Hire a forward deployed engineer
Hire a forward deployed engineer without a six month search
This page is for the hiring decision. It covers how to scope the role, how placement works, what it costs and what your team should expect in the first 30 days. For what the role is and does, see our forward deployed engineers page.
Free 30-min call. No pitch, no slides.
A single embedded engineer starts from $3K/month.
Built for 60+ companies. See the client list.
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Quick answer
AY Automate places forward deployed engineers who embed in a client's team to ship and own AI systems, with a 90-day replacement guarantee. Typical timeline: two to four weeks from request to start. A single embedded engineer starts from $3K/month.
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What it is
How hiring a forward deployed engineer works
A forward deployed engineer works inside your team, close to your systems and your users, and ships production AI work rather than advice. The full description of the role is on our forward deployed engineers page. Here we cover the process of getting one.
You start with what needs to ship, not a job description. We match on the actual work: your stack, your data access, the seniority the problem needs and the timezone overlap you need. Most requests move from discovery to a shortlist within days, and placement takes two to four weeks from request to start.
The commercial model is simple. A single embedded engineer starts from $3K/month, at the same nearshore rate as our engineer placement offer. Shorter or narrower work, such as one agent or one workflow, is scoped after a call. If the fit is wrong, the engineer is replaced at no extra cost inside the first 90 days.
Fit check
Is this the right fit?
Where this wins
Teams with a defined AI build and no one to own it
The use case is chosen. What is missing is a senior engineer who ships it and stays to maintain it.
Companies that tried freelancers and lost continuity
Full-time and embedded means the knowledge stays in the team.
Leadership that needs a reference implementation
One engineer proves the pattern in a live team, and other teams follow it.
When NOT to use this
- You cannot give the engineer access to systems and people. An embedded role without access produces slides, not software.
- You need a whole department. Talk to us about a small team instead, see the hire AI developers page.
- The problem is undefined. Start with an audit call or a strategy engagement, then hire.
How it works
The hiring process, step by step
Five steps, most of them fast, because the slow part of hiring is usually the search and not the decision.
- 01
Scope the work
Day 1 to 3Describe what needs to ship, the stack and the access the engineer will have.
DeliverableOne-page role brief
- 02
Shortlist
Week 1We match on the work and share profiles you can interview.
DeliverableShortlist with rationale
- 03
Interview and select
Week 1 to 2You meet the candidates and pick. We flag risks we see honestly.
DeliverableSelected engineer
- 04
Onboard
Week 2 to 4Access, context and a first task agreed before day one.
DeliverableOnboarding checklist
- 05
Review at day 30
Check delivery against the brief and adjust scope. The 90-day replacement guarantee still applies.
DeliverableDay 30 review
Typical timeline
Two to four weeks from request to start
Stack we build with
TypeScript · Python · Claude · OpenAI · n8n · PostgreSQL · Your existing stack
Ready to scope the role?
Bring a rough description of the work. We tell you honestly whether an embedded engineer is the right fit and what the shortlist would look like.
Use cases
What hired forward deployed engineers work on
Reference AI implementation
One engineer proves a rollout pattern inside a live team for others to follow.
Support and operations automation
An engineer runs support and ops automation full-time so the core team stays on product.
Backlog across maintenance, features and AI
One engineer covering everything on the founder's list.
First 30 days
What the first 30 days look like
A shipped first task and a clear backlog, not an orientation tour.
Week 1
Access and context
Repo, tools and people access, plus a walkthrough of the systems the work touches.
Week 2
First small ship
A narrow task delivered to production or staging, to test the working relationship early.
Week 3
Backlog agreed
The next piece of work ranked with you, with the trade-offs written down.
Day 30
Review
What shipped, what is blocked and whether the scope still matches the need.
Scope
Scope and exclusions
In scope
- Role scoping against the work that needs to ship
- Matching, shortlist and introductions
- Onboarding support and first 30 day plan
- Replacement at no extra cost in the first 90 days if the fit is wrong
Not in scope
- Guaranteed delivery dates before the scope is known
- Delivery of work outside the scope agreed in the role brief
- Ongoing management of your engineer's daily tasks, which stays with you
- Non-engineering roles
Results
Placements we have made
Achieved results only. Clients that have not agreed to be named are described instead.
Leadership was advised on the AI rollout approach, and one embedded engineer proved the pattern in a live team, which became the reference other teams followed.
A full-time embedded engineer was placed inside the team and has run GTM and internal automation work day to day since.
A full-time embedded engineer was placed inside the team, signed and running since July 2026.
Pricing
How this is priced
Priced per project and scoped after a short discovery call, not sold as a fixed package. Cost follows the number of systems, the access model and the security requirements.
Scoped build
Scoped after a discovery call
Most engagements start with one narrow, high-value piece so you see it running in production before anything expands.
Embedded engineer
From $3K/month
A dedicated engineer building and maintaining the work inside your team, instead of a scoped project.
Next step
Start the hiring conversation
Book a free call. You get a role brief and a clear next step within the week.
Book a free audit callFree 30-min call. No pitch, no slides.
FREE AI HIRING AUDIT
Find what an AI engineer could ship for you
We read your open roles, homepage and tool stack. You get a score and what a placed AI engineer could ship first, based on the roles you are hiring for. Opportunities unlock with a work email.
Use Claude Code, Cursor or Codex? Paste this into your agent
Fetch https://www.ayautomate.com/SKILL.md and run its audit on my company domain, then list the automation gaps an AI engineer could close first.
Describe what needs to ship
A 30 minute call. Tell us the work, the stack and the timeline, and we tell you whether a forward deployed engineer fits.
Book a 30min Free Strategy Call
In this call, we'll walk through your project scope, timeline, and goals - so we can both check if we're a fit. No obligation, no slide deck, just a working session.
Don't want a call? Email walid@ayautomate.com
“The team is super fast - sometimes we had to slow them down. We managed to scale the company without investing into hiring.”
Elie Salame
COO, Adstronaut.io
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This call is for teams ready to move. If that's you, pick a time.
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FAQ
Hiring a forward deployed engineer
How long does it take to hire a forward deployed engineer through you?+
Most requests reach a shortlist within days and start within two to four weeks. A typical in-house search for a comparable senior hire takes months.
What does it cost?+
A single embedded engineer starts from $3K/month. Narrower engagements are scoped after a call. Use the FDE salary explorer and the AI team cost calculator to compare against a local hire.
What if the engineer is not a fit?+
We replace them at no extra cost inside the first 90 days. We also check in during onboarding so problems surface early.
What should I have ready before we talk?+
What needs to ship, which systems it touches, who the engineer reports to and what access you can grant. A rough idea is enough, the call sharpens it.
Is this different from the forward deployed engineers page?+
Yes. That page explains the role and what it delivers. This one covers the hiring process, cost and first 30 days for someone who has already decided to hire.