Forward deployed engineer jobs at Dutch visa sponsors

A forward-deployed engineer (FDE) is a software engineer who works directly with a company's customers to make its product work in their world. FDEs integrate systems, write production code against real customer data, and carry what they learn back to the core product team.

Palantir popularised the role, alongside its "deployment strategists". In the last two years it has spread across AI labs and AI-native startups, which hire FDEs to turn models into working systems for enterprise customers. Several of the employers below, including Mistral AI, Anthropic and OpenAI, list FDE roles.

What the job looks like

Expect hands-on coding (often Python and TypeScript, data pipelines and LLM tooling), a lot of time with customers, and some travel. Titles vary: Forward Deployed Engineer, Deployment Strategist, Applied AI Engineer and AI Solutions Engineer often describe similar work.

Non-EU AI engineers moving to the Netherlands usually come as a highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant). Only employers recognised by the IND as sponsors (erkend referent) can use this route. Every employer on this page appears on the IND public register of recognised sponsors.

The job must also meet the IND salary criterion. For 2026 the gross monthly salary, excluding holiday allowance, must be at least €5,942 if you are 30 or older, €4,357 if you are under 30, and €3,122 under the reduced criterion for recent graduates. Check the current amounts on IND: required amounts.

Being a recognised sponsor means an employer can apply for your residence permit, not that it will for every role. Confirm with the employer.