Forward Deployed Engineer
Forward Deployed Engineer for Hire in Canada
Pineau Labs is a fractional Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) service for companies that need AI deployed inside their business, not sold to them as a SaaS. I scope the use case, build the integration, ship it to production, and stay on the account until it moves a real business metric. Based in Canada, available as a contractor worldwide.
The role
What a Forward Deployed Engineer actually does
Palantir invented the Forward Deployed Engineer model fifteen years ago. An FDE is not a sales engineer or a customer success manager. They are a senior software engineer who embeds inside a client company, maps the internal data and workflows, designs the architecture, writes the production code, debugs what breaks, and stays on the engagement until the deployment hits a measurable outcome.
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and AWS are now all hiring Forward Deployed Engineers aggressively. Anthropic calls the same role an Applied AI Engineer. The titles vary, the work is the same: take a foundation model or an AI platform and turn it into a system that is load-bearing infrastructure for one specific business.
The model works because most companies do not have a SaaS-shaped problem. They have data scattered across five systems, a workflow that does not map cleanly to any vendor's product, and a compliance posture that rules out the easy path. An FDE solves for that specific company. That is the value.
FDE skill stack
- Senior software engineering judgment
- Solutions architecture across messy stacks
- Production AI integration (LLMs, agents, RAG)
- Direct client communication, no account-manager layer
- Ownership of the deployment until it works
Related titles I have been hired under: Applied AI Engineer, AI Integration Engineer, AI Solutions Engineer, Embedded AI Engineer, fractional CTO with AI delivery, AI deployment consultant.
Engagement shape
What I deliver as a Forward Deployed Engineer
Big tech FDE programs are built for Fortune 500 deployments and priced accordingly. I run the same playbook for companies that need the work but cannot justify a six-figure annual engagement with a vendor team.
Use case scoping
Walk through the workflows, data, and constraints. Decide which problem is worth solving first. Cut the ones that look good in a slide but break in production.
Architecture & integration
Design the harness that connects an LLM, agent, or RAG system to the client's existing data and systems. Pick the right model, the right tools, and the right boundaries.
Production code, shipped
Write the integration code, deploy it, instrument it, and harden it. Agentic AI does the parallel work. I make every architecture decision and own every line that ships.
Stay until it works
An FDE is not done at handoff. I stay on the account through the first real user load, the first incident, and the first review cycle. Until the deployment is moving the metric you cared about.
Why fractional
A Forward Deployed Engineer on a contractor basis
A senior FDE at OpenAI, Anthropic, or Palantir runs $350,000 to $550,000 in total compensation, and that is before you factor in the vendor's services markup. Hiring one direct is not realistic for most Canadian businesses, and most mid-market companies, and most Series A startups. Even when the budget exists, the engagement length usually does not.
I run the same engagement shape on a fractional or contractor basis. You get a senior engineer embedded in your business, not a vendor team selling you software. No account manager layer, no upsell cycle, no proof-of-concept theater. Scoped engagements, fixed-price sprints, or a monthly retainer if the work runs longer.
Based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Available as a contractor across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Comfortable working async, comfortable flying out for kickoff, comfortable embedding remotely for the duration.
Who hires a fractional FDE
Need someone senior to own the AI build from scope to ship without funding a full-time hire.
Have the use case and the data. Need an engineer who has shipped this kind of system before, not a sales pitch.
Tried a prototype, hit production realities, and need a senior outside engineer to get the deployment over the line.
Just bought a company with an AI roadmap and no senior engineering. Need someone to keep the build moving while the team gets hired.
The stack
Why I can run this engagement
25 years shipping production software. CTO experience leading product teams. A decade in regulated healthcare codebases. Acquirer-side perspective from buying and scaling a company. Four software engineering patents. Daily practice with frontier AI agents on my own products, including a full-stack AI platform with 30+ AI tools and 16 autonomous agents built with Claude Code from day one.
How to engage
Three ways to bring me in as your FDE
Fixed-scope sprint
Pick a sprint from the catalog. AI Integration, Prototype, Security, SOC 2, HIPAA. Scoped, time-boxed, fixed-price. The fastest way to a real deployment.
See the catalogMonthly retainer
Fractional CTO or ongoing FDE engagement from $2,500/month. Right when the work runs longer than a sprint and you want a senior engineer on call.
See retainer detailsCustom engagement
Multi-phase builds, R&D on novel agent patterns, code modernization at scale. Custom scope, custom quote, hourly engagements start at $200/hr.
Send me the projectNeed a Forward Deployed Engineer?
Tell me what you are trying to deploy. I will tell you whether it is a fit, what scoping looks like, and how fast it can be done.
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