What we've learned about hiring FDEs
These are the scorecard, role-play script and interview questions we use on every candidate, plus guides to a role most companies are still working out how to hire for. They're free, and you're welcome to copy them into your own process.
The FDE Hiring Playbook
This is the interview loop we run on every candidate, written up so you can run it yourself. It was put together by someone who does the job.
- The FDE scorecard: build, discovery, pushback, shipping
- Our customer role-play script, persona and twist included
- Twelve interview questions and what strong answers sound like
Tools and templates
FDE job description generator
Answer five questions about your product and customers. Get a job description you can post today.
Get it free →Template · FreeFDE interview scorecard
The rubric we grade every candidate on, with anchored scores for build, discovery, pushback and shipping under pressure.
Get it free →Template · FreeCustomer role-play script
Our 45-minute customer role-play, written so you can run it in your own interview loop.
Get it free →Guides
What is a Forward Deployed Engineer?
Where the role came from, what FDEs actually do all week, and why AI companies are hiring so many of them.
Read the guide →The roleFDE vs Solutions Engineer vs Sales Engineer
How the three roles differ day to day, and how to tell which one your team needs.
Read the guide →HiringHow to hire your first FDE
How senior to go, where to find candidates, how to run the interview loop and the mistakes we see most often.
Read the guide →HiringInterview questions that reveal a great FDE
Twelve questions, and what a strong answer sounds like.
Read the guide →Building the teamHow many FDEs per customer?
How teams structure FDE pods and how many accounts one engineer can realistically carry.
Read the guide →Building the teamYour new FDE's first 90 days
How to ramp a new FDE without throwing them at your hardest customer on day one.
Read the guide →The Field Notes newsletter
We send one email a month about hiring FDEs and running a deployment team.