Questions about hiring a forward deployed engineer.
If yours isn’t here, ask a founder on the first call. New to the role? Start with what a forward deployed engineer is.
Rate and contract
What does a forward deployed engineer cost?
From $5K a month. The rate depends on the engineer, and we tell you each engineer’s rate when we share their profile. There are no separate recruitment or placement fees.
How does the 2-week trial work?
Every placement starts with a 2-week trial. If you leave during the trial, you pay nothing.
Who owns the IP?
You do. Your contract assigns the work the engineer produces to your company.
What is the notice period?
We agree it with you in the contract before the placement starts, so you know it before you commit.
What does epicX handle for me?
Contracts, payroll and compliance for the engineer: their contract, their salary payments, and local tax and employment rules in their country. Your own company’s legal obligations stay with you.
How do you bill?
Monthly. We take wire transfers, ACH and card payments.
The engineers
How long until I see profiles?
About a week. That covers sharing profiles with you. When an engineer can start depends on the engineer, and we tell you when we share the profile.
Can I interview them myself?
Yes. You choose who joins. You can interview them and give them a test task or a live coding round.
How do you check the bar?
Through live technical interviews, real-world simulations and communication checks. We look for three things: they have worked directly with users or stakeholders, worked out what needed building, and shipped it to production with little direction.
What if the engineer isn’t a fit?
Tell us and we replace them. Replacing an engineer is part of what epicX is responsible for, along with the vetting and the match.
Do they work for other companies at the same time?
No. Placements are full-time, and our contracts with engineers prohibit moonlighting.
Is their English good enough for customer calls?
Fluent English is a baseline requirement. An FDE talks to your users and customers, so we check clarity on a call as well as written communication.
Location and hours
Where are the engineers?
In Pakistan and South Africa. They work remotely by default. Short on-site visits are possible if you want one and sponsor the trip.
How much of my working day will they overlap?
At least 4 hours a day, wherever your team is, including the US West Coast.
How can a remote engineer be “forward deployed”?
Being forward deployed means working close to your users and customers, not sitting in a particular building. Your engineer joins your calls and your channels, talks to your users directly, and works in your day.
Working together
Who directs the engineer?
You do, and you own the result. An FDE needs little direction, but priorities and decisions about your product stay with you. You work directly with the engineer, with no account manager in between.
I’m a non-technical founder. Can this work for me?
Yes, if you can talk to your users and make product decisions. You set the priorities and judge what reaches your users, and the engineer makes the technical calls. epicX doesn’t review the engineer’s work, so if you want someone else to own delivery or check the code, a placement isn’t the right fit.
Does epicX deliver projects?
No. You hire an engineer from us at a monthly rate. We don’t sell fixed-scope projects, and we don’t take over delivery.
Who will I speak to first?
A founder. A founder at epicX takes every first call.