Roles - US
Re:Sourced runs structured search for forward deployed engineers in the United States. Median 21 days from brief to signed offer, 90-day replacement guarantee, calibrated against an active network of senior engineers across the US market.
The role
Customer-embedded engineer who ships production integrations inside client environments post-sale. Common in AI-native and enterprise SaaS. The qualifying pool is thin because the title only consolidated around 2023-24; most strong candidates carry other titles, so searches rely on profile translation rather than keyword sourcing.
In the United States, forward deployed engineering is one of the fastest-growing technical roles. The pattern originated at Palantir and is now standard at AI-native companies deploying complex software into enterprise customers, from frontier AI labs through to their fast-scaling customers and enterprise SaaS. Demand concentrates in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York, with full-remote common given the customer travel the role involves. The most active buyers are Seed to Series B AI-native startups, where the forward deployed engineer is often the technical reason a contract closes and renews.
Salary band 2026
US forward deployed engineer compensation runs materially above Australian bands and varies widely by company stage and metro. The figures below are indicative base salary, calibrated against live US offers. Total compensation runs well above base once equity is included, and equity is often the larger component at early-stage AI-native companies.
| Company stage | Senior base (USD) | Total comp |
|---|---|---|
| Seed to Series A, AI-native | USD 160-200k | Plus meaningful equity |
| Series B to D, scale-up | USD 190-240k | 20-50% above base |
| Big tech / frontier AI lab | USD 220-300k+ | 50-100%+ above base |
Indicative US market base only. Calibrated against live US offers, not a survey.
For a calibrated read on a specific brief, including named-employer comp data, start a hiring campaign.
How we hire
Common questions
A forward deployed engineer is a customer-embedded engineer who builds and ships production integrations inside client environments after the sale. The role is common in AI-native and enterprise SaaS companies. Because the title only consolidated around 2023 to 2024, most strong candidates carry other titles, so sourcing relies on profile translation rather than keyword search.
Yes. Re:Sourced runs cross-border search for US-based forward deployed roles from our Sydney base, calibrating each brief against live US offer data. US forward deployed compensation runs materially above Australian bands and varies widely by metro and company stage.
Senior forward deployed engineers in the US run roughly USD 160-200k base at Seed to Series A AI-native startups, 190-240k at scale-ups, and 220-300k or more at big tech and frontier AI labs. Equity is often the larger part of total compensation at early-stage companies.
Re:Sourced delivers a calibrated shortlist within 72 hours of the intake call and runs a 21-day median from brief to signed offer for senior individual-contributor roles. Every permanent placement carries a 90-day replacement guarantee, and there is no fee until placement.
Start a hiring campaign
20 minute working session. No fee until placement. Replacement inside 90 days.