Sr. Manager, Ai Forward Deployed Engineering (Ai-Fde)

Databricks; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Databricks is seeking a senior leader for the Forward Deployed AI Engineering (AI FDE) team based in London, UK. You will lead and grow a customer‑facing AI/ML professional services group, drive strategic engagements, and manage a portfolio of EMEA accounts while reporting to the Head of EMEA AI FDE.

You will recruit and develop data scientists/ML engineers, shape delivery models, and collaborate with Product, R&D and GTM to influence the roadmap and ensure high‑impact outcomes for enterprise

Qualifications

• Extensive experience hiring and building high‑performing data science/ML teams.
• Ability to scope, guide and sell complex technical engagements in enterprise settings.
• Deep ML/GenAI and data science expertise with staying current in the field.
• Experience leading teams delivering production ML solutions in cloud environments (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Proven ability to align executive stakeholders to program goals and build trust across organizations.
• Cross‑functional leadership with Sales, Product and GTM to drive AI/ML impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale a world‑class AI/ML professional services team with hiring, mentoring and structured growth.
• Develop executive relationships with EMEA customers and partners at VP+ and CIO/CDO levels.
• Coordinate with Field Engineering and Sales to define joint strategies for strategic accounts and ensure delivery coordination.
• Shape reusable engagement models and standardized delivery processes for scalable impact across the global team.
• Influence product, R&D and GTM with voice‑of‑customer insights to inform roadmaps and strategy.
• Own OKRs for AI services led accounts, revenue, utilization and public references.

Job description

Location: London, United Kingdom - Remote location for candidates to be based in the United Kingdom region only (not remote from any other country)

Mission

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.

The impact you will have:

• 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

What we look for:

• 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

Preferred:

• Experience in a customer-facing consulting or professional services leadership role
• Experience working with Databricks

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Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering (AI-FDE) London, United Kingdom