Forward deployed engineers inside your team, at a published hourly rate
A Senior is USD 45–50 an hour and a Lead USD 55–60, the same table as staff augmentation.
The engineer who hears the problem is the one who fixes it
Consultant, then a team
- Listens
- Writes a brief
- Another team builds
- Ships
Forward deployed engineer
Hears it in your meeting, reads your code, ships into your environment
- Your meetings
- Your code
- Your environment
What is a forward deployed engineer?
A forward deployed engineer is a software engineer who works directly with a customer, inside their team and on their real systems, rather than from a distant product or services team. The role combines building (writing code, wiring integrations, deploying) with understanding the customer's problem first-hand. Clouditive's forward deployed engineers are in LATAM and work in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
The difference from a remote contractor is where the engineer's attention sits: on your production problem and your people, day to day, not on a ticket queue.
Proven on real work
Real clients, dated figures, and a plain note on what was not done.
When our clients need engineers, Clouditive places LATAM engineers on the work, in English, Spanish or Portuguese, across AI, platform, DevOps, SRE and QA. We've run multiple projects this way, and the sourcing cost lets us compete for new work.
Marina Perla, CEOWhat an engineer costs
Same rates as staff augmentation. There is no fixed package for this service.
- You interviewYou meet the engineer who will do the work.
- 6-month minimumBilled per hour worked.
- Free replacementIf they leave or don't fit, we replace them and cover the handover at no cost.
- Lead / ArchitectUSD55–60per hour
- SeniorUSD45–50per hour
- MidUSD35–40per hour
- JuniorUSD30per hour
USD per hour, drawn to one scale
Frequently asked questions
What is a forward deployment engineer?
Another name for a forward deployed engineer: a software engineer who works inside the customer's team and systems, and builds and deploys the work there.
How is an FDE different from staff augmentation?
Staff augmentation adds an engineer to your team under your direction. An FDE is engaged around a customer-facing problem and owns getting it working in that environment.
Is there a fixed-price FDE package?
No. FDE is billed by the hour at our published rates by seniority: Lead or Architect USD 55–60, Senior 45–50, Mid 35–40, Junior 30.
There is no fixed FDE package: forward deployed engineering is billed by the hour at the same published rates by seniority as staff augmentation. Lead or Architect USD 55–60, Senior USD 45–50, Mid USD 35–40, Junior USD 30.
You interview the engineer who will do the work. If that engineer leaves or doesn't fit, we replace them and cover the handover at no cost.
If you want engineers added to your team without the forward deployed framing, staff augmentation is the direct route. If you need a defined outcome first, Discovery delivers a full roadmap in 1–4 weeks.
What languages do your FDEs work in?
English, Spanish or Portuguese. The service is delivered 100% in any of the three.
Where are your engineers from?
LATAM. Clouditive is a nearshore engineering firm with LATAM engineers, working for teams in the US and Latin America.
What are examples of engineering services?
Ours: AI engineering, platform engineering, DevOps, SRE and observability, QA (manual and automation), forward deployed engineering, staff augmentation and fixed-scope projects.
What does being forward deployed mean?
Being forward deployed means working at the point where the product meets the customer, not behind it. A forward deployed engineer sits in the customer's meetings, reads their code and infrastructure, and ships changes into their environment. The value is speed and context: the engineer who hears the problem is the one who fixes it, without a hand-off between a consultant who listens and a team that builds.
Our engineers can cover any of our service areas in that mode: AI engineering, platform engineering, DevOps, SRE and observability, and QA.
Engineers placed with a US consultancy's clients
MojoTrek, a US IT consultancy, is a Clouditive partner. Clouditive provides nearshore LATAM engineers so the consultancy can meet its clients' demand, and sources that talent across LATAM more economically so it competes better.
The relationship spans multiple projects across all our service areas.
Forward deployed engineer vs solutions engineer
A solutions engineer works before the sale: demos, technical questions and a proof of concept that shows the product fits. A forward deployed engineer works after it, inside the customer's team and systems, writing the code that makes the product work in that environment and staying until it runs. Our FDEs are billed by the hour like staff augmentation, from USD 30 for a Junior to USD 55–60 for a Lead.
Tell us your case.
We reply to every request within 1 business day. We sign an NDA before the call if you ask.