Hire a Forward Deployed Engineer
I embed in your stack, your Slack, and your release cycle — and I ship production code, not slideware. No account managers, no handoffs. You work directly with the engineer who does the work.
Published pricing. Start in days, not months. Four NVIDIA certifications, earned independently.
What you get
Palantir coined the term "forward deployed engineer" for senior engineers who ship production systems inside customer organizations instead of from across a conference table. That is exactly how I work: embedded, accountable, and shipping.
Embedded in your stack and rituals
Your Slack, your standups, your repos, your runbooks, your release cycle.
Production code in your repo
Real PRs that pass your CI, go through your review, and deploy through your pipeline.
Outcomes owned end to end
I clear your highest-leverage bottleneck and leave tests, docs, and runbooks behind.
Senior judgment on AI systems
Model routing, evals, infrastructure, security, and cost controls — backed by four NVIDIA certifications.
How the engagement works
1
Book a free strategy call
Tell me what is blocked at /strategy-call/. No pitch deck, just engineering.
2
I start within days
NDA, repo access, first standup. No onboarding theater — I clone the repo and ship.
3
Hourly or retainer
$149/hr as you go, or $899/mo for up to 10 hours. Cancel anytime.
Pricing
Published, flat, and the same for everyone. No discovery-call pricing theater.
Hourly Consulting
$149/hour
- →Focused senior-engineering sessions when you need them
- →Code, docs, and runbooks delivered every session
- →No minimum commitment
Monthly Retainer
$899/month
- →Up to 10 hours of embedded senior engineering per month
- →A standing seat in your Slack and release cycle
- →Cancel anytime, no long contract
Hire full-time, hire a firm, or rent an FDE
| Full-time FDE hire | Big consulting firm | FDE as a service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Six-figure salary, plus equity and benefits | Large engagements with senior rates | Published: $149/hr or $899/mo |
| Time to start | Months of recruiting and onboarding | Weeks of scoping and staffing | Days |
| Who does the work | One great hire — if the search lands | Account managers and rotating teams | The senior engineer you talked to |
| Commitment | Employment | Long contracts | Month to month, cancel anytime |
A full-time hire is the right answer when you have a permanent, full-time workload. An FDE on contract is the right answer when you need senior capacity now and want to test the fit before anyone signs anything long-term.
Who this is for
Pre-launch and early-stage startups
You have the vision and the first users, and no time to hire, onboard, and manage a senior engineer. I slot in this week and ship the v1 production system, the AI features, and the CI/CD that lets your small team deploy with confidence. This is the same model as my fractional senior engineer offer.
Enterprises with stalled AI pilots
The demo worked, the executives clapped, and the project has been sitting in a repo ever since. I embed with your team and ship the system — deployment, evals, cost controls, security. Most teams do not have an AI problem; they have a handoff problem. See also engineering services and NVIDIA solutions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an FDE and a consultant?
A consultant advises from the outside and hands you a document. A forward deployed engineer works inside your team — your Slack, your standups, your code review — and is measured by what ships. I do the second thing. If you want a deck, I am the wrong hire.
Do you write production code in our repo?
Yes. PRs against your repository, through your CI and review process, deployed on your pipeline. Every change ships with tests, docs, and a runbook so your team owns it after I leave.
How fast can you start?
Days, not months. A short intro call, an NDA, repo and tooling access, and I am in your standup. Compare that with a hiring process for a full-time senior engineer, which typically runs months before the first commit.
How does pricing work?
Two published options: $149/hour with no minimum commitment, or a $899/month retainer covering up to 10 hours of embedded work. Both are month-to-month and cancelable anytime. The rates are on the site because I think pricing secrecy is a bad way to start a working relationship.
What if we need more than 10 hours a month?
We can mix a retainer with additional hourly sessions, move you to a higher hourly volume, or scope a dedicated engagement. Talk to me on the strategy call and we will right-size it — you will not get a sales team in the loop.
Ready to ship faster?
Prefer email? hello@vibecodingagency.com