Senior Data & AI Engineer (Databricks Specialist)

Cognida.ai; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognida.ai is looking for a Data & AI Engineer in Hyderabad, India. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience (8-10 years) and be adept at building data pipelines and demos using the Databricks ecosystem.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent and strong skills in Python and SQL. You will design robust data solutions and collaborate across global teams to deliver AI-driven insights.

Join a team committed to democratizing AI for all businesses, ensuring no enterprise is left behind.

Qualifications

• 8 to 10 years of experience in data engineering.
• Proven track record with Databricks Unity Catalog.
• Experience with designing and implementing data pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement robust data pipelines using Databricks.
• Build scalable ETL/ELT pipelines focusing on performance.
• Create and demonstrate functional data and AI demos.

Skills

Proficiency in Python/PySpark

SQL

Databricks architecture knowledge

Data engineering principles

Agility in building POCs

Excellent communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or equivalent

Tools

Databricks Lakehouse

Spark (PySpark/SQL)

Job description

8 Years

Full-Time

About Cognida.ai

Our Purpose is to boost your competitive advantage using AI and Analytics.

We Deliver tangible business impact with data-driven insights powered by AI. Drive revenue growth, increase profitability and improve operational efficiencies.

We Are technologists with keen business acumen - Forever curious, always on the front lines of technological advancements. Applying our latest learnings, and tools to solve your everyday business challenges.

We Believe the power of AI should not be the exclusive preserve of the few. Every business, regardless of its size or sector deserves the opportunity to harness the power of AI to make better decisions and drive business value.

We See a world where our AI and Analytics solutions democratise decision intelligence for all businesses. With Cognida.ai, our motto is ‘No enterprise left behind’.

A highcaliber Data & AI Engineer who can operate independently while seamlessly collaborating across global time zones.

Position Overview

We are seeking a dynamic, self-driven Data & AI Engineer with deep expertise in the Databricks ecosystem to design, build, and accelerate our next-generation data architecture.

In this role, you won't just write backend pipelines; you will be the bridge between complex data engineering and tangible business value.

A critical measure of success in this role is the ability to rapidly build and execute concrete, high-impact technical demonstrations that showcase the power of unified data and AI.

Because we operate globally, you must thrive in an autonomous, highly flexible environment, collaborating effectively across diverse time zones.

Education

Bachelor's degree, BE/B. Tech in CS or equivalent

Experience

8 to 10 years

Key Responsibilities

Design and implement robust data pipelines utilizing the Databricks Lakehouse platform. Take ownership of data governance, security, and fine-grained lineage using Unity Catalog.

Rapid Prototyping & Demos

Quickly conceptualize, build, and present functional, end-to-end data and AI demos (e.g., live dashboards, real-time pipelines, or LLM/RAG prototypes) to stakeholders and clients.

Core Data Engineering

Build scalable, efficient ETL/ELT pipelines using Spark (PySpark/SQL), Delta Lake, and structured streaming. Ensure optimal performance tuning, partitioning, and cost-management of Databricks clusters.

Work independently with minimal supervision, managing your own schedule to align with global, cross-functional teams.

Required Skills & Qualifications

Databricks & Governance Mastery

Proven track record implementing Databricks Unity Catalog for data governance, access control, and data lineage.

Deep understanding of Databricks architecture, including Delta Lake, serverless compute, and Workflows.

Core Data Engineering Excellence

Strong foundational knowledge of data engineering principles (star schemas, dimensional modeling, data warehousing vs. data lakes).

Advanced proficiency in Python/PySpark and SQL.

Experience building robust orchestrations and handling both batch and real-time streaming data.

Agility & Communication

Exceptional ability to build quick, concrete POCs (Proof of Concepts) and technical demos that clearly translate data capabilities into business solutions.

Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

Certifications such as Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional or Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional.

Experience integrating Databricks with enterprise ecosystems, cloud provider native services (AWS/Azure/GCP), or modern BI tools.

Exposure to building AI/ML workloads (e.g., MLflow, LLM integration, or RAG frameworks) within Databricks.