FDE Pulse tracks compensation data from active Forward Deployed Engineer job postings. As of April 30, 2026, 217 of 1276 tracked postings (17%) disclose salary ranges. The data below covers base compensation only. Equity, sign-on bonuses, OTE, and benefits are excluded from all calculations.
Summary Statistics
Salary by Metro
Based on 1276 active postings, 97 postings list no specific metro. The remaining 1179 are grouped by primary city below, sorted by median salary.
| Metro | Roles | Median Base | Avg Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 24 | $221K | $186K – $273K |
| New York | 62 | $186K | $158K – $222K |
| Seattle | 5 | $179K | $135K – $209K |
| Washington DC | 9 | $178K | $132K – $222K |
| Boston | 9 | $170K | $127K – $177K |
| Los Angeles | 1 | $163K | $139K – $188K |
| Chicago | 7 | $159K | $132K – $191K |
| Austin | 3 | $128K | $79K – $199K |
Seattle-area FDE roles show the highest median at $179K, followed by New York at $186K. The Seattle sample is small (5 postings), so treat it as directional rather than definitive.
Remote vs. On-Site Pay
Based on 1276 active postings, on-site FDE roles pay a median of $183K versus $176K for fully remote roles. That is a 4% gap at the median. Remote roles carry lower base salaries but eliminate cost-of-living expenses in major markets, narrowing the effective pay gap for engineers outside New York and San Francisco.
Top 10 Highest-Paying FDE Roles
These roles represent the upper end of the current FDE compensation market. All are active postings as of April 30, 2026.
| # | Title | Company | Salary Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Director, Forward Deployed Engineering - Open Models | NVIDIA | $320K – $489K |
| 2 | Forward Deployed Engineer | Titan | $180K – $480K |
| 3 | Director, Solutions Engineer Forward Deployed - Splunk (Remote) | Cisco | $308K – $468K |
| 4 | Principal Forward Deployed Engineer I, Frontier Engineering | Snowflake | $304K – $437K |
| 5 | Director, Forward Deployed Engineering | $300K – $415K | |
| 6 | Sr. Director, Forward Deployed Engineering | $300K – $415K | |
| 7 | Director of Engineering, Forward Deployed Engineering | $300K – $415K | |
| 8 | Senior Forward Deployed Engineer, Open Models | NVIDIA | $184K – $356K |
| 9 | Senior Technical Program Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering | NVIDIA | $184K – $356K |
| 10 | Forward Deployed Engineer – Enterprise AI Startup | RNB Consultancy | $175K – $350K |
The top 10 roles show max salaries between $350K and $489K. All are senior, staff, or director-level positions at major technology firms or consulting companies. Entry-level FDE roles are not represented in the top 10.
Understanding FDE Compensation Structure
Base salary is one component of FDE total compensation. Based on 1276 active postings, 114 (9%) include equity. At pre-IPO companies, equity grants can represent 20 to 50 percent of annual total compensation if the company eventually goes public or is acquired. At public companies, RSUs vest over four years and carry a predictable cash value.
3 postings mention OTE, indicating pre-sales FDE roles that include a variable commission component tied to deal closure. 3 postings offer uncapped commission, the highest ceiling for variable FDE pay.
The 83% non-disclosure rate (1059 postings) introduces uncertainty into market comparisons. Companies that do not disclose salary ranges are not necessarily lower-paying, but candidates negotiating without publicly available data are at a disadvantage. If a company does not disclose salary, use the $180K market median as your anchor point for initial discussions.
Methodology
Salary figures drawn from 217 of 1276 active FDE postings that disclosed compensation ranges as of April 30, 2026. All values represent annual base compensation. Equity, sign-on bonuses, commissions, OTE, and benefits are excluded. Metro grouping uses the primary city in the posted location. Remote postings are classified separately regardless of listed location. Median is the statistical median of all disclosed values in each category.
