Entry-level forward deployed engineer jobs: how much experience FDE postings ask for
Published
Some FDE postings are open to early-career engineers, but they are a minority. Across 563 engineer-family FDE postings from 115 employers (October 25, 2026), 328 (58.3%) state years and the median first stated minimum is 5 years; 36 of those (11.0%) ask for 0 to 2 years, and 27 postings at 10 employers use early-career titles such as New Grad, Junior, Associate, or level I.
How many years of experience FDE jobs ask for
Where a posting states years, the median first stated minimum is 5 years (25th percentile 4, 75th percentile 6). That median is also published on Forward Deployed Engineer skills. 328 of 563 engineer-family postings (58.3%) state a years figure; 235 state none.
| Stated years band | Postings | Share of 328 that state years |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 years | 36 | 11.0% |
| 3-4 years | 67 | 20.4% |
| 5-6 years | 163 | 49.7% |
| 7-9 years | 43 | 13.1% |
| 10+ years | 19 | 5.8% |
- 5 to 6 years. 163 postings (49.7% of those that state years) sit in this band.
- 0 to 2 years. 36 postings (11.0%) ask for two or fewer.
- 3 to 4 years. 67 postings (20.4%).
- 7 to 9 and 10+. 43 postings (13.1%) ask for 7 to 9; 19 (5.8%) ask for 10 or more.
- No years stated. 235 postings leave the floor unstated, led by Palantir (63), Cognition (15), Accenture (11), Databricks (11), LangChain (11), and OpenAI (10). A missing years figure does not mean no experience is expected.
188 postings at 48 employers carry senior, staff, principal, or lead titles. Title families and seniority labels are indexed on Forward Deployed Engineer job titles. Posted pay for US engineer seats is on Forward Deployed Engineer salary.
Are there new grad and early-career FDE roles
Yes. 27 postings at 10 employers carry early-career titles: New Grad, Early Career, Junior, Associate, or level I / I-II. Palantir accounts for 14 of the 27.
Early-career here means the title string matches that pattern (Principal ... I is excluded). Open the linked posting before you apply; titles and seats change.
Early-career seats still test customer delivery. FDE Dispatch trains you for the rounds those loops use.
Which employers ask for two or fewer years
24 employers have at least one engineer-family FDE posting asking for 2 or fewer years in this index.
| Employer | Postings at 2 or fewer years |
|---|---|
| Palantir | 6 |
| Applied Intuition | 3 |
| C3 AI | 3 |
| Baseten | 2 |
| LangChain | 2 |
| Tailscale | 2 |
| Accenture | 1 |
| Arize AI | 1 |
| Chalk | 1 |
| CHAOS Industries | 1 |
| Commure | 1 |
| Confido | 1 |
| Databricks | 1 |
| Giga | 1 |
| Handshake | 1 |
| Hive | 1 |
| Labelbox | 1 |
| Legora | 1 |
| Modal | 1 |
| Monumental | 1 |
| Physical Intelligence | 1 |
| Shield AI | 1 |
| Tagup | 1 |
| Thomson Reuters | 1 |
Full employer list: Accenture, Applied Intuition, Arize AI, Baseten, C3 AI, CHAOS Industries, Chalk, Commure, Confido, Databricks, Giga, Handshake, Hive, Labelbox, LangChain, Legora, Modal, Monumental, Palantir, Physical Intelligence, Shield AI, Tagup, Tailscale, Thomson Reuters.
What an early-career engineer can do to close the gap
Match the evidence employers already name, then put that evidence on the resume and into the interview loop. No step here promises an offer.
- Ship one measured customer deployment. Own discovery, an integration into someone else's stack, go-live, and what you measured after launch. That story maps to the top of the skills requirements index: Python (76.2%), customer-facing work (74.1%), and APIs or integrations (69.8%).
- Rewrite the resume against those lines. Lead with customer-facing delivery, named integrations, and production ownership. The Forward Deployed Engineer resume guide maps each top requirement to resume evidence.
- Target seats that fit your floor. Filter for early-career titles and for employers that ask for 2 or fewer years. Postings that state no years figure still need a close read: a missing years figure does not mean no experience is expected. Use the how to become an FDE path for the build-and-reposition sequence.
- Rehearse FDE-specific rounds. Decomposition, messy debugging, constrained system design, work trials, deployment retrospectives, and role-play test the same deployment story. Start with the interview loop overview.
Method and data
Population: 563 engineer-family FDE postings from 115 employers. Posting text pulled October 25, 2026 from the October 24, 2026 snapshot (same population as the skills and requirements index). Internships excluded.
Years = first 'N+ years ... experience' phrase in the posting text (lower bound of a range). That phrase can occasionally name a sub-skill floor, so treat bands as approximate.
Early-career = title contains New Grad, Early Career, Junior, Associate, or level I / I-II (Principal ... I excluded).
122 postings mention a computer science degree in this index. Limits: these are open postings on one pull date, not headcount, and keyword and phrase matching is approximate.
Downloads: experience JSON, field notes, and the per-posting skills JSON.
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Field notes from live AI deployments and what FDE interview loops are testing.
Related guides
- What is a Forward Deployed Engineer?
- How to become a Forward Deployed Engineer
- The FDE interview loop, explained
- FDE interview loop field guide
- FDE interview practice questions
- Forward Deployed Engineer job titles
- Forward Deployed Engineer jobs by location
- Forward Deployed Engineer skills
- Forward Deployed Engineer resume
- Forward Deployed Engineer salary
- How to hire a Forward Deployed Engineer
- How to evaluate a Forward Deployed Engineer training program
- FDE vs. solutions engineer
- Forward Deployed Engineer vs. software engineer
- FDE glossary: short definitions of Forward Deployed Engineer terms
Questions people ask
Can I become a Forward Deployed Engineer without experience?
Sometimes. Of 563 engineer-family FDE postings from 115 employers (October 25, 2026), 36 of the 328 that state years ask for 2 or fewer, and 27 postings at 10 employers use early-career titles such as New Grad, Early Career, Junior, Associate, or level I. 235 postings state no years figure; a missing years figure does not mean no experience is expected. The median stated floor among postings that name years is still 5.
How many years of experience do Forward Deployed Engineer jobs require?
Where a posting states years, the median first stated minimum is 5 years, with the middle half between 4 and 6. 328 of 563 engineer-family FDE postings (58.3%) state a years figure in the October 25, 2026 pull. 163 of those 328 (49.7%) sit in the 5-6 band.
Are there new grad Forward Deployed Engineer roles?
Yes. 27 postings at 10 employers carry early-career titles (New Grad, Early Career, Junior, Associate, or level I). Palantir accounts for 14 of them. Examples include Applied Intuition Forward Deployed Engineer - New Grad (2027), C3 AI Forward Deployed Engineer new-grad seats, Databricks Associate Forward Deployed Engineer, and LangChain Deployed Engineer (Early Career).
Which companies hire entry-level Forward Deployed Engineers?
24 employers have at least one posting asking for 2 or fewer years, led by Palantir (6), Applied Intuition (3), C3 AI (3), Baseten (2), LangChain (2), and Tailscale (2). Employers with early-career titles in this index are Palantir, Applied Intuition, C3 AI, Databricks, DevRev, Giga, Handshake, LangChain, Legora, and Salesforce.
Do Forward Deployed Engineer jobs require a computer science degree?
Most postings in this index don't mention one: 122 of 563 (21.7%) do. The skills index still leads with Python, customer-facing work, and APIs or integrations. Full shares are on Forward Deployed Engineer skills.
Train against the seats these employers post
FDE Dispatch maps what live FDE postings ask for, then trains engineers against the interview rounds those hiring loops use.
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