Lead Field Technical Program Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering - Retail, Consumer Goods, Travel, Transportation, & Hospitality

databricks; United States; Remote; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Equity

Job summary

Databricks is seeking a senior, forward-deployed technical program manager to lead complex, customer-facing engineering programs. You will de-risk implementations, guide architectural decisions, and protect customer success across high-visibility engagements without hands-on coding.

You will steer cross-functional teams, balance scope and budgets, and deliver polished program plans, status reports, and customer responses. Strong communication and BI/big data familiarity are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Proven capability to lead large, customer-facing programs without writing code.
• Experience balancing scope, budget, and timelines on complex engagements.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of the most complex customer engagements.
• Guide architectural decisions and communicate trade-offs clearly.
• Surface and mitigate technical risks and dependencies throughout programs.
• Produce polished program plans, status reports, and responses.
• Manage scope, schedule, budget, risk, and resources across multiple programs.
• Escalate delivery issues and drive rapid resolutions with internal teams.
• Facilitate focused discussions to build credibility with engineers and executives.

Skills

Technical program management

Stakeholder management

Technical decision making

BI & big data experience

Tools

BI tools

Data management platforms

Job description

Role overview

Lead complex, customer-facing engineering programs that deliver data and AI platform outcomes for organizations in retail, consumer goods, travel, transportation, and hospitality. This is a senior, forward-deployed technical program management role focused on de-risking implementations, guiding architectural decisions, and protecting customer success across high-visibility engagements. The position blends strategic influence, technical judgment, and customer relationship leadership rather than hands-on coding.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of the most complex customer engagements, providing technical leadership and steering implementation teams toward successful outcomes.
• Guide teams through critical architectural decisions, weighing established patterns against innovative approaches and articulating trade-offs clearly.
• Proactively surface and mitigate technical risks, dependencies, and resource constraints that could threaten timelines or scope.
• Produce polished deliverables such as program plans, status reports, and customer-facing responses that require minimal rework.
• Manage scope, schedule, budget, risk, and resources across multiple concurrent programs with a strong emphasis on technical complexity.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for customer delivery issues, partnering with internal groups to drive rapid resolution.
• Build credibility with engineers and executives by facilitating focused, goal-oriented discussions.

Requirements

• Demonstrated technical acumen and the ability to make sound technology decisions without being a hands-on coder.
• Track record of managing large, complex engagements, including navigating trade-offs between scope, budget, and timeline.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills with experience influencing technical teams and tailoring messages to diverse audiences.
• Familiarity with BI, data management, and big data technologies.
• Proven ability to juggle multiple engagements while sustaining high customer satisfaction.

Benefits and work setup

• Multi-zone US base salary ranges are published for the role, with additional eligibility for performance bonus and equity.
• Comprehensive benefits package is offered, with specifics varying by region.