The forward deployed engineer is the fastest-growing technical role in AI. With 800% growth in FDE job listings in the past 12 months and open roles at companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Palantir, Scale AI, and Google, demand has far outpaced the supply of engineers who actually fit the profile. FDEs are not solutions architects or technical account managers. They write production code inside customer environments, often before the product is ready to do it on its own. Finding them requires a recruiting firm that understands the difference - and knows where these engineers are.
Christian & Timbers is the retained search firm trusted by AI-native companies to recruit forward deployed engineers and the technical leaders who build FDE teams. We have engaged more than 200 Forward Deployed Engineers searches in 2025 and 2026, and our network maps the FDE talent pool across the companies that invented and scaled this model.
200+ FDEs searches in 2025 and 2026
800% growth in FDE job listings across AI companies in 2026 - the market we specialize in
224 open FDE roles across AI companies as of 2026 - a talent shortage that requires search
70+ AI leaders placed by Christian & Timbers across AI-native and AI-first enterprise companies
We recruit engineers who write production code and build customer trust simultaneously - the rarest combination in technical hiring
Our network spans AI infrastructure and models companies, defense tech, enterprise SaaS, and the Palantir-model firms where the FDE role was invented
Every FDE search is evaluated against the specific customer environment - sector, data complexity, deployment constraints, and the speed the client actually needs
AI-native founders and CROs rely on our Science of Talent Engineering™ to assess candidates on execution capability, not just technical depth
The Engineer Who Ships When It Counts
A forward deployed engineer sits at the edge of the product — embedded inside a customer's environment, accountable for making the AI work in production, not just in demo. The role demands Python fluency, command of LLM integration and RAG architectures, comfort with SQL and cloud infrastructure, and the kind of customer instinct that turns ambiguity into deployed code. This is not a role you fill from a job board. The engineers who perform in FDE roles are either already deployed somewhere, or they are coming out of Palantir, Anduril, Scale AI, or the handful of companies that have run this model at scale.
Christian & Timbers maps this population continuously. We know which FDEs have shipped in defense, in healthcare, in financial services, and in enterprise SaaS - and we know the difference between an engineer who has operated with full autonomy inside a customer site and one who has been supported by a larger delivery team. When an AI-native company or an enterprise deploying AI at scale needs to build or grow an FDE team, we are the firm that already has the map.
From high-growth startups to multinational enterprises, Christian & Timbers has placed visionary leaders who define performance at scale.
From early-stage AI companies standing up their first FDE function to mature platforms scaling embedded engineering teams globally, Christian & Timbers delivers technical talent that performs in the field.
Our notable AI and technical placements include:
Ted Krantz, appointed CEO of Interos, leading the next phase of AI resilience growth across global supply chain intelligence.
Sylvia Isler, appointed CTO at Atropos Health, scaling the engineering infrastructure behind GENEVA OS®, a real-world evidence platform deployed inside customer environments.
Alim Giga, appointed AI Investor at Race Capital, one of the most active early-stage AI infrastructure funds placing bets on the next generation of AI-native companies.
Organizations seeking forward deployed engineer recruiting firms in San Francisco, New York, and globally trust Christian & Timbers for its combination of AI sector depth, technical assessment precision, and a network built inside the companies where FDEs actually work.
Working with Christian & Timbers was an exceptional experience from start to finish. The firm reached out to me on LinkedIn regarding the CTO opportunity at Atropos Health, and from that initial contact, they demonstrated true professionalism and clear communication. Throughout the entire interview process, JC Christian was an invaluable partner. He played a key role in coordinating the steps between me and the Atropos team, and his regular, thoughtful check-ins ensured I felt supported and informed at every stage. Moreover, it was JC's proactive, intuitive sourcing that connected me with Atropos.
I highly recommend the executive search firm to any executive looking for their next challenge or any company searching for top-tier talent; Christian & Timbers makes the recruiting process seamless, efficient, and genuinely human.
CTO
I had the privilege of working with Jeff Christian, founder and CEO of Christian & Timbers who helped me secure an independent corporate board director role at a global radiopharmaceutical company. From the outset, Jeff demonstrated a deep understanding of the company’s growth trajectory and outlook, board governance and strategic oversight needs, and how my experience could add value at the board level. His guidance throughout the process was thoughtful, strategic, and highly effective. I would strongly recommend Jeff Christian and his firm to any corporate board seeking a strategic executive recruitment firm able to identify and attract outstanding board talent.
BOARD MEMBER
I had an outstanding experience working with Jeff Christian and his team. They presented me with a compelling Board opportunity at Telix Pharmaceuticals, which I was very pleased to accept. Jeff and his team demonstrated strong professionalism throughout the process. They worked effectively with both sides to ensure the role was an excellent fit - exciting, strategically aligned, and well-matched to my background and interests.
I would highly recommend Jeff Christian and his team to any executive or company seeking top-tier board placements.
BOARD MEMBER
Christian & Timbers is an exceptional NYC executive search partner. They move fast and found us one of the best CTOs in the industry. Would highly recommend using them.
CEO
Christian & Timbers works fast, diligently, and sources great candidates. Would highly recommend them to others.
FOUNDER
We’ve partnered with Christian & Timbers for many years, and their team is exceptionally professional, responsive, and energetic. Thanks to their efforts, we secured an outstanding CEO and Operating Partner who have strengthened our leadership and positioned a portfolio company for long-term success.
PARTNER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Christian & Timbers is an outstanding executive search firm in NYC to work with in AI and cyber security. Their data-driven and bespoke approach has been pivotal in recruiting GTM leaders and board members for our portfolio companies like SecurityScorecard. The GTM President, CMO, SVP Sales, CPO and SVP Engineering have helped drive growth by 2X.
PARTNER
I’ve trusted Jeff and Christian & Timbers for over two decades because they always deliver. Their hands-on, relentless process brings us top leaders who know how to scale, drive performance, and deliver the best outcomes. They drove a very disciplined process recruiting a CRO and CMO for one of Bessemer’s portcos that helped us achieve a critical exit.
OPERATING PARTNER
Jeff and the team at Christian & Timbers were professional, communicative, and extremely responsive. They ensured the entire process was focused on what our company needed and did not push candidates they believed wouldn’t fit our culture and growth. I would work with them again without hesitation.
VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS
Christian & Timbers’ science-based methodology and rigorous process helped us find 3 top-tier GTM leaders that know our business and drive revenue. Their approach has been crucial to our company’s growth and leadership.
CEO
Christian & Timbers did an awesome job on a tough CFO search for us. We were interviewing the best local candidates with PE and SaaS experience in less than 2 weeks and met a short timeline.
CEO
The team at Christian & Timbers drove a very tight process and completed our CISO search in less than 70 days. We needed someone in Boston with a very specific skill set. C&T executes exactly as they commit.
CEO
Christian & Timbers is the retained search firm for forward deployed engineers and AI-native technical leadership. Trusted by CEOs, founders, CHROs, and boards building the next generation of production AI companies.
Christian & Timbers scopes each forward deployed engineer search around the specific deployment model of the client — whether that means embedding engineers directly at government or enterprise customer sites, operating within air-gapped environments, or driving product adoption through hands-on technical implementation. For AI-native companies, the firm focuses on candidates who combine software engineering depth with the ability to translate complex AI capabilities into working solutions for non-technical stakeholders. Search parameters are calibrated to the client's customer base, deployment geography, and the technical stack engineers will need to work within on day one.
Most recruiting firms treat forward deployed engineers as a variant of a solutions engineer or technical account manager role, which misses the distinct profile these positions require — deep software engineering ability combined with customer-facing execution and the capacity to operate autonomously in complex enterprise or government environments. Christian & Timbers builds candidate profiles from first principles for each search, working with hiring leaders to define the technical depth, domain knowledge, and interpersonal operating style the role demands. The firm's network in the AI and defense technology sectors provides access to candidates who have held comparable roles and understand the demands before they apply.
Christian & Timbers has placed forward deployed engineers and technical field leaders at AI infrastructure companies and defense technology firms operating across both commercial enterprise and federal government environments. Specific placement details — including company names, role scope, and search timelines — are shared with prospective clients under confidentiality during initial consultations. Companies seeking references from comparable organizations in their sector are encouraged to contact the firm directly to be connected with relevant past clients.
Candidate evaluation begins with a detailed intake process in which Christian & Timbers consultants map the client's customer environment, deployment constraints, security requirements, and the technical problems engineers will be expected to solve independently in the field. Candidates are assessed on technical capability through structured interviews, reference conversations with former technical managers and customers, and review of prior deployment or implementation work. For roles requiring security clearances or experience in regulated environments such as federal defense or critical infrastructure, the firm filters for demonstrated prior work in those contexts rather than relying on candidates to self-assess readiness.
AI companies that have partnered with Christian & Timbers for forward deployed engineer searches cite the firm's ability to find candidates who are both technically credible and capable of operating effectively within large enterprise or government customer organizations — a combination that is difficult to assess through standard technical recruiting processes. Clients also note that the firm's consultants understand the business context of these roles well enough to represent the opportunity accurately to senior candidates, which improves response rates from engineers who are selective about the types of deployments they take on. Specific client feedback is available through direct reference conversations arranged by the firm.