Sr. Solutions Architect - Financial Services (Hunter)

Databricks Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 219,000 - 301,000; Full time

Job summary

Databricks Inc. seeks a senior, hunter-focused solutions architect targeting financial services.

You will own the most complex pre-sales and adoption engagements, blending deep technical authority with executive relationship management to drive platform consumption and revenue growth across new-logo pursuits. You will lead architecture design for large-scale migrations, real-time streaming systems, and production-grade AI/ML deployments, coordinating cross-functional teams to win and expand

Qualifications

• 8+ years in senior technical pre-sales or solutions architecture.
• Expert Python and SQL with Spark/PySpark hands-on.
• Deep enterprise data architecture and cloud-native design.
• Specialization in real-time architectures, ML/AI platforms, or data governance.
• Proven track record of driving consumption and platform adoption.
• Executive presence to influence directors and C-levels.
• Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical and consumption strategy for complex enterprise financial services engagements, directly influencing adoption and expansion.
• Act as the trusted technical advisor to senior stakeholders, shaping long-term data and AI strategy at the executive level.
• Lead multi-workload architecture design, large-scale migrations, real-time and streaming systems, and production-grade AI/ML deployments.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams (specialist architects, partners, and product) to deliver enterprise-grade solutions.
• Build and execute competitive strategies that position the platform against incumbents and emerging alternatives.
• Mentor junior architects on technical depth, customer engagement, and use-case prioritization, contributing to field engineering thought leadership.

Skills

Solutions architecture

Pre-sales leadership

Executive engagement

Python

SQL

Spark PySpark

Cloud data platforms

Real-time streaming

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering

Tools

Spark

PySpark

Job description

Role overview

A senior, hunter-focused solutions architect role targeting financial services prospects, accountable for the most complex pre-sales and adoption engagements. The position blends deep technical authority with executive-level relationship management to drive platform consumption and revenue growth across new-logo pursuits.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical and consumption strategy for complex enterprise financial services engagements, directly influencing adoption and expansion.
• Act as the trusted technical advisor to senior stakeholders, shaping long-term data and AI strategy at the executive level.
• Lead multi-workload architecture design, large-scale migrations, real-time and streaming systems, and production-grade AI/ML deployments.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams (specialist architects, partners, and product) to deliver enterprise-grade solutions.
• Build and execute competitive strategies that position the platform against incumbents and emerging alternatives.
• Mentor junior architects on technical depth, customer engagement, and use-case prioritization, contributing to field engineering thought leadership.

Requirements

• 8+ years in solutions architecture, principal engineering, technical pre-sales leadership, or a comparable senior customer-facing technical role.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python and SQL, with hands-on experience in Spark or PySpark; candidates complete a live coding assessment and a platform build during the interview process.
• Deep knowledge of enterprise data architecture, including distributed systems at scale, streaming and real-time patterns, modern unified data platform designs, data governance frameworks, and cloud-native environments.
• A declared technical specialization with recognized depth, such as real-time architectures, ML/AI platforms, data governance, large-scale migrations, or industry-specific solutions.
• Proven track record of driving consumption growth and platform adoption within large accounts, including experience leading competitive displacements and complex enterprise evaluations.
• Executive presence with the ability to influence directors, VPs, and C-level stakeholders, paired with strong strategic thinking that connects architectural decisions to business outcomes.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a quantitative discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice to have

• Industry certifications on major data or AI platforms.
• Prior experience at a top-tier data, cloud, or AI vendor.
• Published thought leadership through blogs, conference talks, or open-source contributions.
• Financial services vertical expertise with executive-level domain credibility.

Benefits and work setup

• Local pay range of $219,100–$301,300 USD, with the full range expected to be utilized based on candidate profile; actual compensation varies by location, skills, depth of experience, and relevant certifications.
• Total package may include eligibility for annual performance bonus and equity, along with region-specific benefits.
• Interview process: recruiter screen, hiring manager screen, design and architecture interview, live coding assessment, build/demo/pitch presentation, and reference check.