An open standard for Forward Deployed Engineering, built with practitioners.
FDE Council is an independent, vendor-neutral effort to define what good forward deployed engineering looks like: the skills, judgment and outcomes that separate a demo from a deployment. We’re building it in the open, starting with mortgage and fintech, and everyone doing FDE work is welcome.
The role is spreading faster than any shared definition of it.
Forward deployed engineers sit with customers, learn how the work really runs, and ship systems that hold up in production. Today every employer defines the role differently, and so does every training program. We think engineers, employers and educators need one shared, vendor-neutral reference that nobody owns and anyone can use.
Independent
Vendor-neutral by design. We don’t sell training, and no single company controls the framework.
Open
The framework is published under CC BY 4.0 and shaped by public comment. Earlier versions stay available.
Practitioner-led
Written with the people who do the work and the people who hire them, and defined by observable behavior, not years of experience.
What we’re building
Open competency framework
8 domains, 3 proficiency levels, and a first specialty track for mortgage and consumer lending. Open for comment.
Read the frameworkState of FDE 2026
An anonymous community survey on roles, scope, tooling and pay. Results are shared back free, in aggregate.
About the surveyFDE Salary Report
A monthly, fully cited view of FDE compensation from public postings and self-reported data.
See the latest reportPractitioner roundtables
A short monthly session where FDEs and FDE leaders compare notes on real deployments, hosted in our LinkedIn group.
Go to the LinkedIn groupHelp shape it from the start.
We’re forming a founding community of practitioners, FDE teams, employers and educators. Founding members review drafts before anyone else, join the roundtables, and are recognized as founders.
Forming.
We’re inviting a small group of FDE leaders, practitioners and industry voices to guide the framework. Members will be named here once they’ve confirmed.
Get the drafts as they’re published.
Occasional email when a new framework draft, survey or salary report is out. No more than once a month. Unsubscribe anytime.