Demand for Forward-Deployed Engineers Is Leading to $1.5 Million Paychecks

According to a study by executive search firm Christian & Timbers, demand for elite forward-deployed engineers who can put agentic AI into production is driving compensation packages as high as $1.45 million. Enterprises are increasingly hiring these engineers directly onto their own payrolls to build internal AI applications and protect data privacy, creating a competitive talent tug-of-war with tech companies and consulting firms. Open article →