> 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. # Forward Deployed Engineer Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/2ff7b7b2f9e8f946 ChipAgents posts a FDE role to build what the customer runs in San Jose, CA, at $180,000–$300,000 base, above the senior FDE median of $190,000 across 1,849 postings with pay. A customer-embedded engineer who partners with semiconductor design and verification teams to turn field problems into working software and shipped capabilities. Read from the employer’s posting on November 6, 2026. - [ChipAgents](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/chipagents) Posted Oct 29, 2026 by ChipAgents · open on Ashby as of Nov 6, 2026 **$180,000–$300,000** *annualized* + equity San Jose, CA On-site Full-time A customer-embedded engineer who partners with semiconductor design and verification teams to turn field problems into working software and shipped capabilities. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F2ff7b7b2f9e8f946&placement=top) - [View posting at ChipAgents](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/alpha-design-ai-inc/d206446e-3cfb-4043-ac3f-10aa23ca214d/application) Free. Upload your resume once, see why each FDE role fits, and get introduced only when you say so. ## At a glance ### Posted base pay $180K–$300K Above the median Midpoint $240K · median $190K This job $180K to $300K. Senior FDE postings, 1,849 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $160K to $220K, median $190K. ### The work Builds what the customer runs Balance **Mostly building** Project stages 1. Pre-sales (not covered) 2. Proof of concept (not covered) 3. Implementation 4. Operations (not covered) Travel **Required, amount not stated** - **Coding**: Writes production code - **Builds for**: External customers - **Level**: Senior - **Role**: Individual contributor ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting reads as a senior role. What level are you at now? The job is in San Jose, 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) ## Conditions - **Location**: San Jose, CA - **Work arrangement**: On-site - **Remote work restrictions**: Embed on-site or near-site with customer teams; frequent on-site customer travel. - **Employment type**: Full-time - **Travel**: Travel required, amount not stated - **Pay**: ## More like this [Fulcrum](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/fulcrum) ### [Forward Deployed AI Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/93c0e9cb9ecf62ba) San Francisco, CA On-site 2mo ago $140,000–$300,000 [Syntiant](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/syntiant) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/e0bcf35f10ba6dd1) Redwood City, CA New · 4d ago $195,000–$225,000 [Databricks](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/databricks) ### [Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/2be9b09d47b3a82d) San Francisco, CA 2mo ago $182,000–$250,208 - [Other jobs at ChipAgents (1)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/chipagents) ## The job description from ChipAgents Posted by ChipAgents on Oct 29, 2026 ### About ChipAgents ChipAgents is revolutionizing chip design and verification with agentic-AI workflows. Founded by experts in AI and semiconductor design, we partner with top-10 semiconductor companies, hyperscale cloud providers, and cutting-edge startups. Our platform accelerates RTL development, functional verification, and simulation, unlocking new levels of productivity and design quality. ### Role Overview We're hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer who come from chip design, verification, and EDA and want to build software. You will embed directly with customer teams at some of the largest semiconductor companies, working alongside an internal R&D engineer and a customer-side domain expert. We’re looking for engineers with hands-on experience in RTL, testbenches, and simulation who can quickly identify the customer’s real problems and build new capabilities alongside them, beyond supporting our existing product. ### Key Responsibilities - Embed on-site (or near-site) with customer design and verification teams to build new solutions with them. - Own the customer relationship end-to-end for your account, from problem definition to a working product in their hands. - Work with R&D, domain experts, and customer champions to turn field problems in RTL development and verification into shipped solutions. - Write code that connects ChipAgents to customer design flows, including RTL, testbenches, simulators, and verification environments. ### Qualifications - BS or MS in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. - Hands-on experience in chip design or design verification (DV) at a semiconductor, EDA, or hardware company. - Working knowledge of Verilog, SystemVerilog, and RTL, and familiarity with verification flows such as testbenches, simulation, and debug. - Software engineering skills (Python required; C++ or TypeScript a plus) and a strong interest in working at the intersection of software and hardware. You are comfortable building under ambiguity and shipping custom, working solutions without a stable spec. - AI-native, with experience using AI agents, especially coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode. - Excellent communicator, able to work directly with customer engineers and managers and translate field learnings into clear priorities for research and product teams. - Comfortable with frequent on-site customer travel. ### Nice to Haves - Experience with UVM, formal verification, or commercial EDA tools. - Experience customizing AI agents. - Prior forward-deployed, solutions engineering, applications engineering, or field engineering experience in the semiconductor industry. - Experience with scripting and automation around design flows, such as Python, Tcl, or Makefiles. - Experience standing up secure customer environments and data access. ### Why ChipAgents - Work at the intersection of AI and semiconductors, using your chip and EDA background to build software that changes how chips are designed. - Work alongside a world-class technical team and an advisory board of EDA legends, with real product, real customers, and real scale already in production. ### Equal Opportunity ChipAgents is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds. ### What We Offer - $180K/yr – $300K/yr base salary + equity. Open to above-scale compensation for exceptional candidates. - Unlimited PTO and full benefits (medical, vision, dental, 401k). - Two engineering-centric offices with free parking, private gym, and free lunch, drinks and snacks. [View posting at ChipAgents](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/alpha-design-ai-inc/d206446e-3cfb-4043-ac3f-10aa23ca214d/application) ## About ChipAgents Builds AI agents that automate semiconductor design, verification, debugging, and root-cause analysis workflows. Series A · 50–100 people ## Similar jobs [Sieve](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/sieve) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer, Physical AI](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/c01d9e4502e1f4bf) San Francisco, CA On-site 5mo ago $150,000–$350,000 [Muon Space](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/muon-space) ### [Software Engineer, Customer Solutions](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/73ee51106d0f36e2) San Jose, CA Hybrid 2mo ago $190,000–$212,000 [Bain](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/bain) ### [Lead, Engineering Excellence](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/22a12cc51fef0229) Atlanta, GA · Austin, TX · +8 more Hybrid 2mo ago $179,875–$203,925 [Google](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/google) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer, Kaggle, DeepMind (Fixed-Term Contract)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/6d6f76669f791f27) Mountain View, CA · New York, NY 4w ago $174,000–$232,000 [Intercom](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/intercom) ### [Forward Deployed Data Scientist](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/ff6db77760087781) San Francisco, CA Hybrid 7w ago $206,600–$229,000 - [Compare senior FDE salary ranges](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/senior) - [Similar jobs in SF Bay Area](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?region=sf-bay-area) - [Similar jobs that build what the customer runs](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?role=builds-for-customers) Hiring at ChipAgents and want this page changed or removed? 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