The FDE handbook.
Citation-ready guides on the roles, Cohort 02 training path, and how companies hire embedded AI engineers.
Start here: engineers
Start here: employers
What is a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)?
A Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) is an engineer who embeds inside a customer's organization, learns the business domain, and ships governed AI and agentic systems in production while transferring capability to the client's team.
Updated July 2026 · Read guide →What is a Forward Deployed Eval Engineer (FDEE)?
A Forward Deployed Eval Engineer (FDEE) is an engineer who embeds with production AI systems to build eval harnesses, guardrails, drift detection, and continuous testing, keeping agents accurate, safe, and compliant after go-live.
Updated July 2026 · Read guide →FDE Training Program: 12-Week Cohort
FDE Factory's Cohort 02 program is 12 weeks and teaches Forward Deployed Engineers and Eval Engineers to embed in enterprises, ship governed agentic systems, and pass partner-graded production assessments.
Updated July 2026 · Read guide →FDE Certification: Verified Credentials
FDE Factory certification confirms an engineer completed Cohort 02 and passed a partner-graded capstone demonstrating they can ship governed agentic systems inside a real organization.
Updated July 2026 · Read guide →FDE vs Solutions Engineer: Role Comparison
A Solutions Engineer (SE) supports pre-sales with demos, POCs, and technical validation. A Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) embeds after the deal to ship and sustain systems in the customer's production environment.
Updated July 2026 · Read guide →Forward Deployed Engineer Salary Guide (2026)
Forward Deployed Engineer salaries typically command a premium over standard software engineering roles because of client-facing responsibility, production ownership, and scarcity, often ranging from senior engineer to staff-level compensation depending on market and embed intensity.
Updated July 2026 · Read guide →Hire Forward Deployed Engineers: Trained Pods
Companies hire Forward Deployed Engineers from FDE Factory by requesting a Cohort 02-trained pod, certified FDE and FDEE engineers embedded together, fluent in context engineering, agent deployment, and production evals.
Updated July 2026 · Read guide →