Travel
How much do forward deployed engineers travel?
We read the travel line of every live FDE posting. Here is how much of the job happens on the road, by company, title, level and workplace.
Median travel
50%
of working time
Over half the time
11%
of postings
Based on
355 postings
32% of 1,114 live roles give a number
Data as of
November 10, 2026
Refreshed monthly
What the postings say
- Half of FDE postings that give a number ask for up to 50% travel. 31% stay at 25% or less, and 11% go above half the time.
- Palantir asks for the most of the companies we can measure (typically 25–75%), Addepar the least (15%).
- Remote does not mean no travel: remote FDE roles still ask for a median of 30%, against 50% for on-site roles.
- Senior roles ask for less travel than mid-level roles: a median of 40% against 50%.
- Deployment Strategist roles travel the most of any title, with a median of 75%.
How much travel FDE jobs ask for
Number of postings by the travel figure they state. "Up to 50%" counts as 50%.
FDE travel by company
Companies with 4 or more postings that state a travel figure, most travel first.
| Company | Median travel | Typical line | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 75% | 25–75% | 52 of 85 |
 | 50% | 50% | 32 of 80 |
 | 50% | 50% | 25 of 25 |
 | 50% | 25–50% | 12 of 24 |
 | 50% | 50% | 11 of 11 |
 | 50% | 25–50% | 9 of 18 |
 | 50% | 50% | 4 of 4 |
 | 40% | 20–40% | 9 of 12 |
 | 40% | 40–60% | 4 of 5 |
 | 38% | 30–50% | 4 of 4 |
 | 30% | 25% | 9 of 9 |
 | 30% | 25–30% | 5 of 5 |
 | 30% | 10–30% | 4 of 6 |
 | 25% | 25% | 6 of 9 |
 | 20% | 20% | 40 of 55 |
 | 20% | 20% | 10 of 21 |
 | 20% | 20% | 5 of 6 |
 | 15% | 15% | 5 of 8 |
Travel by workplace
- On-site50%
149 postings · 15% over half the time
- Hybrid50%
163 postings · 9% over half the time
- Remote30%
43 postings · 5% over half the time
Travel by level
- Entry level50%
26 postings · 15% over half the time
- Mid level50%
125 postings · 24% over half the time
- Senior40%
204 postings · 2% over half the time
Travel by job title
- Forward Deployed Engineer50%
228 postings · 5% over half the time
- Other deployment titles30%
57 postings · 2% over half the time
- Deployment Strategist75%
37 postings · 65% over half the time
- Forward Deployed Software Engineer50%
33 postings · 9% over half the time
How we counted
- We read every live, editor-reviewed FDE posting on Top FDE Jobs (1,114 on November 10, 2026).
- 51% mention travel. 32% give a number, and only those are counted here. Lines like "travel as needed" are left out.
- We take the highest figure a posting states: "up to 50%" and "25–50%" both count as 50%. Time on site at customers counts as travel.
- Boilerplate that says travel "varies from 0 to 100%" is left out, because it says nothing about the role.
- This is what employers write in the posting, not what FDEs report after they join.
Questions
- How much do forward deployed engineers travel?
- Most FDE jobs that state a figure ask for 25% to 50% travel, often written as "up to 50%". The median is 50%, from 355 live postings as of 2026-11-10. 11% ask for more than half the time.
- Do remote FDE jobs require travel?
- Yes, usually. Remote FDE postings that state a figure ask for a median of 30% travel, mostly to customer sites. 42% of them stay at 25% or less.
- Which companies ask FDEs to travel the most?
- Among companies with 4 or more postings that state a figure, Palantir asks for the most (typically 25–75%). Addepar asks for the least (15%).
Pay for the same roles: FDE salaries