Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Public Sector/National Security

Vibehackers; Washington, Northern (District of Columbia, KY); Hybrid; USD 182,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Annual performance bonus eligibility

Job summary

Databricks is seeking a Senior Forward Deployed Engineer for Public Sector/National Security in the Washington, DC area. You will work directly with U.S. federal government customers to design, implement, and productionize data and AI solutions on the Databricks platform, owning architecture and end-to-end delivery while collaborating with engineering, product, and customer teams.

This role requires travel ~20–25% and U.S. citizenship with eligibility for a Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in data engineering or software engineering.
• Experience with two or more cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Deep experience with distributed computing using PySpark and Apache Spark; Spark internals knowledge.
• CI/CD for production deployments; MLOps and AI models/APIs.
• End-to-end data architectures combining pipelines, ML/AI models, and user interfaces.
• Experience delivering to enterprise clients and managing stakeholders.
• 10+ years in data transformation/warehousing in enterprise systems.
• Databricks domain expertise and AI APIs; Databricks certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead production solution delivery: design and build production-grade systems and reference architectures.
• Guide end-to-end transformational projects with engagement managers and customers.
• Provide architecture and design guidance; ensure secure, scalable solutions.
• Deliver technical components with Databricks teams, PMs, and customers.
• Collaborate with engineering and support to provide feedback and resolve issues.
• Embed with customer teams to understand challenges and deliver impact.
• Create reusable accelerators and best practices to scale impact.

Skills

Data engineering

PySpark

Apache Spark

Cloud ecosystems

CI/CD

MLOps

Stakeholder management

Production deployment

Security & compliance

Job description

Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Public Sector/National Security

Builds and deploys AI/ML systems and integrates AI APIs on Databricks — relevant to vibe coding but does not mention consumer-facing vibe tools like Cursor or AI coding assistants.

About the Role

Senior Forward Deployed Engineer working with U.S. federal government customers to design, build, and productionize data and AI solutions on the Databricks platform. The role is hands-on and customer-facing, owning architecture and end-to-end delivery while working cross-functionally and traveling to customer sites (20-25%); U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a Secret clearance are required.

Job Description

Role

As a Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) for Public Sector/National Security at Databricks, you will work directly with federal government customers to design, implement, and productionize data and AI solutions on the Databricks platform. You will own architecture and design decisions, implement end-to-end systems spanning data engineering, ML/AI, and applications, and collaborate with engineering, product, and customer teams to drive measurable outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead production solution delivery: design and build production-grade systems, reference architectures, custom applications, data ingestion pipelines, and ML/AI model integrations.
• Guide transformational projects end-to-end, scoping and delivering complex big data and AI initiatives with engagement managers and customers.
• Provide architecture and design guidance; ensure solutions are secure, scalable, and aligned with customer needs and Databricks best practices.
• Deliver technical components in collaboration with Databricks technical teams, project managers, and customer teams.
• Cross-collaborate with engineering and customer support to provide product and implementation feedback and resolve engagement-specific issues.
• Embed with customer teams (from ICs to executives) to deeply understand challenges and deliver impact.
• Create reusable accelerators, frameworks, and best practices to scale impact and influence the Databricks product roadmap.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in data engineering, data platforms & analytics, or software engineering.
• Working knowledge of two or more cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure, GCP) with expertise in at least one.
• Deep experience with distributed computing using PySpark and Apache Spark, including knowledge of Spark runtime internals.
• Experience with CI/CD for production deployments, MLOps, ML/AI models and AI APIs.
• Experience designing and deploying performant production end-to-end data architectures combining pipelines, ML/AI models, and user-facing interfaces.
• Experience in technical project delivery, documentation, and whiteboarding; experience working with enterprise clients and managing stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years experience in data transformation and warehousing within enterprise-level distributed data systems.
• Expertise in MLOps, ML/AI models, and AI APIs.
• Certification in a Databricks-specific domain.

Work Location & Clearance

• This role is hybrid and requires travel to customer locations approximately 20-25% of the time.
• Due to federal contract requirements, U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a U.S. government Secret clearance are required; candidates with an active Secret or higher clearance are strongly encouraged to apply.

Compensation

• Pay Range (listed by Databricks Zones): $182,000 — $250,208 USD (Zone 1–4 ranges shown identically).

Notes

• The role is customer-facing and billable; emphasis on customer empathy, measurable outcomes, and delivering projects to specification.

Skills

Data Engineering System Architecture Distributed Systems Production Deployment MLOps Machine Learning/AI Integration CI/CD Customer Engagement Stakeholder Management Technical Documentation Whiteboarding Cross-functional Collaboration Training and Enablement Security & Compliance

Experience Level

Senior

USD 182,000 - 250,208/year

• Hybrid work
• Eligibility for annual performance bonus