Solutions Architect (Media, Entertainment and Agencies)
About this role
Databricks builds a unified platform that over 20,000 organizations worldwide use to scale data and AI applications, analytics, and agents. The London-based team needs a Solutions Architect to lead technical strategies and drive platform adoption for accounts within the media, entertainment, and agencies sector.
In this role, the person will design scalable solutions spanning data engineering, machine learning, and real-time analytics while acting as a trusted advisor to customer architects and engineering leads. Candidates should combine deep technical expertise with strategic thinking to position the company as the core foundation of their customers' data operations.
What you will do
- Lead the complete technical strategy for assigned customer accounts from initial discovery to production deployment.
- Design scalable, production-grade solutions covering data engineering, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and real-time analytics.
- Advise customer architects, engineering leads, and directors as a trusted technical authority.
- Drive technical wins in competitive scenarios by showcasing custom-built solutions.
- Establish an emerging technical specialization and serve as an internal domain resource for the team.
- Coordinate cross-functional resources including specialist architects and partners to deliver comprehensive customer solutions.
- Relay structured feedback regarding customer requirements and competitive gaps to influence product direction.
What you need
- Bring at least six years of professional experience in solutions architecture, data engineering, technical pre-sales, or a senior hands-on technical role.
- Demonstrate strong coding proficiency in Python and SQL through live coding, debugging, and solution-building evaluations.
- Possess deep expertise in distributed data systems architecture, including scalable pipelines, streaming architectures, lakehouse patterns, and cloud-native platforms.
- Show proficiency on the Databricks platform or the proven ability to achieve proficiency rapidly with a developing technical specialization.
- Facilitate architecture discussions with senior technical stakeholders involving whiteboarding, design reviews, and trade-off analysis.
- Manage production deployments on public cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, or GCP with attention to infrastructure, security, and governance.
- Communicate complex technical architectures effectively to translate them into business value for technical and executive audiences.
- Hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a quantitative discipline, or possess equivalent practical experience.
Nice to have
- Databricks certifications such as Data Engineer, Machine Learning, or Platform
- Experience with competitive platforms including Snowflake, AWS native services, or Azure Synapse
- Background working at a data and AI company or cloud provider
- Industry domain expertise in media, entertainment, and agencies
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the interview process for this role?
The hiring process starts with a recruiter screen followed by a hiring manager screen. Candidates then complete a design and architecture interview, a live coding assessment, a build, demo, and pitch presentation, and finally a reference check.
What technical stack and coding skills are required?
The position requires strong coding proficiency in Python and SQL, including live coding, debugging, and solution-building evaluations. Candidates must also have expertise in distributed data systems architecture and proficiency on the Databricks platform.
What domain background is preferred for this position?
The team focuses on the media, entertainment, and agencies sector. Having industry domain expertise in this specific area is considered a nice-to-have qualification.