Forward Deployed Engineer

Updated October 13, 2026

$200,000–$300,000New York, NYOn-site2w ago

Forward-deployed engineer embedded with portfolio-company operators to understand their businesses and rebuild operations as AI-native systems.

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View posting at Sequence Holdings

At a glance

Posted base pay

$200K–$300KAbove the median

Median $190K

This job$200K–$300KTypical senior FDE payMiddle 50% of 1,491 postings$160K–$222K

The work

Builds what the customer runs

Balance

Mostly building
Mixed
Mostly pre-sales or support

Project stages

Pre-sales (not covered)
Proof of concept (not covered)
Implementation
Operations (not covered)

Coding: Writes production code
Builds for: External customers
Level: Senior
Role: Individual contributor

What they ask for

Tools

AI
Atlas

Less common in FDE jobs

Company size: About 1–50 people8%
Company stage: Early12%
On-site36%
Individual contributor or manager: Individual contributor45%

Share of US FDE postings that state each fact.

The job description from Sequence Holdings

Posted by Sequence Holdings on Sep 29, 2026

About Sequence

We are in the midst of the intelligence revolution.

In some industries, a startup will emerge from this period as a leader. In others, the incumbent will be vastly advantaged. We believe the opportunity is exponential when existing competitive attributes are paired with the power of AI.

Sequence acquires ambitious, established enterprises in the service economy and refounds them as market leaders. We bring capital, engineering and operational expertise to each business we partner with.

Our engineers work shoulder to shoulder with management teams to reimagine their business around what is now possible with AI. We rebuild operations, workflows, products and services from the ground up.

At the center is Atlas, our proprietary technology platform, which is deployed across every Sequence company. What we build and learn from one business strengthens Atlas for the next, creating a compounding advantage that accelerates every new refounding.

We elevate, not replace, human talent and judgment. We build and expand businesses to define what's possible for their industries.

Sequence is based in New York City and backed by 8VC, Conviction, Lux Capital and other strategic partners.

What You Will Do:

FDEs are the tip of the spear at Sequence.

You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with the operators who know a company best, become an expert on their business, and rebuild its operations with AI.

Your job is to turn institutional knowledge into AI-native systems. You'll define how technology can amplify human expertise and ship workflows that reshape the operating leverage of the business.

Every deployment compounds. What you build becomes part of the platform so each company transforms faster than the last. The best FDEs will lead entire verticals, partnering with deployment strategists and M&A investors to shape how industries operate on the platform.

What We Look For:

Customer obsession. Works directly with users, changes direction based on what they learn, and genuinely cares about solving real problems for real people.
Demonstrated track record of impressive academic, professional, or entrepreneurial accomplishments.
Comfortable operating in ambiguity. Can enter a business without a roadmap and determine what to build first by talking to people, not just reading documentation.
Raw horsepower and tenacity. Will run through walls to deliver results.
Proven ability to build from zero to one.
Strong communicator. Can explain technical architecture to a CEO and translate a front-line operator’s frustration into a system design.
Willing to spend meaningful time on-site at portfolio companies.

View posting at Sequence Holdings