> 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. # Senior Software Engineer - FDE Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/7379521426b0cb11 Microsoft posts a senior FDE role to build what the customer runs in US · city not listed, at $119,800–$261,000 base, level with the senior FDE median of $190,000 across 1,864 postings with pay. Design, build, test, and operate production-grade software and services that are secure, reliable, and scalable. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026. - [Microsoft](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/microsoft) First seen Aug 25, 2026 · open on Microsoft careers as of Nov 8, 2026 **$119,800–$261,000** *annualized* US · city not listed Full-time Design, build, test, and operate production-grade software and services that are secure, reliable, and scalable. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F7379521426b0cb11&placement=top) - [View posting at Microsoft](https://apply.careers.microsoft.com/careers/job/1970393556939574) 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 $120K–$261K Level with the median Midpoint $190K · median $190K This job $120K to $261K. Senior FDE postings, 1,864 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $160K to $220K, median $190K. [Compare pay across all Microsoft postings](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/microsoft) ### The work Builds what the customer runs Balance **Mostly building** Project stages 1. Pre-sales (not covered) 2. Proof of concept 3. Implementation 4. Operations Travel **Up to 25%** - **Coding**: Writes production code - **Builds for**: External customers - **Level**: Senior - **Role**: Technical lead ### What they ask for Experience - **4+ years** technical engineering experience with coding - **6+ years** technical engineering experience with coding (with Master's degree) *Preferred* - **8+ years** technical engineering experience with coding (with Bachelor's degree) *Preferred* Background - **Software engineering** Visa - **No visa sponsorship** ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting asks for 4+ years. How many do you have? The posting reads as a senior role. What level are you at now? The posting says no visa sponsorship. Do you need one? 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**: US · city not listed - **Employment type**: Full-time - **Visa sponsorship**: Not available - **Travel**: Up to 25% - **Pay**: ## More like this [Accenture](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/accenture) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer Manager](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/139f128284087904) Chicago, IL · Milwaukee, WI · +38 more 2mo ago $80,400–$316,300 [Salesforce](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/salesforce) ### [Software Engineering, AI Systems (SMTS)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/270724389386ab3d) San Francisco, CA · Bellevue, WA · +1 more 1mo ago $148,500–$246,000 [Gray Swan](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/gray-swan) ### [Senior Forward Deployed Engineer – Enterprise](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/2f8298f975b489cb) San Francisco, CA Remote 2mo ago $175,000–$220,000 - [Other jobs at Microsoft (9)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/microsoft) ## The job description from Microsoft ### Overview In the Microsoft Frontier Company Engineering team, you won’t just build software; you’ll deliver real outcomes for some of the world’s most complex organizations. We are a global team of world-class engineers who have been working in a Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) model for more than a decade, embedding directly within customer teams to solve their toughest challenges, side-by-side, and shipping production-ready solutions in days, not months. As a **Senior Software Engineer**, you will bring strong software design and engineering expertise, building reliable systems and production-ready services that turn ideas and data-driven insights into scalable solutions. You’ll work in small, multidisciplinary crews alongside data scientists, product managers, and domain experts, owning the full lifecycle from design through to deployed solutions. Our work is powered by AI, applying the mindset and tooling across the entire development lifecycle to move from idea to production in days while maintaining the highest standards of security, quality, and trust. This role offers the opportunity to: - Build reliable, production-ready systems and services that turn ideas into scalable solutions - Ship engineering work that directly influences business strategy and customer outcomes - Collaborate with leading global organizations across industries - Apply the latest advancements in AI and software engineering to solve problems at scale Our team prides itself on embracing a growth mindset, inspiring excellence, and encouraging everyone to share their unique viewpoints and be their authentic selves. Join us and help create life-changing innovations that impact billions around the world! At Microsoft, we are seeking people who have a passion for the positive impact technology can have on communities and for making a difference in the world. In our team, you will find a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, personal and cultural experiences which are vital to our success with our customers. It’s an informal and flexible work environment and you’ll be welcome to work in the way that best enables you to get your job done. We invest in your health, wellness, and financial future by offering a competitive package including a wide range of benefits built around your personal needs and those close to you. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. ### Responsibilities - Design, build, test, and operate production-grade software and services that are secure, reliable, and scalable. - Partner with customers and internal stakeholders to clarify requirements, define success metrics, and translate business needs into technical designs. - Drive engineering best practices including code reviews, automated testing, CI/CD, observability, and documentation. - Apply a security-first mindset and follow Microsoft security and compliance requirements throughout design and delivery. - Deliver customer outcomes end-to-end: prototype quickly, iterate with feedback, and land solutions that meet quality, performance, and maintainability goals. - Build reusable components, reference implementations, and patterns that can be shared across teams and engagements. - Learn and adapt in a fast-moving environment, using experimentation and data to guide decisions and continuous improvement. - Collaborate effectively across disciplines (engineering, data science, product, design, security) and contribute to an inclusive, respectful team culture. - Lead technical workstreams by aligning stakeholders, breaking down ambiguous problems, and driving execution through to delivery. - Embody our culture and values ### Qualifications ### Required/minimum qualifications - Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 4+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience. ### Other Requirements - Microsoft is unable to sponsor a work visa for this role due to the nature of the role’s job duties. ### Additional or preferred qualifications - Master's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience. - Experience partnering directly with customers or internal stakeholders to deliver solutions end-to-end. - Experience designing, deploying, and operating AI or LLM-based solutions, including prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented approaches, model tuning, evaluation, data quality, performance monitoring, and use of cloud AI platforms - Enjoy travel and are comfortable with travel up to 25% #FDE Software Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $160,200 - $261,000 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about **requesting accommodations.** [View posting at Microsoft](https://apply.careers.microsoft.com/careers/job/1970393556939574) ## About Microsoft Microsoft sells cloud infrastructure, productivity software, and AI tools to enterprises and consumers globally, anchored by Azure, Office 365, and the OpenAI partnership. Public · 5000+ people ## Similar jobs [Amazon (incl AWS)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/amazon-incl-aws) ### [Senior Forward Deployed Engineer, AWS Forward Deployed Engineering](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/0ebf30b12510c57d) East Palo Alto, CA · Boston, MA · +3 more New · 5d ago $168,100–$261,500 [Blitzy](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/blitzy) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/cbd3ad96ef06fb1c) Cambridge, MA Hybrid 5mo ago $130,000–$215,000 [Meta](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/meta) ### [Business Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/61f630e50014b285) Los Angeles, CA · Seattle, WA · +1 more 4w ago $149,000–$210,000 [Rune Technologies](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/rune-technologies) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/02ddbd5a959d2529) Seattle, WA On-site 4w ago $190,000–$210,000 [General Dynamics Information Technology](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/general-dynamics-information-technology) ### [AI ENGINEER](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/9a8e022e35ec8dbc) MD Hybrid 2mo ago $165,750–$224,250 - [Compare senior FDE salary ranges](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/senior) - [Similar jobs that build what the customer runs](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?role=builds-for-customers) Hiring at Microsoft and want this page changed or removed? 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