Top Companies Hiring Forward Deployed Engineers in India and Globally in 2026

Why are so many top companies suddenly hiring Forward Deployed Engineers?

Jobs for Forward Deployed Engineer roles have gone from niche to mainstream in no time compared to the majority of engineering roles. Job postings for Forward Deployed Engineer roles have grown by nearly 800% between January and September 2025. This is not normal growth. It is indicative of a change in the way companies are building and deploying technology.

If you are already looking for companies hiring forward-deployed engineers, you are already ahead of the majority of engineers who still try to understand what this role even is. This guide is designed for this exact phase. It is not just companies hiring forward-deployed engineers. It is what each company expects from you when you apply.

What is the goal?

To help you understand where to apply, what these companies expect, and where the majority of people applying to these companies are failing.

Why So Many Companies Are Hiring Forward-Deployed Engineer Teams Right Now

This is not random. It is the result of the way companies are building and using software these days.

Companies are no longer just building and shipping products. They are building complex AI systems and deploying them into the real-world environments of their actual customers.

OpenAI is expanding its forward deployed team to 50 engineers in 2025. Anthropic is investing $100M into the deployment of enterprise-grade AI using its partner-facing teams. Databricks supports deployments into 60% of Fortune 500 companies.

This is not random. It is indicative of a pattern. Enterprises need people to take these powerful yet complex systems and actually get them to work in the real world.

This is exactly where Forward Deployed Engineers come in.

Global Companies Hiring Forward Deployed Engineers

• Palantir

Palantir is a place where the role of Forward Deployed Engineers originated. They refer to this role as a Forward Deployed Software Engineer.

This is a place where the role is quite intense and hands-on. You are part of a team of people embedded in a customer organisation. You are expected to own the end-to-end delivery process, including understanding messy data and then delivering a working system on top of it.

If you are interested in getting the purest form of a Forward Deployed Engineer role, then you should look no further.

• OpenAI

OpenAI is a place where the role of Forward Deployed Engineers has been formally built out since 2025.

The role of Forward Deployed Engineers in OpenAI is quite focused on ensuring that AI systems are reliable in enterprise environments. This means integrating large language models into enterprise environments, improving performance, and delivering value.

This is a place where you will not be involved in developing large language models; rather, you will focus on getting these models to work.

• Anthropic

The role of Forward Deployed Engineers in Anthropic is commonly referred to as Applied AI Engineers.

The role at Anthropic is quite involved in safety and regulated environments. You are not just deploying a model; you are ensuring that you are getting these deployed models correct in terms of constraints.

This is a place where you will be quite involved in the systems used in evaluating these deployed models.

• Databricks

Databricks hires Forward Deployed Engineers in the roles of AI Engineer and Customer-Facing Engineer.

This is a place where you will be expected to help companies build and productionize AI applications on top of their data platform. This includes quite a lot of data engineering and getting LLM-based systems into enterprise environments.

This is one of the best places to work as a Forward Deployed Engineer, particularly if you are interested in data systems.

• Salesforce

This is a place where there are several variations of the role of Forward Deployed Engineers, including Agentforce FDE and Product FDE.

The work is centred around working with enterprise solutions based on AI technology. You will work closely with customers and own the entire implementation process from start to finish.

This is a good entry point for FDE roles if you are coming from a traditional software/cloud background.

• Cohere

Cohere is an enterprise-focused company for AI solutions, particularly custom AI agents.

FDEs will work closely with companies to deploy Cohere solutions into their systems.

If you are interested in working on practical AI systems and not research, this is a good company to work for.

Companies Hiring Forward Deployed Engineers in India Right Now

• Salesforce India

Salesforce is currently one of the most active companies for forward deployed engineer roles in India.

They are hiring for FDE roles in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Gurgaon.

The work is centred around enterprise AI solutions and customer-facing work, particularly on Agentforce.

• Databricks India

Databricks is another company offering remote work options for FDE roles in India.

They are looking for candidates with strong experience working with AI APIs such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini.

The work involves developing production-grade AI systems for enterprise customers.

If you have experience working with AI systems, this is probably the most relevant company for FDE roles.

• Microsoft India

Microsoft is another company that is constantly hiring for FDE roles in India.

The work is centred around Azure-based solutions for enterprise customers. You will work closely with customers and own the entire process from start to finish.

This role lies in the intersection of cloud engineering and customer solutions.

• Google India

Google hires roles like FDEs in their cloud and enterprise groups.

The work involves deploying AI and cloud solutions to enterprise customers. The role will have a lot of emphasis on system design and customer interaction.

This role is technically challenging and has high expectations.

• Kore.ai

Kore.ai is a conversational AI company based in Hyderabad.

They hire Forward Deployed Engineers and Solution Architects who work closely with enterprise customers across industries like banking and healthcare.

The role involves hands-on work and advisory.

• Avaamo

Avaamo works in the conversational AI space.

Here, FDEs deploy AI systems inside the enterprise. The role involves hands-on work.

This role is a great opportunity to get hands-on experience in deploying AI systems in the real world, which can be beneficial for a beginner.

• Cartesia

Cartesia works in the infrastructure space of AI, specifically in audio and multimodal technologies.

The role of an FDE here involves deploying these technologies to enterprise customers. This role involves hands-on work.

This role offers a cutting-edge environment compared to other roles.

• Prodapt

Prodapt works in the telecom technology domain.

The role of an FDE here involves deploying solutions to telecom customers. The role involves hands-on work and has a lot of emphasis on customer interaction.

This role can be a great opportunity if you're interested in deploying AI solutions to specific industries rather than deploying AI systems in general.

Note: The availability of these roles can change over time. Please refer to the company website for the latest openings.

What These Companies Are Looking for in FDE Candidates

The same is true for all these companies. They're not looking to hire software engineers. They're looking to hire a particular kind of engineer.

The best way to define them is to say they're looking for a "T-Shaped" candidate.

This means you need to be deep in one particular area, and you also need to be broad in multiple areas.

Here's what you'll typically see in job postings for FDE hiring in 2026:

• Strong programming skills

This means you know how to write code. This means you know how to write production-quality code, not just scripts.

• System design skills

This doesn't mean textbook system design. This means real-world system design.

• API integration skills

This means you're working with APIs. This means you're working with REST, streaming, authentication, rate limiting, error handling, etc.

• AI/ML skills

This doesn't mean you're a researcher. This means you're familiar with LLMs, RAG pipelines, vector databases, etc.

If you're still unsure of how much actual coding is done, this is where understanding what FDE codes will help.

• Cloud skills

This means you're familiar with AWS, Azure, or GCP.

• Customer communication skills

This is where most people struggle. This is where you're working directly with people who may not be technical.

• Ownership skills

This means you're not just a programmer or just a developer.

Most people applying for these roles today will be strong in one or two areas. They will be weak in the rest.

This is exactly why these roles are difficult to fill.

If you want a step-by-step guide on how to go through this, then the forward-deployed engineer resume and interview guide is worth going through before you start.

Cities in India With the Most FDE Jobs Openings

Even in India, where there are a lot of forward deployed engineer job openings, there are certain cities where these roles are more common.

If you are looking for forward deployed engineer jobs in India, then these are where you will most likely find them:

• Bangalore leads by a huge margin
• Hyderabad follows closely
• Gurgaon is starting to gain traction with FDE roles
• Mumbai still has a lot of FDE roles available
• Chennai, Pune, and Noida are starting to gain traction with FDE roles

Bangalore is still where most FDE roles in AI and startups are available.

Hyderabad is where most FDE roles in enterprise and SaaS are available.

Source: Glassdoor India - Forward DeployedEngineer jobs

Some of these roles are available remotely, especially with global companies, but most of these roles will still require a certain level of on-site work.

How to Position Yourself for Forward Deployed Engineer Roles

This is where most engineers get stuck.

They will read about this role, they will look at job postings, and they will think they are not ready yet.

They will wait.

This is a huge mistake.

You don’t have to match most of these job postings, but you have to position yourself.

The first step is to identify where you are strongest.

This could be backend, this could be data, this could be cloud.

This will be your depth.

The second step is to build outward.

This will include learning how to properly integrate APIs, building small systems, and getting your hands dirty with at least one cloud platform.

If your target roles are AI-heavy, then invest in simple LLM-based app development. Not just API calls, but end-to-end workflows.

Also, work on how you communicate your work. This is an area many engineers neglect. Being able to explain your work is what will differentiate you in many interviews.

It is also helpful to get a sense of how this role compares to other roles. There are many engineers who think FDE is similar to solution architect or backend engineer roles. Getting a sense of FDE vs other roles can help you place your experience more accurately.

Lastly, work on preparing specifically for FDE-style interviews. These are not standard DSA-style interviews. These are not standard coding interviews.

The Gap Most Candidates Miss

This is the reality.

The reality is that most engineers who are interviewing for FDE roles are capable engineers.

The reality is that most engineers are not aligned with what FDE roles actually are.

They are focused on coding challenges, but they are neglecting system integrations.

They are focused on learning frameworks, but they are neglecting messy real-world scenarios.

They are focused on building projects, but they are neglecting clear communication of those projects.

They are not looking for perfect engineers. They are looking for engineers who are good in an uncertain environment.

That is a different kind of skill set.

Where FDE Academy Fits In

If you are serious about entering this role, you need a framework for doing so.

FDE Academy is based on exactly what these companies are looking for. Not only coding but also system design, API integration, AI workflows, and customer problem resolution.

It fills a gap between what the job descriptions are asking for and what most candidates have access to.

If you are already researching the top companies that are hiring for FDEs and are thinking about your next step, this is the point where training is most important.

The opportunity for forward deployed engineers is significant and is growing fast. The companies above are hiring for these roles. The opportunities are not slowing down.

The only question is whether your profile fits what these companies are actually looking for.

FAQs: Companies Hiring Forward-Deployed Engineers