Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Digital Native Business
About this role
Delivering production-grade systems and designing reference architectures directly with clients occupies the core daily schedule for this engineering role at Databricks. The team builds solutions to complex data and artificial intelligence challenges, requiring practitioners to own technical design choices and implement end-to-end applications that span data engineering and machine learning. Individuals in this capacity operate cross-functionally with product, engineering, and developer relations to shape strategic initiatives while embedding directly within client environments.
Candidates must combine technical execution with customer empathy, guiding stakeholders through evaluations and platform adoptions. Successful practitioners bring deep distributed computing expertise, adaptability, and a strong interest in solving client-facing technical problems that drive measurable business outcomes.
What you will do
- Build and productionize solutions to data and artificial intelligence challenges using the Databricks Platform.
- Own architecture and design decisions to ensure solutions remain secure, scalable, and aligned with client needs.
- Guide strategic customers through the implementation of transformational big data and AI applications.
- Embed with customer teams to understand challenges and deliver high-impact technical implementations.
- Contribute accelerators, frameworks, and best practices that scale impact across multiple accounts.
- Collaborate with engineering and customer support to provide product feedback and resolve engagement issues.
What you need
- Bring at least six years of professional experience in software engineering, data platforms, or data engineering.
- Write code comfortably in Python, Scala, or JavaScript and TypeScript using modern frameworks.
- Demonstrate deep experience with distributed computing via Apache Spark and familiarity with its runtime internals.
- Possess working knowledge of two or more cloud ecosystems such as AWS, Azure, or GCP, with deep expertise in at least one.
- Design and deploy performant production data architectures that integrate data pipelines, AI models, and user interfaces.
- Manage technical project delivery by handling scope, timelines, and translation of complex concepts into actionable solutions.
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the location and travel policy for this role?
This role is focused on the San Francisco Bay Area, and candidates should be based there, willing to relocate, or able to travel to the area at least one week per month. Travel to customer sites is required about 20 percent of the time.
What is the compensation range for this position?
The local pay range for this role is $182,000 to $250,208 USD. Actual compensation packages are based on factors including job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant training, and specific work location.
What technical background is required?
Applicants need six or more years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, or data platforms and analytics. The position also requires proficiency in Python, Scala, or JavaScript/TypeScript, along with deep experience using Apache Spark.