Guides
Guides to the forward deployed model.
Plain-language references for engineers, hiring teams, students, journalists and buyers. Each guide is dated, cites its sources and says where it is unsure. New to the term? Start with the first guide.
What is a forward deployed engineer?
A plain-English guide to the forward deployed engineer: its origin, the work, how it differs from similar roles, who hires for it and the skills it takes.
Read the guideForward Deployed Engineer Hiring Index
Free weekly data on forward deployed engineer jobs: 765 open roles by country, metro, seniority, skills and posted pay. CSV and JSON, CC BY 4.0.
Open the datasetForward deployed engineer interview guide
How forward deployed engineer interviews tend to run: the stages, the kinds of questions, a practical preparation routine and how to show deployment judgment.
Read the guideForward deployed vs consulting, software and managed services
How the forward deployed model compares with consulting, packaged software and managed services: what each is, where each strains and how to choose.
Read the guideForward deployed glossary
Plain definitions of forward deployed terms: FDE, embedded engineer, deployment strategist, solutions architect, pilot, rollout, champion, handover and more.
Open the glossaryHow much does a forward deployed engineer make?
Forward deployed engineer jobs in the US advertise a median base range of $160,000 to $230,000. Pay by level and city, from our weekly Hiring Index.
Read the guideForward deployed engineer vs software engineer: what's the difference?
A forward deployed engineer builds for one customer inside its systems; a software engineer builds the product for all. How the work, skills and pay differ.
Read the guideForward deployed engineer vs solutions engineer (and sales engineer, solutions architect)
A forward deployed engineer builds production work for one customer after the sale; solutions and sales engineers mostly work before it. How the roles differ.
Read the guideAre forward deployed engineer jobs remote?
26% of forward deployed engineer jobs that state a work mode are remote, and 53% of postings mention travel. Data from our weekly Hiring Index.
Read the guideHow is AI used in due diligence, and what still needs a human?
AI reads data rooms, pulls contract terms and drafts cited research for due diligence. Judgment, verification, expert calls and sign-off stay with people.
Read the guideHow are private equity firms using AI across the deal cycle?
How private equity firms use AI to source targets, screen CIMs, plan diligence, draft IC memos and review portfolios, stage by stage, and the risks.
Read the guideCan AI screen a CIM or teaser?
AI can screen a CIM or teaser: extract the facts, test them against fund criteria and draft call questions. It cannot verify the seller's numbers.
Read the guideHow we write them
Careful, dated and open to correction.
These guides are written to be checked and cited. We state what is established, hedge what is disputed and leave out what we cannot support.
- Sourced. Every guide ends with its sources, linked to the original or to a reputable reference.
- No invented numbers. No salaries, pass rates or counts that we cannot trace to a source.
- Names kept out. We describe companies and methods by what they did, not by who sold them.
- Dated. Each guide shows when it was published and last updated.
- Open to correction. Spot a mistake? Email support@forwardeployed.work.
- Free to cite. Each guide has a ready-made attribution to copy.