The Rise of the Forward Deployed Engineer
One of the most interesting developments in the market is the growing demand for so-called Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs). These professionals combine technical AI and software expertise with strong business skills and work directly with end users to actually implement AI solutions and realise value.
While traditional AI Engineers often focus on building models and technical solutions, Forward Deployed Engineers are responsible for translating technology into concrete business results.
According to Edwin Gierstberg, CEO of NXTminds, this is a trend that is also becoming increasingly visible in the Dutch market:
"We are increasingly placing interim Forward Deployed Engineers with our clients. They are among the most sought-after profiles in the market, combining technical expertise, business acumen and implementation capability in a single role. Their value to organisations is difficult to overstate."
The increasing demand for these profiles underlines a broader trend: organisations are not only looking for AI specialists, but professionals who can connect technology, business processes, and change management. This is where the greatest scarcity currently arises.
Major tech companies set the tone
It is noteworthy that the demand is not solely coming from traditional consultancy organisations. Technology providers are investing heavily in AI-related customer roles. Microsoft, Databricks, Google Cloud, and Salesforce together account for dozens of vacancies in roles such as AI Specialist, Customer Engineer AI, AI Solutions Engineer, and Agentforce Consultant.
What these organisations have in common is that they are not only looking for technical AI specialists. They are seeking professionals who can translate technology into business value, guide customers in adoption, and successfully implement and scale AI solutions. Thus, the demand is increasingly shifting from pure development to implementation and value creation.
Consultancy follows the implementation wave
Consultancy and service organisations are also rapidly expanding their AI capacity to meet the growing demand from clients.
Accenture and Capgemini are among the largest employers in this category, with each estimated to have 20 to 40 vacancies for roles such as Applied AI Engineer, Generative AI Engineer, AI Consultant, and AI Engineer. Deloitte follows with an estimated demand for 10 to 25 professionals in AI engineering and generative AI consultancy.
In addition, specialised AI parties such as ML6 and Conclusion Intelligence also see increasing demand for Applied AI Engineers.
The next wave: Agentic AI
Although Generative AI still represents the largest part of the market, a new category of roles around Agentic AI is emerging. These systems can independently perform tasks, make decisions, and coordinate workflows. This shifts the focus from AI as an assistant to AI as an executing colleague.
This development is reflected in the emergence of roles such as AI Agent Engineer, Agentic AI Engineer, AI Workflow Engineer, and AI Automation Engineer. Especially the demand for AI Automation Engineers is growing rapidly, with an estimated 50 to 100 vacancies at consultancy organisations such as Deloitte, Accenture, and Capgemini, but also at specialised AI agencies. Additionally, the demand for AI Agent Engineers and Agentic AI Engineers is growing at companies like Salesforce, AI Republic, Monumental, Lleverage, LangChain partners, and various scale-ups.
The rise of these job titles shows that organisations are increasingly looking for people who do not exclusively develop models. The demand is shifting towards professionals who can integrate AI systems into daily business processes, automate workflows, and thereby create direct operational value.
Why this is relevant for CIOs, CTOs, and CHROs
Many organisations still focus their AI strategy on data scientists and machine learning engineers. These roles remain important, but the market is moving towards a new generation of AI professionals.
Organisations are increasingly looking for people who:
- Implement AI solutions within existing processes
- Automate business processes with AI agents
- Integrate GenAI solutions into enterprise platforms
- Develop AI products that deliver direct value
- Ensure governance, security, and scalability
The fastest-growing roles are therefore no longer exclusively in model development, but rather in implementation and adoption.
Successful hiring strategies distinguish themselves by
1. Focus on impact instead of technology
AI talent wants to work on visible business impact, not just technical experiments.
2. Build an AI career path
New roles such as AI Product Engineer, AI Workflow Engineer, and AI Agent Engineer require new development paths within organisations.
3. Make room for hybrid profiles
The most sought-after professionals combine technical AI knowledge with process improvement, product development, and change management.
4. Think beyond fixed roles
The market is growing faster than the education offering. Temporary expertise through interim AI specialists can help accelerate implementations while internal teams are being built.
Conclusion
The Dutch AI market is in the midst of an implementation wave. The demand is shifting from experimenting to operationalising. Organisations that invest in the right AI profiles today will build an advantage that will be difficult to catch up with.
The biggest challenge is not the technology itself, but attracting professionals who can translate AI into scalable business value.
And that is exactly where the greatest scarcity currently arises.
How NXTminds helps organisations
The demand for AI talent is growing faster than the supply. At the same time, the market is shifting from experimenting to implementing. As a result, there is an increasing need for professionals who not only understand AI but can also actually apply it within complex organisations.
NXTminds helps organisations with immediately deployable AI, Data, and Technology specialists, including AI Engineers, AI Consultants, AI Product Engineers, and increasingly Forward Deployed Engineers. In addition, we support organisations in building sustainable AI capabilities, so that knowledge is not only hired but also structurally embedded within teams and organisations.
Whether it is about accelerating AI implementations, strengthening existing teams, or developing a future-proof AI organisation: we help organisations make the right expertise available at the right time.
Disclaimer: This analysis was conducted using OpenAI Deep Research and based on publicly available sources. Shielded job sites, internal recruitment systems, and non-public vacancies are not included. The numbers mentioned are indicative estimates and may differ from the actual market size. Despite careful analysis, errors or omissions may occur.
