One of the fastest-growing jobs in Silicon Valley sends engineers straight to customers’ offices to get AI up and running—and pays more than $188,000

Forget building AI from a Silicon Valley office .

One of tech’s fastest growing jobs is sending workers directly to customers to configure AI tools, integrate software, and solve complex business problems.

Job postings for “forward-deployed” engineers rose more than 1000% between January and August 2026, compared to the same period last year—and more than 4,600% compared to 2023, according to Lightcast data.

That far outpaces the broader tech job market, where postings grew 13% year over year.

Similar growth has been reported on LinkedIn and Indeed, according to The New York Times .

The concept isn’t entirely new.

Palantir has long been known for its forward-deployed model, in which technical employees work closely with customers to build and implement software in the field.

Now, as companies race to effectively deploy AI into business processes, that model is spreading like wildfire.

“Companies are increasingly tapping into powerful AI models and struggling to turn those models into something that actually works inside of their business, as connecting them to proprietary data, existent systems and specific workflows can be a big roadblock to overcome, Paul Farnsworth , president of tech career platform Dice, told Fortune .

“Forward-deployed engineers can help fill that gap.” And the jobs come with a substantial paycheck.

Lightcast data shared by Farnsworth found that the median advertised salaries for forward-deployed engineers was more than $188,000—compared to roughly $145,000 for traditional software engineers .

At some tech giants like Anthropic, compensation for some forward-deployed roles can even reach $400,000.

The Palantir brainchild that’s spreading across tech firms Palantir currently has around four dozen open forward-deployed positions, mostly in software development.

Candidates have the opportunity to apply for client-specific opportunities, including major corporations like Intel , defense organizations like NATO , and governments like Norway.