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Consortia
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Engineering

Forward Deployed Engineer Recruitment

Specialist forward deployed engineer recruiters working across the US, UK, EU and UAE.

Trusted by tech teams from start-ups to globally recognised brands

  • eBay
  • Ocado
  • Sainsbury's
  • Bose
  • LexisNexis
  • Entain
  • babylon
  • Paymentsense
  • FNZ
  • Auto1
  • Synthace
  • PokerStars
  • eConsult
  • Lloyds Pharmacy
Five-star review
“Every candidate they sourced was an exact match, which saved us real time. More of a trusted partner now than a recruiter.”

Mark T. · Director of Engineering, HR-tech platform

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Overview

How Consortia recruits forward deployed engineers

Consortia recruits forward deployed engineers (FDEs) on permanent and contract terms across the UK, Europe, the US and the UAE.

These roles can be difficult to define. Strong engineers don't always want to spend lots of time with customers. Strong client facing people don't always have the engineering depth needed.

So we agree the balance before starting the search. Some roles focus more on implementation and integration. Others need deeper engineering, including custom features and changes to the product itself.

Few people hold the exact title yet, so Consortia looks at the work instead. Good candidates may come from software engineering, solutions engineering or technical consulting.

We ask what they have built for customers, how much was production code and how they handled problems nobody expected. That tells us far more than the job title.

We also settle the practical details early. That includes customer contact, travel and where the role could lead. Candidates who don't want a client facing role can rule themselves out early, saving time on both sides.

Market insights· Updated October 2026

Forward Deployed Engineer recruitment insights

Forward deployed engineer has quickly become one of the most talked-about roles in AI. The large AI companies are building whole teams around it, and the title is still new in the UK.

The main hiring risk is a vague job description. A typical week mixes some coding, a lot of integration work and plenty of time with the customer. Experienced engineers tend to walk away if the role turns out to be sales support under a new name.

Candidates usually ask three things early: how the pay compares with a standard engineering role, what equity comes with it, and where the job leads next. Clear answers keep good people interested.

Customer Stories

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Salary guide

Forward Deployed Engineers salaries

These ranges reflect what employers are advertising right now. Accepted offers can look different. Speak to a consultant about what's actually getting accepted.

We track what UK employers are advertising for this role. Ask us for the current ranges.

Work email only, we send guides to hiring teams.

Live jobs

Live Engineering jobs

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Candidates

Engineering candidates available now

Anonymous profiles of people we represent today. Ask about one and a specialist consultant will come back to you with the full picture.

  • PermanentActive

    Senior Product Engineer

    Media, publishing and broadcast

    United Kingdom · Hybrid · £120,000

    Senior Product Engineer (Backend & Platform focussed) with 9+ years’ experience across MarTech, Media and SaaS, combining hands-on development with architecture and technical leadership. Strong in TypeScript, Node.js, Python, AWS, Docker and Terraform, with experience building multi-tenant analytics platforms, backend APIs and cloud-based processing systems end-to-end. Has led engineering teams, owned cloud architecture and delivered infrastructure modernisation projects that improved performance, reliability and reduced costs. Previously managed a 9-person engineering team as a hands-on Technology Director, remaining actively involved in coding, system design and product delivery.

    Ask about this candidate
  • ContractActive

    Senior Product Engineer

    Technology and software

    United Kingdom · Hybrid · £750 a day

    Senior Product Engineer / Forward Deployed Engineer with 11+ years’ experience building end-to-end products across eCommerce, automotive, logistics and AI. Frontend-leaning Full Stack Engineer with strong hands-on, AI-native development experience, working with TypeScript, JavaScript, Node.js, Vue, React, SQL and PostgreSQL. Has architected and built large-scale eCommerce platforms, logistics and operational management systems, improving business efficiency, scalability and customer experience. More recently focused on building AI-powered customer-facing products and multi-agent development workflows, combining strong technical ownership with a commercial product mindset and experience delivering solutions from concept through to production.

    Ask about this candidate
  • PermanentActive

    Senior Product Engineer

    Technology and software

    United Kingdom · Hybrid · £120,000

    Senior Product Engineer with 10 years’ experience delivering scalable products across cybersecurity, financial services, SaaS and AdTech. Strong in Go, React, TypeScript, Node.js, PostgreSQL and ClickHouse, with experience building real-time integrations, event-driven systems, analytics platforms and customer-facing applications. Has led the development of new products from scratch, improved platform performance and scalability, and delivered commercially successful SaaS features, alongside strengthening automated testing and engineering quality. Brings strong end-to-end product ownership, from technical architecture and backend development through to frontend delivery, with a focus on building reliable products that solve real customer problems.

    Ask about this candidate
  • PermanentActive

    Product Engineer - Backend

    E-commerce and retail

    United Kingdom · £110,000

    Senior Backend-focused Product Engineer with 12+ years’ experience, combining hands-on engineering with a strong product mindset and end-to-end ownership, including experience as a dedicated Technical Product Manager. Strong in Python, FastAPI, PHP/Laravel, PostgreSQL, OpenSearch, AWS and Kubernetes, with experience leading complex search platform migrations, architecting marketplace pricing and automation services, and improving system performance and infrastructure efficiency. Has also built eCommerce subscription platforms from scratch, including payments, APIs and internal tooling. Brings experience in a small marketplace scale-up alongside technical leadership, architecture and delivering products from concept through to production.

    Ask about this candidate
  • PermanentActive

    Senior Product Engineer

    Fintech and payments

    United Kingdom · Hybrid · £120,000

    Senior Product Engineer with 8+ years’ experience building end-to-end products across FinTech, Web3, SaaS and digital marketplaces, alongside startup experience helping early-stage founders take MVPs from concept to production. Strong in TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, NestJS, Go and AWS, with hands-on experience across frontend, backend, architecture and deployment. Has led the development of blockchain-based platforms, built digital marketplace infrastructure supporting large user bases and delivered complex data migrations and customer-facing SaaS products. More recently focused on banking and payment integrations, with a strong product mindset and experience shaping technical direction, translating business requirements into working products and owning delivery end to end.

    Ask about this candidate

From the blog

Insights on Forward Deployed Engineers

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Related roles

Other roles our Engineering recruiters fill

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

What does a forward deployed engineer do?

They work directly with customers to get a product working in the customer's own environment. That can mean integrating systems, adapting the product, building custom features and solving problems on site or close to the client. The role combines engineering depth with client delivery, and it is growing fastest in AI, data and SaaS businesses.

How is a forward deployed engineer different from a solutions engineer?

A solutions engineer usually supports the sale, running demos, scoping and answering technical questions before a deal closes. A forward deployed engineer usually works after the sale, writing production code and staying with the customer until the product delivers value. Some roles cover both, so it helps to be clear where the weight sits.

Where do strong forward deployed engineers come from?

Candidates tend to come from software engineering, solutions engineering or technical consulting. The best combine enough engineering depth to build and adapt a product with the communication skills to work closely with clients. They are comfortable with ambiguity. Because the title is still new, many do not use it yet.

How much client-facing time should we expect the role to involve?

It varies widely, from mostly remote integration work to regular time on client sites. Be specific about it early, including any travel. It is one of the first things candidates ask, and it affects who will consider the role. Strong engineers who do not want heavy client contact will rule themselves out, which saves time on both sides.

How do I start working with Consortia?

Clients can get in touch to discuss a brief, and candidates are welcome to register their interest. The quickest route is our contact page or a call to +44 203 397 4565, and one of our consultants will pick things up from there.

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