# Forward deployed engineer jobs in Spain (2026)

> A forward deployed engineer (FDE) is a software engineer who works with one customer at a time to build and launch software on that customer's own systems. This guide explains the role, shows live FDE job and salary figures from Spain Dev Jobs, and covers language, travel, the Highly Qualified Professional permit and interviews.

Source: Spain Dev Jobs, https://spain-devjobs.com/guides/forward-deployed-engineer-jobs-in-spain
Category: Job search. Last updated: 2026-10-22.

Forward deployed engineer is one of the newer job titles in tech. You write production code like any software engineer, but you do it next to one customer, on that customer's data and systems. On Spain Dev Jobs we group these jobs on one page: [forward deployed engineer jobs](https://spain-devjobs.com/jobs/role/forward-deployed-engineer).

This guide explains what the job is, how it differs from similar roles, and how to get one in Spain as an English speaker. The job and salary figures below load live from the jobs on this board, so they are always current.

## What does a forward deployed engineer do?

PostHog traces the role back to Palantir, where engineers were sent to customer sites to work side by side with the people using the software ([PostHog](https://posthog.com/blog/forward-deployed-engineer)). Palantir still uses the title. It says its forward deployed software engineers "work directly with customers to quickly understand their greatest problems and design and implement breakthrough solutions" ([Palantir](https://www.palantir.com/uk/careers/)).

Palantir also explains how the job differs from a product engineer. Its software engineers sit in product development, and its forward deployed engineers sit in business development, with a mandate "to achieve technical and operational outcomes for our customers". In its words, a product engineer's focus is "one capability, many customers", while a forward deployed engineer's focus is "one customer, many capabilities" ([Palantir](https://www.palantir.com/careers/students-and-early-talent/)).

AI companies now use the title in the same way:

- **ElevenLabs** says its forward deployed engineers build rather than only advise. They work with a customer's team to scope, design and launch production AI systems, and connect them to the customer's CRMs, contact centres, APIs and data sources ([ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io/agents/forward-deployed-engineers)).
- **Databricks** describes its forward deployed engineering team as technical people with leadership and consulting skills, who help customers with architecture, prototypes and DevOps integration ([Databricks](https://www.databricks.com/forward-deployed-engineering)).

PostHog sums up the daily work as meeting customers to understand the problem, configuring and building software for them, and passing customer feedback back to the product teams ([PostHog](https://posthog.com/blog/forward-deployed-engineer)).

### FDE, solutions engineer or sales engineer?

The titles overlap, and the same title can mean different jobs at different companies. PostHog notes that at some companies FDEs "are much closer to technical consultants or sales engineers" ([PostHog](https://posthog.com/blog/forward-deployed-engineer)). When you read an ad, these questions help you tell the jobs apart:

| Question | Closer to the original FDE role | Closer to a pre-sales or support role |
|---|---|---|
| What do you deliver? | Production code that runs for the customer | Demos, proofs of concept, configuration |
| How long do you stay with a customer? | Weeks or months on one account | Short cycles around a sale |
| Who do you report to? | Engineering or a deployment team | Sales or customer success |

Palantir also has a separate, non-coding deployment role, the deployment strategist ([Palantir](https://www.palantir.com/uk/careers/)). Our FDE page lists engineering jobs only. It includes forward deployed engineering managers and team leads, but not product managers or strategists with "forward deployed" in the title.

## Forward deployed engineer jobs in Spain right now

_Live figures for forward deployed engineer jobs on this board appear here. If they don't load, see all [forward deployed engineer jobs](https://spain-devjobs.com/jobs/role/forward-deployed-engineer)._

Many FDE jobs are also AI jobs. A job called "Forward Deployed AI Engineer" appears both on the FDE page and on the [machine learning and AI jobs](https://spain-devjobs.com/jobs/role/ml-ai) page, so it's worth browsing both. Our guide to [AI jobs in Spain for English speakers](https://spain-devjobs.com/guides/ai-and-ml-jobs-in-spain-for-english-speakers) covers the wider AI market.

## Companies hiring forward deployed engineers

_The companies with open forward deployed engineer jobs on this board appear here. If the list doesn't load, open the [forward deployed engineer jobs](https://spain-devjobs.com/jobs/role/forward-deployed-engineer) page to see who is hiring._

Titles vary between employers: forward deployed engineer, forward deployed software engineer, forward deployed AI engineer and similar. We list a job on the FDE page when its title says "forward deployed" or "forward deployment".

## Forward deployed engineer salary in Spain

_Salary figures from the FDE job posts on this board that state a salary appear here. If they don't load, check the salary in each post on the [forward deployed engineer jobs](https://spain-devjobs.com/jobs/role/forward-deployed-engineer) page._

Only some job posts state a salary, so the table appears only when enough of them do. To see what a gross salary means in take-home pay, use the [salary after tax calculator](https://spain-devjobs.com/salary-after-tax). If an offer is paid in 14 payments, read [bruto a neto and 14 pagas](https://spain-devjobs.com/guides/spanish-job-offers-explained-bruto-vs-neto-14-pagas). For pay across all tech roles, see our [software engineer salary guide](https://spain-devjobs.com/guides/software-engineer-salaries-spain).

## Skills employers ask for

The employer pages above point to the same mix of skills:

- **Production engineering.** You ship code that runs on the customer's systems. Palantir's engineering interviews look at writing good code, analysing its efficiency, solving technical problems and working inside existing systems ([Palantir](https://www.palantir.com/careers/getting-hired/)).
- **Integration and infrastructure.** Connecting new software to what the customer already runs: CRMs, contact centres, APIs and data sources at ElevenLabs, and architecture and DevOps integration at Databricks ([ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io/agents/forward-deployed-engineers), [Databricks](https://www.databricks.com/forward-deployed-engineering)).
- **AI in production.** At AI companies the job is mostly about getting models and agents working on real customer data ([ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io/agents/forward-deployed-engineers)).
- **Customer discovery and communication.** PostHog lists strong communication skills to run discovery with customers and explain technical ideas to different audiences ([PostHog](https://posthog.com/blog/forward-deployed-engineer)).
- **Security and compliance.** Enterprise customers expect it. ElevenLabs names SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR and HIPAA for its deployments ([ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io/agents/forward-deployed-engineers)).

Each job post names its own stack, so read the requirements line by line.

## Do you need Spanish?

All jobs on Spain Dev Jobs are at companies where English is the working language. An FDE works closely with customers, though, and many customers in Spain work in Spanish. So some FDE posts ask for Spanish or another language for the customer side of the work, even when the team itself works in English.

Read the language line in each post. "Spanish is a plus" usually means it isn't required. Our guide to [tech jobs in Spain without Spanish](https://spain-devjobs.com/guides/tech-jobs-spain-without-spanish) has more on how to read these lines.

## Travel, customer sites and remote work

Expect travel. PostHog says FDEs are often required to travel 20 to 50% of the time, unless they only do virtual visits, and that the job can mean working from the customer's office for weeks ([PostHog](https://posthog.com/blog/forward-deployed-engineer)). It also shows the other end: PostHog's own FDE works fully remote and async.

Before you apply, check three things in the post:

1. **How much travel**, and whether it stays within Spain or the EU.
2. **Where the customers are**: a factory, a bank or a public body can each mean different working hours, security checks and office rules.
3. **Where you must live.** "Remote" FDE jobs often still expect you to live in Spain or the EU. See [remote jobs](https://spain-devjobs.com/remote-jobs) and our guide on [how remote Spanish tech jobs are](https://spain-devjobs.com/guides/how-remote-are-spanish-tech-jobs).

## Visa route: the Highly Qualified Professional permit

If you are not an EU citizen and you have a job offer in Spain, the usual route is the Highly Qualified Professional (HQP) permit, as an EU Blue Card or a national permit ([Ley 14/2013](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2013-10074)). For the Blue Card version you need a degree of at least three years or five years of relevant experience, and for ICT professionals three years of relevant experience in the last seven years is enough. You also need a contract or firm offer of at least six months ([Ley 14/2013, article 71](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2013-10074)).

The salary must be at least 1.4 times the average gross annual earnings in the INE's salary survey. A reduced rate of 80% applies to some shortage occupations and to people who got their qualification in the last three years ([Order PJC/44/2026](https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-2142)).

- Check the current euro figure and test an offer with the [EU Blue Card Spain salary check](https://spain-devjobs.com/visa-salary-check/eu-blue-card-spain).
- Our [work visa guide](https://spain-devjobs.com/guides/spain-highly-qualified-professional-visa) explains the steps.
- If you work remotely for a company outside Spain, the digital nomad (international teleworker) visa may fit better ([Spanish consulate](https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/washington/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/Consular/Telework-visa.aspx)).
- If the job means long stays at customer sites in other countries, ask the employer how that fits your permit.

Start with [jobs open to applicants abroad](https://spain-devjobs.com/jobs/apply-from-abroad) and [jobs that mention visa sponsorship](https://spain-devjobs.com/visa-sponsorship-jobs).

## How to apply and what the interview looks like

Interviews for FDE roles test both engineering and how you work with customers. Palantir says its interview process depends on whether you apply as a forward deployed engineer or a software engineer. Everyone starts with one or two phone interviews, then a round of on-site or virtual interviews, and Palantir encourages candidates to ask clarifying questions and talk through their approach ([Palantir](https://www.palantir.com/careers/students-and-early-talent/), [Palantir](https://www.palantir.com/careers/getting-hired/)).

To prepare:

- **Pick two or three stories** where you built something for a real user, changed it after feedback and got it into production.
- **Practise open-ended problems.** Ask questions first, agree on what success means, then design.
- **Show you can work inside messy systems:** legacy code, other teams' APIs, strict security rules.
- **Apply from abroad with a plan:** see [Spanish tech jobs you can apply for from abroad](https://spain-devjobs.com/guides/spanish-tech-jobs-you-can-apply-for-from-abroad).

To hear about new jobs, set a job alert on the [forward deployed engineer jobs](https://spain-devjobs.com/jobs/role/forward-deployed-engineer) page.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a forward deployed engineer?

A forward deployed engineer is a software engineer who works directly with a customer to build and launch software on that customer's systems. Palantir, where the role started, describes the focus as "one customer, many capabilities", compared with "one capability, many customers" for a product engineer.

### Is a forward deployed engineer the same as a solutions engineer?

Not always. In the original Palantir sense, a forward deployed engineer writes and ships production code for one customer. PostHog notes that at some companies the title is closer to technical consulting or sales engineering. Read what the ad says you will deliver and who you report to.

### How much does a forward deployed engineer earn in Spain?

See the salary table in this guide. It is built from the FDE job posts on Spain Dev Jobs that state a salary and updates automatically. Only some posts state a salary, so check each post on the forward deployed engineer jobs page too.

### Which companies hire forward deployed engineers in Spain?

The company list in this guide shows the employers with open FDE jobs on Spain Dev Jobs right now. It changes as jobs open and close, so check the forward deployed engineer jobs page for the latest posts.

### Do forward deployed engineers travel a lot?

Often, yes. PostHog says FDEs are often required to travel 20 to 50% of the time and can work from a customer's office for weeks. Some FDE jobs are remote, so check the travel line in each job post.

### Do I need Spanish to work as a forward deployed engineer in Spain?

Not for the team: every job on Spain Dev Jobs is at a company where English is the working language. Some posts ask for Spanish or another language for customer work, so read the language line in each post.

### Which work permit do I need for an FDE job in Spain?

Most non-EU engineers with a job offer use the Highly Qualified Professional permit, as an EU Blue Card or a national permit. The salary must be at least 1.4 times the INE average gross annual earnings, with a lower rate in some cases. Our EU Blue Card Spain salary check shows the current figure.

*Job titles, salaries and visa rules change. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice; check the official links before you rely on a figure.*

## Sources

- https://www.palantir.com/uk/careers/
- https://www.palantir.com/careers/students-and-early-talent/
- https://www.palantir.com/careers/getting-hired/
- https://posthog.com/blog/forward-deployed-engineer
- https://elevenlabs.io/agents/forward-deployed-engineers
- https://www.databricks.com/forward-deployed-engineering
- https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2013-10074
- https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-2142
- https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/washington/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/Consular/Telework-visa.aspx