Senior Forward-Deployed Data & AI Architect

Databricks; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Databricks is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to work closely with customers, owning architecture and delivering end-to-end data, AI and application solutions on the Databricks platform.

You will lead design decisions, implement production-grade systems, and collaborate with engineering, product, and customer teams to maximize business impact. Travel about 20% is expected to meet client needs and drive success.

Qualifications

• 6+ years experience in data engineering, data platforms & analytics, or software engineering.
• Proficient in Python, Scala, or JavaScript/TypeScript with modern frameworks.
• Experience with two or more cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure, GCP) in at least one.
• Deep experience with distributed computing using Apache Spark and Spark internals.
• Familiarity with CI/CD for production deployments.
• Knowledge of MLOps, ML/AI models and AI APIs.
• Ability to design and deploy scalable end‑to‑end data architectures that combine pipelines, ML/AI models, and UI.
• Experience delivering technical projects with clear scope, timelines and outcomes.
• Excellent documentation and white-boarding skills.
• Experience with enterprise clients and managing stakeholder conflicts.
• Databricks Certification is a plus.
• Willingness to travel ~20%.

Responsibilities

• Lead production-grade solutions delivery for data and AI initiatives.
• Architect end-to-end systems spanning data engineering, AI, and applications.
• Embed with customer teams and guide architecture, design and deployment decisions.
• Ensure secure, scalable solutions aligned with customer needs and Databricks best practices.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, and customer teams to deliver engagements.
• Provide product feedback to support rapid issue resolution during engagements.
• Create reusable accelerators, frameworks, and best practices.

Skills

Data engineering

Python

Scala

JavaScript/TypeScript

AWS

Azure

GCP

Spark

CI/CD

MLOps

Databricks Certification

Job description

Databricks is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to work closely with customers, owning architecture and delivering end-to-end data, AI and application solutions on the Databricks platform.

You will lead design decisions, implement production-grade systems, and collaborate with engineering, product, and customer teams to maximize business impact. Travel about 20% is expected to meet client needs and drive success.