For Companies

You Don't Have an Applicant Problem.
You Have an Assessment Problem.

We qualify for the competencies that actually drive forward-deployed performance.

Tell Us About Your Role

The Fake FDE Problem

30-40% of “FDE” postings are relabeled sales or solutions roles.

Strong presenter, weak builder. Strong builder, zero discovery ability. Role scoped as a pre-sales demo engineer. If your posting says candidates can be as technical or non-technical as they like, those are not FDEs. We filter signal from noise.

Real FDE Signal
Fake FDE Signal
+Writes and ships production code independently
xReviews code from engineers
+Surfaces real problem underneath stated request
xBuilds toward stated spec without questioning it
+Owns deployment from discovery to adoption
xHands off at implementation
+Builds prototypes in days under ambiguity
xWaits for detailed requirements
+Generates business insight from technical work
xExecutes technical work on business direction

10-Competency Model

What we actually measure.

01

Discovery and Knowledge Extraction

Surfaces the real problem beneath the stated request. Asks the question that reframes the engagement.

02

Problem Framing and Taste

Separates signal from noise in ambiguous briefs. Knows which version of the problem is worth solving.

03

Technical Execution

Builds working things, not just specs. Can ship production changes tied to business outcomes.

04

Iteration Speed

Compresses the loop from problem to prototype to feedback. Weeks of quality in days of effort.

05

Stakeholder Persuasion

Builds champions. Makes complex technical decisions legible to non-technical decision makers.

06

Ambiguity Tolerance

Makes progress without a playbook. Doesn't wait for full requirements to start moving.

07

Full-Loop Ownership

Owns from discovery through deployment through adoption. Doesn't hand off at the hard parts.

08

Customer Empathy

Understands the user's world well enough to anticipate what they didn't ask for.

09

Cross-Functional Communication

Translates between engineering, product, and executive layers. Loses nothing in translation.

10

Delivery Under Production Constraints

Performs when the environment is imperfect, deadlines are real, and the original plan is obsolete.

3-Phase Work Trial

Not a whiteboard interview.

A real simulation of the job. Each phase surfaces a different dimension of the FDE competency profile.

Phase 1

Discovery Simulation

Candidate receives a vague brief from a fictional stakeholder. We measure whether they ask the right questions before building anything.

Phase 2

Prototype Sprint

A 48-hour build exercise with incomplete specifications. We measure execution speed, decision quality under ambiguity, and what they ship.

Phase 3

Executive Readout

Candidate presents to a simulated C-suite panel and must defend their approach and iterate in real time.

Scoring output

Competency heatmap across all 10 dimensionsConfidence rating per competencyHiring recommendation with rationale

Delivery Models

Single or paired, depending on the deployment.

Single FDE Placement

The full-stack FDE profile. Discovery, build, stakeholder management. The unicorn is real. It is just expensive and slow to find. We compress that search.

Recommended for complex deployments

Paired Placement

Discovery FDE plus Technical FDE. Two specialists can outperform one unicorn on high-ambiguity deployments while expanding the addressable talent pool.

Our Process

How we work.

01

Intake and role scoping

30 minutes. We understand your stack, team shape, and what has made previous hires fail.

02

Scorecard alignment

We weight the 10-competency model to your specific deployment context and decision environment.

03

Candidate qualification and slate

Every candidate runs a structured work trial. You receive a competency heatmap, confidence rating, and recommendation.

04

Interview support and close

We stay involved through offer because strong FDE candidates are easy to lose in a weak process.

Book Intake

Bring us the role your existing process cannot fill.

We reply within 48 hours to schedule a 30-minute intake call.