serving as the primary technical point of contact.

What skills are required for this Founding Forward Deployed Engineer role?

The Founding Forward Deployed Engineer role at Skanda solutions typically requires strong software engineering skills (Python, TypeScript, SQL), experience with APIs and system integration, comfort with cloud platforms, and the ability to communicate complex technical topics to non-technical stakeholders. Most FDE roles require 3-7 years of engineering experience.

Is this Forward Deployed Engineer position at Skanda solutions remote?

Remote availability varies by Skanda solutions FDE role. Some positions are fully remote, others require travel to customer sites, and some are hybrid. Check the full job description above for the specific location requirements for this posting.

Skanda solutions

Founding Forward Deployed Engineer

$93K - $111K New York, NY, US Mid Posted August 04, 2026

Apply on Indeed All FDE Jobs

Role Description

Location: On-site, New York, NY (5 days/week) — ~20% travel (2+ events/quarter) Compensation: $150K – $240K + equity (0.5%–1%) Visa: Limited to existing H1B or OPT holders

About Client: A YC-backed startup building AI agents for claims operations teams, already live with top-10 global insurance carriers. 25x revenue growth in 10 months post-YC, backed by top-tier seed investors, founding team from top research institutions.

What You'll Do

Own the technical relationship from first demo through production deployment; configure AI agents to fit customer workflows
Build custom integrations, APIs, and workflows connecting AI agents to customer systems (claims platforms, CRMs)
Perform AI tuning and optimization — prompt engineering, voice customization, agent behavior refinement
Channel customer discovery/feedback back into product and engineering roadmap
Provide technical consulting on AI agent design, workflow automation, and system integration
Manage multiple customer implementations simultaneously under tight deadlines

Required Technical Skills

Proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript
REST APIs, webhooks, and third-party integrations
Comfort with AI tools and willingness to lean fully into them
Foundational coding skills sufficient to build integrations and debug systems

Nice-to-Have

Hands-on experience with LLMs, prompt engineering, RAG systems, or agent frameworks
Full-stack skills: React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, cloud infrastructure
Low-code/no-code tools (Zapier, Make, Retool)
Voice AI/telephony experience (Twilio, Vapi, LiveKit)
Domain expertise in insurance, claims, or complex operational workflows
Top consulting background with a technical undergraduate degree

Experience

2–5 years in forward deployed engineering, solutions/sales engineering, or customer-facing software engineering
Experience at a VC-backed early/growth-stage startup
Exposure to regulated or security-sensitive work (auditability, traceability)
Top-tier university background preferred
Strong communicator — able to speak technically with a CTO and simply with a business stakeholder
Charismatic, customer-obsessed, high agency and comfort with ambiguity

Avoid

Not outgoing / no customer-facing experience
Experience limited to deployments only, with no infra/DevOps exposure
Consecutive job hopping or stints under 1 year
Abstract feature work or migrations with no clear business outcome

Interview Process: Screening → Technical interview (with take-home challenge) → Meet with co-founders Hiring Goal: Urgent — candidate submissions expected within 7 days

Pay: $92,540.38 - $111,446.48 per year

Work Location: In person

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.