Forward deployed engineers

Forward deployed engineers (FDE)

Senior engineers embedded inside your team, working in your codebase and your standups, accountability of an employee, flexibility of a partner.

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Sketch: row of desks with people, one highlighted as embedded

What is a forward deployed engineer (FDE)?

A forward deployed engineer (FDE) is a senior engineer who works embedded inside your team and your codebase, rather than delivering work from a separate vendor team. Codiot's FDEs join your standups, use your tools, and answer to your priorities day to day, while still carrying our engineering standards and accountability.

AI forward deployed engineers

An AI forward deployed engineer is the same embedded model, specialized for AI work: an engineer who joins your team to ship LLM features, agents, or AI-native product changes inside your existing codebase, not as a separate research project. AI FDEs carry the same accountability as any Codiot FDE, with the added judgment to know when an AI approach is the right tool and when it isn't.

Capabilities

What we build.

Embedded in your workflow

Your Slack, your sprint planning, your codebase, not a separate team working from a different backlog.

Senior-only placement

FDEs are engineers with years of production experience, not junior staff learning on your dime.

Flexible engagement length

From a single quarter to an open-ended placement, scaling up or down with your roadmap.

AI forward deployed engineers

FDEs who specialize in shipping AI features and agents inside existing products, not building AI in isolation.

Direct hand-off option

If you later want to hire the engineer directly, that path is built into the engagement, not blocked by it.

How it works

How it works with Codiot.

Match the profile

We place an engineer whose stack and domain experience actually fits what your team is building.

Embed in week one

Access, onboarding, and a seat in your existing rituals from day one, not a slow ramp-up.

Review and adjust

Regular check-ins on fit and output, with the option to swap or scale the engagement as needs change.

Why Codiot

Stack we use, and why teams choose us.

ReactNode.jsPythonAWSLLM integration

·Senior engineers only, no hand-offs to juniors mid-project
·Overlap hours with US/EU time zones
·Weekly demos and a single point of contact
·Code you own, documented and tested

FAQ

Common questions, answered plainly.

What is a forward deployed engineer?

A forward deployed engineer is a senior engineer who works embedded inside your team and codebase, day to day, rather than delivering separately as an external vendor team.

What is an AI FDE?

An AI forward deployed engineer is the same embedded model, specialized in shipping AI features and agent workflows inside your existing product, rather than building AI as an isolated pilot.

How is this different from an extended product team?

An FDE is typically one or two engineers embedded directly in your team's existing rituals. An extended product team is a full pod (engineers, designer, QA) that runs more independently alongside your team.

How much does an FDE cost?

FDE rates typically run $35-70/hour depending on seniority and specialization, billed monthly against actual hours.

How fast can an FDE start?

Most placements start within 1-2 weeks of a confirmed fit, once we've matched the right engineer to your stack.

Explore related work.

Extended product team AI development services Loan origination system Venture capital Contact

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Let's talk about a forward deployed engineer (FDE).

Tell us what you're building. We'll reply within two business days with an honest take on scope, timeline, and cost.

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