Check my payForward Deployed Engineering salary by level
Forward Deployed Engineering pay in 2026, from entry level to VP, in the highest-paying US markets.
Modeled estimate · Updated October 2026Median base salary, Senior Forward Deployed Engineering, top-tier markets
From entry level to VP, medians run from $119k to $473k.
Individual contributor track
Median base salary in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, and Seattle.
| Title | Median base |
|---|---|
| Associate Forward Deployed EngineeringIC1 Associate / Entry | $119k |
| Forward Deployed EngineeringIC2 Mid-level | $164k |
| Senior Forward Deployed EngineeringIC3 Senior | $215k |
| Staff Forward Deployed EngineeringIC4 Staff | $263k |
| Senior Staff Forward Deployed EngineeringIC5 Senior Staff | $306k |
| Principal Forward Deployed EngineeringIC6 Principal | $355k |
| Distinguished Forward Deployed EngineeringIC7 Distinguished | $409k |
Management track
| Title | Median base |
|---|---|
| Associate Manager, Forward Deployed EngineeringM2 Associate Manager | $226k |
| Manager, Forward Deployed EngineeringM3 Manager | $263k |
| Senior Manager, Forward Deployed EngineeringM4 Senior Manager | $306k |
| Director, Forward Deployed EngineeringM5 Director | $361k |
| Senior Director, Forward Deployed EngineeringM6 Senior Director | $409k |
| VP, Forward Deployed EngineeringE1 Vice President | $473k |
The full range
Every market, the 10th to 90th percentiles, bonus, equity, and new hire grants, adjusted for your industry and company size.
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Where do these numbers come from?
They are modeled estimates built by compensation practitioners from publicly discussed pay and from how companies typically structure salary ranges by level and location. They are not survey results and not any company's actual ranges. Use them to get oriented before a pay conversation, not as an exact offer number.