How to hire a Forward Deployed Engineer in Australia

Define the seat. Price it. Screen for eval and production. Then submit a role. Sonitec interviews every FDE against the deployment standard before they reach you. The desk covers Australia and APAC, not Australia only.

Submit a RoleFDE salaries and hiring standard
The sequence

Four steps

1. Define the seat

An FDE shapes the build inside a customer environment, then ships it. Eval and production separate the seat from a solutions engineer or a consultant. If the history stops at proofs of concept, it is not yet an FDE.

FDE seat page

2. Price it in Australia

Published 2026 market data puts senior FDEs in Sydney at $180k–$240k base and lead or principal FDEs at $230k–$280k, AUD base excluding 12% superannuation. Junior and mid-level bands are not published yet. We benchmark those seats per search.

FDE salaries and hiring standard

3. Screen against the deployment standard

Every candidate we put forward is interviewed against the deployment standard on the FDE pillar. Candidates can also take the public voice interview. The Sonitec recruitment team reviews every interview.

FDE voice interview

4. Submit a Role

Tell us about the deployment. We come back with a shortlist approach and a market read. Submit a Role is the hiring-manager door.

Submit a Role
FAQ

Hiring an FDE

What is a Forward Deployed Engineer?

An FDE sits inside the customer environment — its systems, data, and people — shapes what should be built, then ships working software against those systems. Not a recommendation and not a demo.

How do I hire an FDE in Australia?

Define the seat, price it against published Australian bands, and screen for eval plus production ownership. Then submit a role. Sonitec interviews every candidate against that deployment standard before they reach you. The desk covers Australia and APAC, not Australia only.

What does an FDE cost in Sydney?

As of 2026, published market data puts senior FDEs in Sydney at $180k–$240k base and lead or principal FDEs at $230k–$280k. Figures are AUD base excluding 12% superannuation. Other levels are benchmarked per search.

Can we hire an FDE on contract instead of permanent?

Yes. Alongside permanent placement we place FDEs on contract into enterprises running AI pilots and early deployments. Contract-to-permanent is a common path once the deployment proves out.

Ready to hire an FDE?

Submit a Role. We come back with a shortlist approach and a market read.

Submit a RoleTake the voice interview