Lead/Senior Solutions Architect – Retail & CPG (Data & AI)

Databricks Inc.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading data-driven company is seeking a Lead/Senior Solutions Architect based in London, UK, with a focus on the Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods sectors. This role involves shaping long-term data strategies, mentoring junior architects, and fostering partnerships with stakeholders across the business. Candidates should possess strong technical expertise in cloud platforms and programming, alongside experience in navigating complex enterprise environments. Travel to customer sites will be required as part of the position.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits

Flexible scheduling

Remote work options

Qualifications

• Experience in the Retail or CPG sectors, focusing on consumer data.
• Skills in managing complex, strategic accounts with multiple stakeholders.
• Hands-on experience with Big Data solutions on public cloud platforms.

Responsibilities

• Shape long-term data strategies for enterprise-scale organizations.
• Build partnerships with stakeholders from developers to executives.
• Mentor junior architects and guide the technical team.

Skills

Retail/CPG Knowledge

Technical Solutions Design

Stakeholder Engagement

Programming (Python, Java, Scala)

Collaboration

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Location: London, UK (Remote/Flexible with travel)

Reports to: Senior Manager, Field Engineering

The Opportunity: Reshaping the Future of Retail

From personalised shopping experiences to sustainable supply chains, data is the engine driving the Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industries forward. At Databricks, we are looking for a strategic technical leader to help the world's biggest brands turn their data into intelligence.

As a Lead/Senior Solutions Architect, you won’t just be building architectures; you will be building relationships, strategies, and the future of our team. You will act as a bridge between business goals and technical reality, ensuring our customers succeed and our internal teams thrive.

Why You’ll Love This Role

• Strategic Influence: You will move beyond purely technical tasks to shape long-term data strategies for complex, enterprise‑scale organisations.
• Mentorship & Leadership: As a senior member of the team, you will have a direct hand in coaching junior architects, fostering a culture of learning and "technical championship."
• Defined Career Paths: We don’t guess about your growth. You can choose to develop in four clear tracks: Technical Specialisation, Industry Thought Leadership, Strategic Customer Vision, or People Management.

Our Philosophy

We value curiosity over perfection. If you have experience in data and a passion for the Retail/CPG space, but don’t meet every single technical requirement, we encourage you to apply. We are interested in your potential and your ability to solve complex problems.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Trusted Advisory: You will build authentic partnerships with stakeholders—from developers to C‑suite executives—helping them understand the vision of the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform.
• Strategic Planning: Partner closely with Account Executives to design engagement strategies that address the specific, high‑stakes needs of large Retail/CPG customers.
• Team Coaching: Act as a mentor for the wider team, guiding them on how to prioritise use cases and build technical credibility with clients.
• Ecosystem Integration: Solution complex engagements involving the broader cloud ecosystem (AWS, Azure, GCP) and third‑party tools to ensure a seamless experience for the customer.
• Thought Leadership: Elevate your profile by leading workshops, creating customer‑facing content, and speaking at industry meet‑ups.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for a blend of technical expertise, industry insight, and emotional intelligence.

Industry & Strategic Experience:

• Retail/CPG Knowledge: Experience working within the Retail or CPG sectors, understanding the nuances of consumer data, supply chains, or merchandising.
• Enterprise Engagement: Experience navigating complex, strategic accounts. You know how to manage multiple stakeholders and long‑term sales lifecycles (Global account experience is a plus, but deep experience with complex large‑scale accounts is the priority).

Technical Expertise:

• Architecture & Cloud: Hands‑on experience designing proofs‑of‑concept for Big Data solutions on public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Coding Foundations: Proficiency in a core programming language (e.g., Python, Java, or Scala) and a willingness to learn Apache Spark.
• Problem Solving: The ability to design creative technical solutions for specialised customer needs.

Communication & Travel:

• Collaboration: You can orchestrate diverse teams to achieve a common goal and explain complex tech to non‑technical leaders.
• Travel: This role requires travel to customer sites in the UK and London offices (approx. 20‑30%). We support flexible scheduling to help manage this travel alongside your personal life.

Nice to Have:

• Databricks Certification.

About Databricks

Databricks is the data and AI company. More than 10,000 organisations worldwide — including Comcast, Condé Nast, Grammarly, and over 50% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to unify and democratise data, analytics and AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow. To learn more, follow Databricks on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Benefits

At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region, please visit https://www.mybenefitsnow.com/databricks.