Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering (AI-FDE)

Databricks, Inc.; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Databricks, Inc. is seeking a world-class leader to build and grow the EMEA Forward Deployed AI Engineering team.

You will lead customers through AI/ML transformations, push our product frontier, recruit and develop top data scientists and ML engineers, and manage a portfolio of key EMEA accounts. Reporting to the Head of EMEA AI FDE, you will collaborate with Product, R&D, and GTM to align strategy, shape roadmaps, and drive enterprise delivery, with a company-wide focus on scalable processes

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading data science/ML teams.
• Strong track record in scaling AI services.
• Experience with GenAI and cloud ML deployments.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale a world-class AI/ML professional services team.
• Develop executive relationships with EMEA customers and partners.
• Align with Field Engineering and Sales to define joint strategies.
• Own OKRs for AI-services led accounts, revenue, and utilization.
• Represent Databricks as a thought leader in AI/ML.

Skills

Team leadership

AI/ML expertise

Customer-facing

Strategic thinking

Education

Graduate degree in quantitative discipline

Job description

• Lead and scale a world-class AI/ML professional services team, including hiring, mentoring, and building a team structure to support long-term growth and execution at scale
• Develop and expand executive relationships with EMEA customers and partners (including VP+, CIO/CDO-level stakeholders), acting as a trusted advisor during complex technical engagements and AI transformations
• Align with Field Engineering and Sales Leaders to define joint strategies for strategic accounts and ensure strong delivery coordination across functions
• Lead strategic AI PS initiatives, practice development, and standardised delivery processes; design scalable engagement models and reusable solutions for repeatability across the global team
• Shape cross-functional collaboration by influencing Product, R&D, and GTM-ensuring voice-of-customer insights and delivery learnings help inform the product roadmap and GTM strategy
• Own OKRs for AI-services led accounts, revenue, utilisation, and public references
• Represent Databricks as a thought leader in AI/ML
  Extensive experience managing, hiring, and building a team of high-performing data scientists/ML engineers and leaders, with a track record of scaling organisations through developing scalable processes and cultivating leaders
• Ability to scope, guide, and sell technical engagements, manage escalations, and ensure successful delivery in enterprise environments
• Deep technical expertise in ML, GenAI, and data science, and curiosity to continue to stay up-to-date in this ever-changing field
• Experience leading teams building cutting-edge production ML solutions in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• Proven success in developing a strategy with senior executive stakeholders to define program-level goals, align technical vision, and build trust throughout complex enterprise engagements
• Demonstrated experience in cross-functional leadership roles, collaborating with Sales, Product, and GTM teams to drive business impact through AI/ML
• "Company-first" mindset
• Graduate degree in a quantitative discipline (Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, Operations Research, etc.) or equivalent practical experience

Preferred

• Experience in a customer-facing consulting or professional services leadership role
• Experience working with Databricks
  The Forward Deployed AI Engineering (AI FDE) team is a highly specialised customer-facing AI team at Databricks. We deliver professional services (PS) engagements to help our customers build and productionize first-of-its-kind AI applications with a focus on GenAI. We work cross-functionally with AI/ML Product, Research, and Engineering to shape long-term strategic priorities and initiatives.

We are looking for a world-class leader to lead and grow our EMEA AI FDE team. In this role, you will lead customers on their AI/ML transformation with Databricks, push the boundaries of our product, recruit and develop top data scientists/machine learning engineers, and manage a portfolio of key EMEA accounts. You will report directly to the Head of EMEA AI FDE., Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide - including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 - rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram.
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 click here.