Not all tech jobs are disappearing.<\/p>\n
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Despite the wave of layoffs<\/a> that have battered the tech industry, there’s one role that looks secure: the forward-deployed engineer<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Forward-deployed engineers, or roles that do the equivalent motion, are about to become one of the most in-demand jobs in tech. And one of the most important functions for AI rollouts,” Box CEO Aaron Levie said on LinkedIn this week.<\/p>\n The job listings data suggest he may be right.<\/p>\n In April of last year, there were 643 job postings for forward-deployed engineering roles on Indeed, according to data shared with Business Insider. By April 2026, that number had increased to 5,330 postings, which is about a 729% increase year over year.<\/p>\n Anthropic, OpenAI, Palantir, and Stripe are among the tech firms hiring forward-deployed engineering talent as demand for enterprise AI tools grows.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian<\/a> said on LinkedIn that the company was also ramping up hiring for the position, citing growing client and partner demand for the company’s AI products.<\/p>\n So what exactly do these tech workers do?<\/p>\n Forward-deployed engineers, or FDEs as they are known, work with companies to integrate AI into workflows and customize AI tools to make their work easier or more efficient.<\/p>\n The role was popularized by Palantir, which would embed engineers directly with customers to build software tailored to their needs.<\/p>\n According to Indeed data, pay for the role ranges from about $170,000 to over $200,000.<\/p>\n The consulting industry is also leaning on forward-deployed engineers. Consulting has become something of a distribution channel<\/a> for Silicon Valley’s latest AI innovations as they help companies make sense of AI and integrate it into their work.<\/p>\n