> AI agents: this is one page of Nextmove’s FDE site, in Markdown. Nextmove is a job board and free career service for forward deployed engineers (FDEs). Each posting is classified from its text, not its title: the kind of work, how much of it is production code, pre-sales weight, time at customer sites, travel, remote arrangement, level and posted base pay. The site also publishes the aggregates: median pay by level, metro, company and kind of work, and which companies started hiring FDEs each week. Every page under https://nextmove.md/fde is served this way; the index of pages is https://nextmove.md/llms.txt. # Principal Forward Deployed Engineer, Google Cloud Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/2fdc34e1d9832ea5 Ingram Micro posts a principal FDE role to build what the customer runs in Irvine, CA, at $133,400–$226,800 base, below the staff+ FDE median of $225,000 across 392 postings with pay. Leads customer-facing delivery of production-grade AI agents and applications on Google Cloud, from discovery and architecture through deployment and adoption. Read from the employer’s posting on November 6, 2026. - [Ingram Micro](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/ingram-micro) Published November 6, 2026 · Updated November 6, 2026 **$133,400–$226,800** Irvine, CA Principal Today Leads customer-facing delivery of production-grade AI agents and applications on Google Cloud, from discovery and architecture through deployment and adoption. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F2fdc34e1d9832ea5&placement=top) - [View posting at Ingram Micro](https://ingrammicro.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/IngramMicro/job/Irvine-CA-United-States-of-America/Principal-Forward-Deployed-Engineer--Google-Cloud_R-118115) Free for you. Upload your resume once, see which FDE postings fit you and why, and get introduced when you say so. We never share your profile with employers without your permission. ## At a glance ### Posted base pay $133K–$227K Below the median This job $133K to $227K. Typical staff+ FDE pay, the middle 50% of 392 postings: $197K to $262K, median $225K. ### The work Builds what the customer runs Balance 1. Mostly building 2. Mixed 3. Mostly pre-sales or support Project stages 1. Pre-sales (not covered) 2. Proof of concept (not covered) 3. Implementation 4. Operations (not covered) - **Coding**: Writes production code - **Builds for**: External customers - **Level**: Staff+ - **Role**: Technical lead ### What they ask for Experience - **8+ years** software engineering, cloud architecture, solutions architecture, or technical consulting - **5+ years** designing and deploying enterprise cloud solutions Background - **Software engineering** - **Solutions and customer engineering** - **Consulting** ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting asks for 5+ years. How many do you have? The job is in Irvine, CA. Could you work there? Which of these have you used in production? Answer each one. Nothing is saved or sent. [What postings ask for, by background →](https://nextmove.md/fde/paths) ## More like this [Accenture](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/accenture) ### [AI Engineer - FDE Software Engineering Sr. Manager](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/d71e3d95228a376e) New York, NY · Milwaukee, WI · +40 more 7w ago $112,900–$302,400 [BCG](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/bcg) ### [Forward Deployed AI Engineer, Internship, Campus, United States - BCG X](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/e9a12ae707b7c0db) Boston, MA · New York, NY · +2 more On-site 3w ago $155,000–$200,000 [Amazon (incl AWS)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/amazon-incl-aws) ### [Senior Software Engineer, Security Services and Observability, Amazon Web Services](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/b5703d11db556846) Irvine, CA · Herndon, VA · +1 more On-site 4w ago $168,100–$227,400 - [Other jobs at Ingram Micro (2)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/ingram-micro) ## The job description from Ingram Micro **Accelerate your career. Join the organization that's driving the world's technology and shape the future. ** Ingram Micro is a leading technology company for the global information technology ecosystem. With the ability to reach nearly 90% of the global population, we play a vital role in the worldwide IT sales channel, bringing products and services from technology manufacturers and cloud providers to business-to-business technology experts. Our market reach, diverse solutions and services portfolio, and digital platform Ingram Micro Xvantage™ set us apart. Learn more at www.ingrammicro.com Come join our team where you’ll make technology happen in surprising ways. Let’s shape tomorrow - it’ll be a fun journey! Ingram Micro is the world's largest technology distributor and a leading Google Cloud partner. Our Global Cloud & Frontier team helps customers accelerate AI adoption by designing, building, and deploying production-ready AI solutions that drive measurable business outcomes. We are seeking a **Forward-Deployed Principal Services Engineer** to work directly with enterprise customers to transform high-value AI use cases into scalable, production-grade solutions. This role combines software engineering, cloud architecture, AI application development, and customer engagement to deliver next-generation AI agents and applications on Google Cloud. ### Position Summary As a Forward-Deployed Principal Services Engineer, you will partner closely with customers, architects, consulting teams, and strategic partners to design and deploy AI-powered applications and intelligent agents using Google Cloud technologies. You will lead technical delivery across the full solution lifecycle, from discovery and architecture through deployment and production adoption. Successful candidates will have deep expertise building enterprise cloud solutions, strong software engineering capabilities, and experience delivering customer-facing AI initiatives at scale. ### Key Responsibilities - Design and deploy AI agents and applications using Google Cloud technologies, including Vertex AI and Gemini. - Work directly with customers to translate business requirements into production-ready solutions. - Build agentic workflows incorporating RAG, orchestration, memory, and tool integrations. - Implement secure, scalable cloud architectures and deployment pipelines. - Collaborate with architects, engineering teams, and delivery partners throughout the solution lifecycle. - Create reusable components, templates, and frameworks that accelerate future deployments. - Provide technical leadership and mentor engineers across engagements. ### Required Qualifications - 8+ years of software engineering, cloud architecture, solutions architecture, or technical consulting experience. - 5+ years designing and deploying enterprise cloud solutions. - Experience delivering production software in customer-facing environments. - Strong communication and stakeholder management skills. ### Preferred Qualifications - Experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP). - Hands-on experience with Generative AI, LLMs, AI Agents, and Agentic AI. - Experience with Vertex AI, Gemini, RAG, vector search, and AI orchestration frameworks. - Proficiency in Python and API-based integrations. - Experience with cloud security, IAM, CI/CD, and DevOps practices. - Consulting, customer engineering, or professional services experience. The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $133,400.00 - $226,800.00 per year. The ranges above reflect the potential annual base pay across the U.S. for all roles; the applicable base pay range will depend on the candidate’s primary work location, pay grade, and variable compensation plan. Individual base pay within each range depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time of hire. New hires starting base pay generally falls in the bottom half (between the minimum and midpoint) of a pay range. At Ingram Micro certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, annual bonus or sales incentives and long-term incentives. These awards are allocated based on position level and individual performance. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, paid time off, parental leave, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, and wellbeing benefits, among others. This is not a complete listing of the job duties. It’s a representation of the things you will be doing, and you may not perform all these duties. Please be prepared to pass a drug test and successfully pass a pre-employment (post offer) background check. Ingram Micro Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law. [View posting at Ingram Micro](https://ingrammicro.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/IngramMicro/job/Irvine-CA-United-States-of-America/Principal-Forward-Deployed-Engineer--Google-Cloud_R-118115) ## About Ingram Micro Global IT distributor and B2B platform connecting 1,500+ technology vendors with 161K channel customers through logistics, cloud marketplaces, services, and Xvantage. 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Email info@nextmove.md and we take it down. ## Conditions - **Location**: Irvine, CA - **Pay**: Employer postings · [How we read postings](https://nextmove.md/fde/method)