Senior Data & AI Solutions Architect (Forward Deployed)

Databricks; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 182,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Databricks is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to partner with customers on data & AI challenges using the Databricks platform. You will own the architecture, lead design decisions, and deliver end-to-end systems spanning data engineering, AI, and application development.

This hands-on, customer-facing role requires engineering excellence, adaptability, and a strong focus on measurable outcomes. You will travel to customer sites up to 20% and work with cross-functional teams to drive

Qualifications

• 6+ years experience in data engineering, data platforms & analytics, or software engineering.
• Comfortable writing code in Python, Scala, JavaScript/TypeScript, and modern frameworks.
• Working knowledge of two or more Cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure, GCP) with expertise in at least one.
• Deep experience with distributed computing with Apache Spark™ and knowledge of Spark runtime internals.
• Familiarity with CI/CD for production deployments.
• Working knowledge of MLOps, ML/AI models and AI APIs.
• Design and deployment of performant production end-to-end data architectures and applications that combine data pipelines, ML/AI models, and user‑facing interfaces.
• Experience with technical project delivery — managing scope, timelines and measurable outcomes, translating complex concepts into actionable solutions.
• Documentation and white‑boarding skills.
• Experience working with enterprise clients and managing conflicts across a broad stakeholder range.
• Build skills in technical areas, and demonstrate curiosity, adaptability, and eagerness to explore new technologies which support the deployment and integration of Databricks‑based solutions to complete customer projects.
• Travel to customers 20% of the time
• Databricks Certification

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture and end-to-end production solution delivery, building reference architectures, data ingestion and ML/AI model integration.
• Guide strategic customers through end-to-end design, build and deployment of big data and AI applications with input from the customer.
• Bootstrap or implement customer projects to drive successful adoption of Databricks solutions.
• Own the architecture, ensuring security, scalability, and alignment with customer needs and best practices.
• Collaborate with the Databricks technical team, Project Manager, Architect and Customer team to ensure delivery meets requirements.
• Coordinate with Engineering and Customer Support for feedback and rapid issue resolution.
• Embed with customer teams to understand challenges across technical ICs to executives and deliver impact.
• Contribute accelerators, frameworks, and best practices that scale across accounts and influence product roadmaps.

Skills

Python

Scala

JavaScript/TypeScript

Cloud platforms

Distributed computing

CI/CD

MLOps

Architecture design

Customer-facing / consulting

Databricks Certification

Tools

Apache Spark

Job description

Databricks is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to partner with customers on data & AI challenges using the Databricks platform. You will own the architecture, lead design decisions, and deliver end-to-end systems spanning data engineering, AI, and application development.

This hands-on, customer-facing role requires engineering excellence, adaptability, and a strong focus on measurable outcomes. You will travel to customer sites up to 20% and work with cross-functional teams to drive