124 forward deployed engineers roles are open right now across Accel's portfolio — out of 15,326 open roles at 290 of the 777 companies we track. 34% of the portfolio is at Series B–D, the stage where these searches close fastest. Plan on a median of 90 days from open requisition to signed offer.
Accel is the lead investor in 777 companies in our database. 290 of them are hiring right now, with 15,326 open roles between them — 124 of those forward deployed engineers positions.
The portfolio skews later than most people assume: 268 companies at Series B, C or D, against 138 at Series A and 110 at Seed. That matters for compensation, because the band moves with stage.
Across forward deployed engineers placements we have signed in the last 24 months (n=14), base compensation lands at $160,000 at the 25th percentile, $170,000 median, and $175,000 at the 75th.
| Stage | Portfolio companies |
|---|---|
| Series B–D | 268 |
| Series A | 138 |
| Seed | 110 |
| Total tracked | 777 |
| Technical role | Open positions |
|---|---|
| Software Engineer | 1,144 |
| Product Manager | 310 |
| Engineer | 179 |
| Engineering Manager | 148 |
| Solutions Engineer | 107 |
| Data Scientist | 102 |
Titles are normalised across applicant tracking systems, so seniority variants tally together —
"Senior Software Engineer, Backend" and "Software Engineer II" both count as software engineer. The
list is scoped to technical and product roles.
The ratio matters more than the absolute count. A portfolio hiring 124 forward deployed engineers against
15,326 open roles overall is telling you how specialised its hiring has become, and
specialised hiring is where an in-house team runs out of pipeline first.
Across our own signed forward deployed engineers placements in the last 24 months (n=14), base compensation runs $160,000 at the 25th percentile, $170,000 median and $175,000 at the 75th.
Stage moves the band more than title does. A company that has raised a Series C is competing with
other Series C companies for the same shortlist, and it is usually the equity component — not base —
that decides the offer.
The brief, almost always. Three stakeholders describe the role differently, the shortlist reflects
the average of those three descriptions, and nobody is enthusiastic. Stage, salary band and
reporting line are fixable in a week. A role that has not been agreed is not.
Across our placements, the median search runs 90 days from open requisition to signed offer.
If a search has produced no client-stage candidate inside the first month, the honest move is to
re-scope rather than keep sourcing against a brief that is not landing.
How many forward deployed engineers roles are open across Accel's portfolio?
124 right now, of 15,326 open roles across 290 hiring companies.
What stage are most of these companies?
268 of 777 are at Series B, C or D; 138 at Series A and 110 at Seed.
What should we budget for forward deployed engineers?
$170,000 base at the median, with the 25th-to-75th range running $160,000 to $175,000.
How long does a forward deployed engineers search take?
A median of 90 days from open requisition to signed offer, based on our own signed placements.
Should we use a contingent or retained search?
Contingent suits a role with a wide candidate pool and an urgent start. Retained suits a scoped,
senior or hard-to-source role where you need the firm to turn work away to focus on yours.
Tell us about your open roles and we'll start sourcing within 48 hours.
