{"id":11641,"date":"2026-03-27T18:01:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T10:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=11641"},"modified":"2026-03-27T18:01:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T10:01:33","slug":"forward-deployed-engineer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/forward-deployed-engineer\/","title":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s Hottest Role: Forward Deployed Engineer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A reservation booking platform had just launched a pilot of its first AI agent and was bumping into issues. The company had designed the B2B agent with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/agentforce\/\">Agentforce<\/a>, Salesforce\u2019s platform for building and deploying agents, to answer questions from customers using the service. But the agent sometimes struggled to provide answers because something was off with the Agentforce data library. And updates to knowledge articles weren\u2019t syncing with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/data\/\">Data 360<\/a>, which made the situation worse. The booking platform needed help connecting its data to Agentforce.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, Salesforce offered a team of forward deployed engineers (FDEs). The FDEs listened to the company\u2019s concerns, enlisted Salesforce\u2019s product team to fix glitches, and got the agent back on track. \u201cWe were able to resolve all their issues within a week,\u201d said Sarah Khalid, forward deployed engineer director at Salesforce.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The agent worked so well that the company decided to launch a second agent, this one for people who use the platform to book reservations. Now, it\u2019s adding new features to both agents and expanding languages for its first agent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The successful launch is a testament to the power of FDEs, a role that\u2019s \u201cvery hot and in-demand right now,\u201d said Ben Kracker, forward deployed engineer director at Salesforce.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider the role a natural reaction to the times: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/artificial-intelligence\/\">Artificial intelligence (AI)<\/a> has burst onto the scene faster than many companies can adapt. FDEs are like a <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@het.trivedi05\/what-i-learned-as-a-forward-deployed-engineer-working-at-an-ai-startup-6046e0c7e1fe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">personal tech guru<\/a>, business consultant, and hand-holder, all in one. They work closely with companies to remove blockers and accelerate AI adoption, as well as share customer feedback with product teams to make AI agents better.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the venture capital firm a16z recently wrote of FDEs on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/a16z\/status\/1930774473445142934\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X<\/a>, \u201cEnterprises buying AI are like your grandma getting an iPhone: They want to use it, but they need you to set it up.\u201d (No offense to anyone\u2019s grandma.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-role-that-reflects-the-times\">A role that reflects the times<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<!-- Parallax Container -->\n<div class=\"parallax-container\" data-parallax-speed=\"0.5\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n\t\n\t<div class=\"parallax-summary\" style=\"opacity: 0; visibility: hidden;\" data-summary=\"An agentic enterprise represents a fundamental restructuring of business operations, defined by the deep integration of AI agents into core workflows and platforms. In this model, conversational inputs are seamlessly converted into automated actions, enabling an u0022elastic workforceu0022 that can scale dynamically to meet demand. This framework is underpinned by a foundation of trusted data, rigorous performance monitoring for AI agents, and a strategic focus on enhancing the customer experience. Ultimately, it requires a corporate culture that embraces continuous experimentation and a commitment to fundamentally re-engineering processes for a new era of efficiency and growth.\" data-hasSummary=\"true\">\n\t\t<div class=\"parallax-summary__header\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"parallax-summary__title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h2>AI Synopsis<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<button class=\"parallax-summary__close\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" fill=\"none\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill=\"url(#a)\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"m11.793 14.13 7.16 7.159a.944.944 0 0 0 1.302 0l1.301-1.302a.944.944 0 0 0 0-1.302l-7.159-7.16c-.26-.26-.26-.607 0-.867l7.16-7.16a.944.944 0 0 0 0-1.301L20.254.895a.944.944 0 0 0-1.302 0l-7.16 7.16c-.26.26-.607.26-.867 0L3.766.895a.944.944 0 0 0-1.301 0L1.163 2.197a.944.944 0 0 0 0 1.302l7.16 7.159c.26.26.26.607 0 .868l-7.16 7.16a.944.944 0 0 0 0 1.301l1.302 1.302a.944.944 0 0 0 1.301 0l7.16-7.16c.26-.26.607-.26.867 0Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" \/><defs><linearGradient id=\"a\" x2=\"1.814\" y2=\"20.638\" gradientUnits=\"userSpaceOnUse\"><stop stop-color=\"#BA01FF\" \/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#0250D9\" \/><\/linearGradient><\/defs><\/svg>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"parallax-summary__loading-text\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"slds-spinner_container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"status\" class=\"slds-spinner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Loading<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slds-spinner__dot-a\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slds-spinner__dot-b\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\tGathering AI Synopsis&#8230;\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<p><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"parallax-content\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-parallax-container alignnone\"><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The software company&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com\/p\/forward-deployed-engineers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Palantir<\/a>&nbsp;pioneered the forward deployed engineer role in the early 2010s, when it embedded engineers directly with customers \u2014 mostly government agencies \u2014 to help implement products. Palantir called these engineers \u201cDeltas\u201d at the time and, until 2016, had more Deltas than software engineers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The role evolved and gained huge traction this year, when tech giants like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.datastudios.org\/post\/openai-launches-forward-deployed-engineers-a-new-team-to-accelerate-ai-adoption-inside-the-world-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Open AI<\/a>&nbsp;announced they were hiring FDE teams. Analysis by Indeed and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/magazines\/panache\/what-are-the-hottest-jobs-within-ai-hiring-up-800-this-year\/articleshow\/125036908.cms?from=mdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Financial Times<\/a>&nbsp;found that job postings for this role soared by more than 800% between January and September of 2025. Salesforce alone has committed to building a team of 1,000 FDEs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Competition for these engineers is so intense that one commenter on an FDE&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/cscareerquestions\/comments\/1m6iz7a\/what_is_forward_deployed_engineer\/?rdt=40142\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Reddit post<\/a>&nbsp;wrote, \u201cSince converting to an FDE, my LinkedIn is insane, so many great roles coming my way and for really high pay.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-fde-teams-work\">How FDE teams work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In many ways, forward deployed engineers are like traditional tech consultants. \u201cBut the biggest difference is the agility and speed at which we move,\u201d said Khalid. \u201cWe\u2019re able to go in and just do what we need to do to get the agent up and running in a way that\u2019s unique and powerful.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The role varies from company to company, but at Salesforce \u2014 which launched its team in April 2025 \u2014 FDEs work in several ways. Many work individually with a customer, but some are starting to work in pods that consist of one deployment strategist and two FDEs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The deployment strategist identifies the best use case for a company and creates the overall AI strategy. The FDEs then design, build, and deploy the agent. They\u2019re the team\u2019s technical architects and primary coders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pods focus full-time on one client for about three months \u2014 or as long as it takes to successfully deploy an agent for one or two use cases. Sometimes, they even travel to the customer and embed themselves in the company\u2019s day-to-day work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It may sound like forward deployed engineers do the same work as Salesforce partners, but they play different roles, and their collaboration can help customers launch agents more successfully. Partners still do the nitty-gritty work of helping customers implement technology, but FDEs can provide behind-the-scenes knowledge from Salesforce that a partner may not have.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How can Salesforce customers work with FDEs?&nbsp; At the moment, they must be nominated by their account executive to be in the Momentum program, offered to select customers for free. \u201cIt\u2019s an investment by Salesforce in our customers,\u201d said Paige Elia, senior consultant, FDE programs, at Salesforce. Sometime in the next year, however, customers will also have the option to purchase FDE services.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"layout-six wp-block-salesforce-blog-offer\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-offer__wrapper\">\n\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-offer__content\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"wp-block-offer__title\"><strong>What\u2019s your agentic AI strategy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-offer__description\">Our playbook is your free guide to becoming an agentic enterprise. Learn about use cases, deployment, and AI skills, and download interactive worksheets for your team.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/playbook\/agentic-ai\">The future starts now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-offer__media\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/hero_agentic_ai_playbook_5fec5a.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/hero_agentic_ai_playbook_5fec5a.webp 2956w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/hero_agentic_ai_playbook_5fec5a.webp?w=300&amp;h=281 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/hero_agentic_ai_playbook_5fec5a.webp?w=768&amp;h=720 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/hero_agentic_ai_playbook_5fec5a.webp?w=1024&amp;h=960 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/hero_agentic_ai_playbook_5fec5a.webp?w=1536&amp;h=1440 1536w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/hero_agentic_ai_playbook_5fec5a.webp?w=2048&amp;h=1921 2048w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/hero_agentic_ai_playbook_5fec5a.webp?w=150&amp;h=141 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fdes-require-a-unique-set-of-skills\">FDEs require a unique set of skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One reason competition for forward deployed engineers is so fierce is that the role requires an unusual combination of skills: Not only do you need to be a tech&nbsp;whiz, you also have to communicate well and be comfortable in a customer-facing role. Forget the stereotype of a nerdy software engineer coding alone with a can of Soylent. FDEs and deployment strategists have to listen to customers, understand how business works, and offer solutions in language non-techies can understand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the skills you need to be a great FDE:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-problem-solving\">Problem-solving<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>More than anything, forward deployed engineers must love solving puzzles. Why? Because the technology is so new, everyone is still trying to figure it out. \u201cProblem-solving is the number one skill an FDE needs to have,\u201d said Kracker. \u201cWe are right in there with the customer, who does not know what they do not know, and it\u2019s on us to be the technical authority and figure it out.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-technical-skills\">Technical skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>FDEs need to be a jack-of-all-trades of tech skills, with a knowledge of everything from writing an Apex function to creating a custom JavaScript implementation. \u201cOn any given day, you might be writing agent instructions, experimenting with prompts, working through a tricky integration, or collaborating with the product team to shape features based on what we\u2019re learning in the field,\u201d said Khalid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-communication-skills\">Communication skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Soft skills matter, too. Because FDEs interact so often with customers, they must be clear and effective communicators. \u201cIt\u2019s very important to have those customer-facing skills,\u201d Khalid said. \u201cWe often engage with business stakeholders and executive stakeholders, and they definitely don\u2019t understand technical jargon.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-business-acumen\">Business acumen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not enough for forward deployed engineers to communicate well, though. They also need business acumen so they can understand why a customer wants a particular feature or use case. \u201cIt requires the FDE to peel back the layers of the onion to figure out exactly what\u2019s at the core of a request and why a customer is making it, so we can give them the right solution, as opposed to the solution they\u2019re asking for,\u201d Kracker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-learning-mindset\">A learning mindset<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Agentic technology is evolving so quickly that there\u2019s always something new to learn \u2014 and FDEs constantly learn on the fly. \u201cFDEs have to be super ready, super smart, and super skilled, and of course have a passion to learn,\u201d said Jude Umeh, deployment strategist director at Salesforce, \u201cbecause this is a continuous learning environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news? Many of the skills you need to become a forward deployed engineer can be acquired through Trailhead, the free learning platform from Salesforce. For example, you can earn certifications, take a specialist exam, or become an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforceben.com\/agentblazer-legend-everything-you-need-to-know-about-salesforces-new-trail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Agentblazer Legend<\/a>, the highest tier of Agentforce training on Trailhead.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Salesforce also offers a six-week onboarding program, called Ready in Six, for new hires to the FDE team. The program includes technical training, field work, and a capstone project. Alex Imperiale, one of the newest members of the FDE team, completed the training after he transitioned from a technical architect role at Salesforce. He especially enjoyed the program\u2019s two-week intensive on-site. \u201cWe had incredible faculty who gave live demos of the tools that will help us in our day-to-day work, including sessions from Elements and hands-on exercises with Cuneiform, which were really cool,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fdes-give-customers-a-way-to-influence-the-product\">FDEs give customers a way to influence the product<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<!-- Parallax Container -->\n<div class=\"parallax-container\" data-parallax-speed=\"0.5\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n\t\n\t<div class=\"parallax-summary\" style=\"opacity: 0; visibility: hidden;\" data-summary=\"One of the most significant benefits of working with a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) is their role as a two-way street between customers and the product team. FDEs not only accelerate the adoption of AI agents but also actively gather feedback from the frontline on what is and isn&#039;t working for customers, ensuring their insights are fed back to product and engineering teams. This process allows FDEs to give customers a direct voice in the product&#039;s evolution. A prime example is how early FDE customers requested better ways to measure agent performance, which led Salesforce to develop **Agentforce Observability**, a suite of tools for monitoring and improving agents, as well as session-data tracing to show how agents arrive at their answers.\" data-hasSummary=\"true\">\n\t\t<div class=\"parallax-summary__header\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"parallax-summary__title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h2>AI Synopsis<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<button class=\"parallax-summary__close\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" fill=\"none\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill=\"url(#a)\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"m11.793 14.13 7.16 7.159a.944.944 0 0 0 1.302 0l1.301-1.302a.944.944 0 0 0 0-1.302l-7.159-7.16c-.26-.26-.26-.607 0-.867l7.16-7.16a.944.944 0 0 0 0-1.301L20.254.895a.944.944 0 0 0-1.302 0l-7.16 7.16c-.26.26-.607.26-.867 0L3.766.895a.944.944 0 0 0-1.301 0L1.163 2.197a.944.944 0 0 0 0 1.302l7.16 7.159c.26.26.26.607 0 .868l-7.16 7.16a.944.944 0 0 0 0 1.301l1.302 1.302a.944.944 0 0 0 1.301 0l7.16-7.16c.26-.26.607-.26.867 0Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" \/><defs><linearGradient id=\"a\" x2=\"1.814\" y2=\"20.638\" gradientUnits=\"userSpaceOnUse\"><stop stop-color=\"#BA01FF\" \/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#0250D9\" \/><\/linearGradient><\/defs><\/svg>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"parallax-summary__loading-text\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"slds-spinner_container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"status\" class=\"slds-spinner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Loading<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slds-spinner__dot-a\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slds-spinner__dot-b\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\tGathering AI Synopsis&#8230;\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<p><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"parallax-content\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-parallax-container alignnone\">\n<p>One of the biggest advantages of working with a forward deployed engineer is that they serve as a two-way street between customers and the product team. FDEs help accelerate the adoption of AI agents, but they also solicit feedback on what\u2019s working for customers and what\u2019s not. \u201cWe feed all those insights we get from being on the frontline back to the product team and engineers so they can build a product that supports what our customers are trying to achieve,\u201d said Kracker. In other words, FDEs give customers a voice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Salesforce\u2019s early FDE customers, for example, asked for more ways to measure their agents\u2019 performance. The FDEs passed this information on to the product and engineering teams, and Salesforce developed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/agentforce\/observability\/\">Agentforce Observability<\/a>, a suite of tools that helps customers analyse, monitor, and improve their agents\u2019 performance. Customers also wanted to know how their agents came up with answers, which led to session-data tracing in Agentforce.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-it-s-just-the-beginning-for-forward-deployed-engineers\">It\u2019s just the beginning for forward deployed engineers\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>As AI agents become more and more common, the FDE role is likely to grow. And for good reason: FDEs can be the make-or-break factor in launching an agent. \u201cWithout FDEs, we risk having thousands of customers stuck in pilot purgatory \u2014 signed up, but not successfully deployed,\u201d said Khalid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Image credit: Aleona Pollauf\/Salesforce<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FDEs \u2014 part personal tech guru, business consultant, and hand-holder \u2014 can make or break your AI agent launch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":663,"featured_media":11643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sf_justforyou_enable_alt":true,"optimizely_content_id":"68c1ea09b23ee7f6ac85aa45AP","post_meta_title":"","ai_synopsis":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"sf_topic":[20,665,776],"sf_content_type":[707],"coauthors":[705],"class_list":["post-11641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sf_topic-customer-success","sf_topic-agentforce","sf_topic-agentic-ai","sf_content_type-blog"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Today\u2019s Hottest Role: Forward Deployed Engineer - Salesforce<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Forward deployed engineers are part personal tech guru, business consultant, and hand-holder. They can make or break your AI agent launch.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/forward-deployed-engineer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Today\u2019s Hottest Role: Forward Deployed Engineer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Forward deployed engineers are part personal tech guru, business consultant, and hand-holder. 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