AI is changing how the world's largest enterprises work. It is not just new tooling; it is new strategy, new processes, and a different relationship between people and the systems they rely on.
Most enterprises know this shift matters - their challenge is to make it happen. Indicium AI partners with them to drive AI transformation end to end, from strategy through to production. The place where it becomes real, where ideas turn into working software, is where the Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) works.
If you are an engineer who wants to shape how the world's largest companies transform, this is what the role looks like from the inside.
A Role the Whole Industry Is Racing to Build
The FDE model emerged in enterprise software about a decade ago and has been rebuilt for the AI era. Job listings for forward deployed engineers grew sharply over the past year - by some estimates around 800%. Anthropic, AWS, and Databricks are investing heavily in the capability.
The common thread is simple. Enterprises do not need another demo or another slide. They need senior engineers who will sit inside their environment and get systems into production. But as demand explodes, the title gets stretched to mean almost anything. So it is worth being precise about both the responsibilities and the scope of the role.
What Defines an FDEs at Indicium AI?
At Indicium AI, we hold a clear, considered view of what an FDE is. Three things define the role.
You are an engineer first, and always. You build, and you get real code into production. You use AI-native tooling and build your own harnesses to deliver work. You can hold your own with the best engineers in the client's organization, and with technical teams at partners like Anthropic and AWS. Credibility here is earned by delivering the best solution. That means getting the architecture right, the process right, and the code into production.
You are embedded. Forward deployed means exactly that. You are in the client's systems, with access credentials, in their Slack, in the daily standup, accountable inside the same environment as their own team. You are the person the VP of Engineering or CTO calls.
Being this close to the work is what lets you truly understand the problem, and paired with AI-native tooling, solve it fast. Much of the process engineers have lived with was built for an era when writing code was slow and expensive. That friction is exactly what frustrates people who got into this work to build and solve problems. Embedded and building with AI, FDEs cut through it and deliver real solutions in a fraction of the time. Constraints haven't disappeared, but the ability to move this fast for a client has never been greater.
You solve problems that matter. Engagements often start ambiguously, close to a blank canvas, and end with a measurable outcome in production. You are not closing tickets or running a proof of concept. You take a real problem all the way through.
Indicium AI FDEs Are Embedded, Never Unsupported
Being embedded is not the same as being isolated. Even when you’re the only Indicium AI engineer on-site, you’re never without support: you’re backed by a Delivery Manager who keeps the program on track, an Activation Lead who drives adoption and change across the organization, and the wider Indicium AI team behind you. That support exists to keep you free to engineer.
Any transformation is about people, process, and technology, and there is always a hearts-and-minds element to work through. Getting that right is why the depth of the role matters.
Why This Is the Frontier
You’ll lead engagements at some of the most complex organizations in financial services, energy, and healthcare. That means working directly with senior engineering leaders who have built serious systems and expect the same standard from you.
You’ll also work at the frontier of the tools themselves. Because we're one of Anthropic's launch partners and a Preferred Partner in the Claude Partner Network, you’ll see new capabilities before the wider market does and work alongside Anthropic field teams on joint engagements. And you get the backing to keep up: training for Claude Certifications, a flexible learning budget, and Claude licenses, and token allowances you need to get the job done.
Come Join Us
The FDE role at Indicium AI will suit you if you want to own your work, hold yourself to a high standard, and see what you build go into production at real scale.
We are hiring FDEs globally, across the Americas, Latin America, and Europe. If you want to help define what AI-native engineering looks like inside the world's leading enterprises, explore our open FDE roles.
