Forward Deployed Engineering

The fastest-growing engineering title in startups. What the role is, how it differs from solutions engineering, how to interview for it, and when to make the hire.

What is a forward deployed engineer?

An engineer who works inside the customer's environment, shipping the integrations and configuration that make a product usable. What they do and what they cost.

Forward deployed engineer vs. solutions engineer

Four titles, separated by which side of the contract the work sits on and whether the person ships code. Diagnose which you need from where deals stall.

How do you interview a forward deployed engineer?

A four-stage loop that tests the combination, why standard engineering interviews miss it, and the two warning signs that predict a failed hire.

When should we hire our first forward deployed engineer?

The trigger is engineering hours consumed by deployment, not customer count. What breaks if you wait, and how to measure whether the hire worked.

The forward deployed engineer job description

The five things yours must specify, why most fail by copying a large company's version, and a structure to adapt.