- Search by the work, not only the title, because the same job appears as software, AI, implementation, solutions and data engineer.
- Use one or two filters at a time — stacking every filter hides relevant jobs and leaves too few to compare.
- Open the employer's own careers page before applying, and treat a listing whose original link is dead as a lead rather than an opening.
- Record why you kept each role, so you notice when a job carries a responsibility you do not want.
- Start from the US FDE jobs list, which shows the count, the companies and the posted salary median for whatever you select.
The search terms these jobs are posted under
- forward deployed engineer and forward-deployed engineer
- customer-facing software or AI engineer
- customer engineering, technical delivery, implementation
- deployment, integration, applied AI, agentic workflows
- solutions engineer or data engineer, where the posting includes production ownership
Keep a posting when it describes the responsibility you want. Skip it when it uses FDE language for sales support, research or internal coordination.
Check five things in the posting itself
- The user of the work: external customers, internal teams, or both.
- The code: production services, configuration and integration, prototypes, or none.
- The project stage: pre-sales, proof of concept, implementation, or ongoing operations.
- The working conditions: approved location, remote or hybrid rules, travel, work authorisation.
- The evidence the employer asks for: languages, cloud or data systems, customer delivery, years of experience.
Keep a small search record
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Employer and role | Exact title and company |
| Original link | Employer careers URL |
| Work | Production, integration, prototype, or other |
| Customer | External, internal, both, or unclear |
| Stage | Pre-sales, proof of concept, implementation, operations |
| Location and travel | Work location, remote rule, stated travel |
| Pay | Salary range as posted, or "not posted" |
| Evidence | The experience and technical work you can explain |
| Open questions | What to ask before applying or accepting |
Professional networks, general job boards, specialist boards and company career sites each surface different postings, and no job board includes every employer. The company directory shows whether one employer has several kinds of FDE work.