Despite the wave of layoffs that has rocked the tech industry, there is one job that seems to be quite safe: forward-deployed engineer (FDE). Among the companies actively hunting for these specialists are well-known giants Anthropic, OpenAI, Palantir and Stripe.
Despite the wave of layoffs that has rocked the tech industry, there is one job that seems to be quite safe: forward-deployed engineer (FDE). Among the companies actively hunting for these specialists are well-known giants Anthropic, OpenAI, Palantir and Stripe.
“Forward-deployment engineers or professionals who perform similar functions will soon become one of the most in-demand professions in the technology sector. And also one of the most important links for the deployment of artificial intelligence,” wrote Box CEO Aaron Levy on LinkedIn.
Job data suggests he appears to be right.
According to statistics provided to Business Insider by Indeed, there were 643 job postings for such engineers in April of last year. By April 2026, that number had grown to 5,330 vacancies, representing a roughly 729% increase from the same period last year.
Amid growing demand for enterprise AI tools, technology companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Palantir, and Stripe are actively hiring forward-deployed engineers.
Earlier this week, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian also said on LinkedIn that the company was increasing its hiring pace for the position, citing growing demand for the company's AI products from customers and partners.
Forward-deployed engineers, as they are called, work with companies, helping to integrate artificial intelligence into workflows and adapting AI tools to make customers' jobs easier or more efficient.
This position was once popularized by Palantir, which literally "injected" its engineers directly into client teams to create software tailored to their individual needs.
According to the Indeed platform, salaries for this position range from $170,000 to over $200,000 per year.
The consulting industry is also beginning to rely heavily on such engineers. Consulting has become a kind of distribution channel for the latest AI innovations from Silicon Valley, as these firms help companies understand artificial intelligence technologies and integrate them into their operations.
So for giants like McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group, the ideal consultant today must have strong technical skills.
The job posting for Principal Forward Deployment Engineer at QuantumBlack states that candidates must have eight or more years of hands-on experience in software, platform, or infrastructure development. A bachelor's or master's degree in a technical field such as computer science, machine learning, applied statistics, mathematics, engineering, or artificial intelligence is also required.
"We strive to find people who have the potential to be either great McKinsey consultants or world-class technologists, and then nurture them to combine both of those qualities," Alex Singla, a senior partner at McKinsey and co-head of its AI division QuantumBlack, previously told Business Insider.
