Mission owner
Engagement Lead
3
Own discovery, scope, client communication, trade-offs and acceptance — turning an ambiguous goal into a deliverable mission.
DiscoveryScopingClient alignmentAcceptance
§20Founding FDE 20
Building the last mile of enterprise AI
Not another freelance gig.Build a Mission Pod.
OpenFDE is inviting its first 20 core FDEs, 3 Engagement Leads and 3–5 delivery partners to turn frontier models into production systems that enterprises can operate, evaluate and improve.
Invitation-based networkSet your own rateTerms agreed before kickoffGrow through outcomes
Founding network
core FDEs
20
First certification
Certified FDEs
12–15
Engagement model
No project means no compensation
Per project
§01Why join now
Real missions first. A trusted network second.
OpenFDE is not opening a marketplace where anyone can register and bid. Enterprise AI delivery needs business discovery, systems engineering, evaluation and field communication to work as one accountable unit. The founding network starts small, rigorously assessed and built through real collaboration.
Not this
No race-to-the-bottom bidding, résumé pool or promise of a salary without work.
This
Transparent rates, project-based engagements, peer collaboration and outcome ownership.
§02Who we need first
Build the accountable core before scaling the network.
We prioritize people who have shipped real enterprise work, can enter an ambiguous business environment and can move a problem toward an accepted outcome. Early-career pathways will open after the core layer is stable.
Systems delivery
Agent FDE
6–8
Ship RAG, agents, tool use, enterprise integrations and production deployments that go beyond the demo.
Agent systemsIntegrationProductionField debugging
Quality foundation
Eval / Data FDE
3–4
Own tracing, evals, data engineering, quality gates, safety and observability so the system stays measurable and improvable.
EvalsData engineeringObservabilitySafety
Domain judgment
Industry FDE
3–4
Initially focused on cross-border commerce, private-domain sales and B2B services — turning domain judgment into executable workflows.
Domain depthProcess designOutcome metricsDistillation
Also recruiting 3–5 boutique delivery partners
Each partner should have at least two certifiable FDEs and adopt shared standards for Mission Pods, data governance, evaluation and delivery retrospectives.
§03Why join
What you actually get by joining.
In-person home base
200㎡
A real place to work, good air conditioning, and peers to ship with.
This is more than a virtual talent pool. OpenFDE has a 200㎡ shared office with very good air conditioning. Founding members can use scheduled open sessions for coworking, mission kickoffs, solution reviews and delivery retrospectives.
CoworkingMission kickoffsSolution reviewsMember events
01
Spend less time finding clients
Get matched through enterprise discovery, partners and community channels. We aim to share scope, timing and budget before commitment. Work is not guaranteed, but blind bidding is not the model.
02
Set your rate. Engage when there is a project.
Joining the network is free, but it is not employment or a salary guarantee. Compensation begins only after a real project starts and both sides confirm scope and rate.
03
Do not carry the whole mission alone
An Engagement Lead owns client alignment, scope and acceptance, with agent, eval, data and industry specialists added as needed.
04
Reuse delivery infrastructure
Use shared gateways, collectors, eval tooling, data-safety checklists, acceptance templates and industry solution packs.
05
Get reviews and backup from peers
Scope is reviewed before kickoff, delivery gets peer review, and hard field problems can be debugged with people who have seen similar systems.
06
Turn every mission into reputation
Certification, project evidence, client feedback and sanitized cases compound over time, with approved work featured in showcases and future matching.
§04Support model
Bring your capability. We take on the operational drag.
Joining a delivery network should mean more than entering another group chat. OpenFDE takes responsibility for the coordination around the work so FDEs can focus on judgment, engineering and client outcomes.
What drains FDEs
OpenFDE mechanism
What you gain
What drains FDEs
Finding clients and repeating low-signal sales calls
OpenFDE mechanism
Aggregate enterprise discovery, partner referrals and public missions, then run an initial match
What you gain
Less blind bidding and more time on work that fits
What drains FDEs
Ambiguous requirements and constant scope expansion
OpenFDE mechanism
An Engagement Lead structures discovery, scope, milestones and acceptance
What you gain
You do not have to be salesperson, PM and support desk at once
What drains FDEs
Contracts, reconciliation, invoicing and collection
OpenFDE mechanism
Shared terms, milestone records, client reconciliation and settlement workflow
What you gain
Clearer income expectations and less administrative work
What drains FDEs
Rebuilding delivery tooling and standards every time
OpenFDE mechanism
Shared eval, tracing, data-governance, security and acceptance assets
What you gain
Reach production faster and reduce individual delivery risk
What drains FDEs
Independent work that leaves little public reputation
OpenFDE mechanism
Evidence enters the Skills Passport and approved outcomes are showcased
What you gain
Results become proof for the next mission and a higher rate
§05Certification funnel
More than a résumé. More than a coding test.
We care about how you understand a business, make trade-offs, recover from failure and ship into production. The process combines human judgment with evidence from real work.
- 01Step 01
Apply / Referral
Share GitHub, work samples, real projects, domain experience, availability and expected rate.
- 02Step 02
Skills Passport
Build a living record of technical, domain, delivery and collaboration evidence.
- 03Step 03
Project debrief
Walk through two real projects in 45 minutes, focusing on your decisions and contribution.
- 04Step 04
Solution review
Discuss architecture and trade-offs using prior work or a sanitized prompt, without producing a commercial deliverable for a client.
- 05Step 05
Security & data training
Cover customer data, access boundaries, model risk and delivery traceability.
- 06Step 06
Project match & agreement
When a suitable project exists, confirm scope, timing, rate and settlement before joining the delivery pod. No project means no compensation.
Joining the network is not employment or a guaranteed project.
Application, certification and network membership are free. OpenFDE does not pay a bench salary while members wait for a match. Compensation begins only under a separately agreed, active project.
§06Scorecard
75 overall, with a hard safety threshold.
Security, privacy & data awareness must score at least 12 / 15.
| Capability | Score |
|---|---|
| Enterprise problem discovery & solution design | 20 |
| Agent & systems engineering | 25 |
| Evals, quality & observability | 20 |
| Communication, ownership & delivery | 20 |
| Security, privacy & data awareness | 15 |
| Total | 100 |
§07Growth path
From contributor to co-owner of a delivery practice.
01
Contributor
02
Candidate FDE
03
Certified FDE
04
Engagement Lead
05
Delivery Partner
06
Practice Partner
Progress is not measured by hours online. It comes from verified outcomes, client trust, peer collaboration and reusable assets.
§08The first 90 days
Recruiting, certification and real delivery move together.
01–14
Set the standard
Finalize role briefs, Skills Passport, scorecard, solution-review prompts and data-safety material.
15–30
Targeted invitations
Invite through trusted referrals and open-source work, then hold the first briefing.
31–45
Project interviews
Run 30 real project debriefs and assemble the first evidence-backed profiles.
46–60
Certification review
Twenty candidates enter solution reviews and complete security and data training.
61–90
Lighthouse Projects
Successful candidates join 2–3 live missions and certify through outcomes.
DAY 90
Demo Day
Publish the certified cohort, sanitized outcomes, retrospectives and next focus areas.
First-cohort targets
0130 project debriefs
0220 certification-review participants
0312–15 Certified FDEs
043 Engagement Leads
§09FAQ
What you may want to know before applying.
Do I need to join full-time?+
Not for the founding cohort. You must be transparent about availability and own the cadence of every mission you accept.
Does joining guarantee project work?+
No. Matching depends on capability, domain experience, availability, rate and client demand. OpenFDE is responsible for building the pipeline and sharing terms early, not attracting talent with fictional work.
How can members use the shared office?+
It is not a return-to-office requirement. Accepted members can use scheduled open sessions for coworking, mission kickoffs, solution reviews, retrospectives and member events. Location and hours are shared after acceptance.
Can I apply without an FDE title?+
Yes. We look for evidence that you entered the business context, connected models to real systems, handled quality issues and owned an outcome.
Do members receive a fixed salary?+
No. Joining the OpenFDE network is not employment and does not include a bench salary or guaranteed project. Compensation starts only after a real project begins under agreed terms.
How does a delivery company join?+
At least two core members first complete the Skills Passport and certification flow, followed by alignment on mission, data and settlement standards.
Join the founding network
If you want enterprise AI to work in the field, join the first cohort.
Join the FDE community, mention “Founding FDE 20,” and include your GitHub, portfolio or a short debrief of one real project. We will contact suitable applicants in batches.
Application, certification and membership are free. Joining is not employment or a guaranteed project.