Deployment Strategist

Databricks Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 185,920 - 255,640; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual performance bonus

Equity options

Comprehensive health benefits

Job summary

Databricks Inc. is seeking a Deployment Strategist to bridge customer business challenges and technical solutions. This role involves deep engagement with high-value clients, owning communication from sales to solution launch. Ideal candidates will have strong executive presence, product strategy skills, and a hands-on execution mindset. Experience in high-growth environments is preferred. The position offers a competitive salary range of $185,920 — $255,640, along with comprehensive benefits and an inclusive workplace culture.

Qualifications

• A trusted advisor with excellent communication skills.
• A product thinker capable of performing SWOT analysis.
• A hands-on execution driver who manages agile projects.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Sales to perform deep discovery and value definition.
• Act as 'CEO' of the project, managing PRD and backlog.
• Drive agile execution, manage stakeholder communication, and resolve issues.
• Oversee solution launch and full adoption with user feedback.
• Scope ongoing maintenance and leverage advisor status for further engagements.

Skills

C-suite gravitas

Superb communication skills

Product thinking

Execution mindset

Agile project management

Education

2+ years as a Deployment Strategist or 5+ years in a senior client-facing role

Job description

The FDE (Forward Deployed Engineering) team is a new, strategic initiative sponsored from the CEO and Founders down. Our mission is to win C-suite-sponsored, high-value AI opportunities by selling and delivering outcomes, not just a platform.

You will be part of the founding team, embedded with our most strategic customers from the very first sales call, all the way through to a production-ready solution. You will be the 'product manager' for the customer’s problem, responsible for the 'why' and 'what,' while our FDEs (Engineers) will be your partners responsible for the 'how.'

Role Description

As a Deployment Strategist (DS), you are the critical bridge between a customer’s multi-million dollar business problem and Databricks’ technical solution. You are a 'product manager for the field,' owning the entire non-technical lifecycle of an FDE engagement.

This role requires a rare mix of C-suite gravitas, deep product-style thinking, and a hands‑on, "get it done" execution mindset.

What You’ll Do

• C‑Suite Scoping & Value Definition: Partner with Sales to perform deep discovery, map the customer’s organization, quantify the business value ($10M+ problems), and define the pilot (MVP, success criteria, timeline).
• End‑to‑End Product Ownership: Act as the "CEO" of the project by authoring the PRD, prioritizing the engineering backlog, relentlessly managing scope, and acting as the primary hands‑on QA tester.
• Agile Project Execution & Delivery: Drive the FDE build team via an agile process, manage all stakeholder communications from the C‑suite to individual engineers, and act as the "escalation manager" to unblock all technical or political issues.
• Solution Launch & Landing: Own the "Day 0" launch, manage the war room, and drive the solution from launch to full adoption by capturing user feedback, iterating, and proving the defined business value.
• Strategic Handoff & Growth: Scope the ongoing maintenance plan, create customer documentation/training, and leverage your trusted advisor status to identify the next high‑value FDE engagement.

Requirements

• Executive Presence & Communication: A "Trusted Advisor" with C‑suite gravitas and superb communication skills. You are opinionated, humble, and can build rapport and drive decisions in days, not weeks.
• Product & Strategy Mindset: A "Product Thinker" and "Systems Thinker" who can perform a SWOT analysis, understand a competitive landscape, and define "what" to build and "why."
• Relentless Execution: An "Execution Driver" with a "Hands‑On" mentality. You are relentless, an expert at escalation, and willing to do the unglamorous work to get the project done.
• Ideal Experience: 2+ years as a Deployment Strategist OR 2+ years at a high‑growth startup in a "builder" or "founder" capacity. (Alternatively: 5+ years in a senior, client‑facing "product" or "delivery" role at a top‑tier tech company or consultancy).
• Proven Skills: Demonstrated experience in value‑based scoping (TCO/ROI), managing agile software projects, writing PRDs, and the ability/interest to travel up to 50%.

Pay Range Transparency

Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents the expected base salary range for non‑commissionable roles or on‑target earnings for commissionable roles. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job‑related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipated utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page here.

• Zone 1 Pay Range: $185,920 — $255,640 USD
• Zone 2 Pay Range: $185,920 — $255,640 USD
• Zone 3 Pay Range: $185,920 — $255,640 USD
• Zone 4 Pay Range: $185,920 — $255,640 USD

About Databricks

Databricks is the data and AI company. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including Comcast, Condé Nast, Grammarly, and over 50% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to unify and democratize 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.

Benefits

At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio‑economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.

Compliance

If access to export‑controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.