The Forward Deployment Handbook
Career progression
We read everyone on four things:
- Problem. Form the problem with the client, and as you grow, spot the problems they have not named that we can build solutions for.
- Relationship. Build trust, and get the client to open up about what is really not working.
- Delivery and ROI. Get the solution built, deployed in their systems, and producing the result the client is paying for.
- People. Make the people around you better.
Two rules hold at every level. Titles are external only. They tell a client what to expect from you. Inside Wednesday, no one gets to say a thing is not their job. And you move on what you can do, not how long you have been here. Doing the next level's work, consistently, is what earns the next level.
There are four levels. Here they are at a glance, then in full below.
Level | Problem | Relationship | Delivery and ROI | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
L1 · FDE owns a piece | Restate the real problem | Build real relationships, listen | Own the result of your piece | Help newcomers |
L2 · Senior FDE owns a workflow | Form it, spot adjacent problems | Get them to open up | Ship a workflow to a number | Mentor juniors |
L3 · Lead FDE owns an engagement | Hunt problems they have not named | First call when a problem appears | Own the engagement ROI | Run and grow the pod |
L4 · Principal FDE owns a capability | Find what we should build next | The advisor execs call first | Own ROI across a book | Grow the Leads |
The levels in full
Level 1: Forward Deployed Engineer
What you own: a piece of a solution.
- Problem: Does not just take the problem as handed over. Sits with the people who have it, sees how the work really happens, and can restate the real problem plainly. Learns the client's BFSI segment and the four regulators (RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, DPDP).
- Relationship: Builds real relationships with the client's people, not only their own team. Listens more than they talk. Earns trust by doing what they said they would.
- Delivery and ROI: Gets their piece built and running in the client's systems, in production. Owns the result of their piece, not just the code.
- People: Helps the people who join after them. Asks for feedback and acts on it. Shares what they learn.
Level 2: Senior Forward Deployed Engineer
What you own: a whole workflow or solution.
- Problem: Forms the problem for their area with the client, and spots adjacent problems worth solving. Knows the segment well enough to tell a real pain point from a nice-to-have.
- Relationship: Owns day-to-day client contact for their area. Gets people to tell them what is actually not working, the things that never make it into the brief.
- Delivery and ROI: Gets a whole workflow deployed and working in the client's systems, tied to a number the client cares about. Directs the build and makes it land.
- People: Mentors juniors on the problem and relationship work, not just on how to ship.
Level 3: Lead Forward Deployed Engineer
What you own: an engagement and the pod delivering it.
- Problem: Frames the core problems for the engagement. Actively hunts for problems the client has not named that we can build solutions for, and brings them back. Deep in one BFSI segment.
- Relationship: Owns the client relationship for the engagement. Trusted enough that the client brings problems to them first, early, before going to anyone else.
- Delivery and ROI: Accountable for the engagement outcome. Sets the ROI target with the client and gets the pod to hit it. Decides what we reuse and what we build.
- People: Runs the pod and grows the people on it.
Level 4: Principal Forward Deployed Engineer
What you own: a capability and the people in it.
- Problem: Walks a client floor and leaves with the next set of solutions worth building, including on our dime. Sets the firm's view on which BFSI problems are worth solving.
- Relationship: The advisor execs call first. Turns one problem into a long relationship and a growing account.
- Delivery and ROI: Owns outcomes across a book of engagements. Answerable for the ROI clients actually get.
- People: Grows the Leads. Sets the standard others are mentored against.