Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering
About this role
Databricks needs a technical leader to guide customers through complex AI transformations and scale the Forward Deployed Engineering team in India. The AI FDE team delivers professional services that help organizations build and productionize generative artificial intelligence applications while partnering with internal product and engineering groups to guide long-term strategy.
Management of high-performing data science and machine learning talent falls directly under this position, along with overseeing a portfolio of major enterprise accounts. The person in this role will cultivate executive relationships, direct technical engagements, and align service delivery with revenue and utilization goals.
Candidates based in Bangalore or Mumbai who bring deep technical expertise in machine learning foundations and a history of scaling specialized engineering teams will find a strong operational fit here. Reporting to the India FDE leader with a dotted line to the APJ AI FDE leader, the successful candidate must be prepared for monthly travel.
What you will do
- Lead and scale a high-performing AI forward deployed engineering team by handling hiring, mentorship, and organizational structure.
- Influence Product, R&D, and GTM teams to ensure customer insights inform the product roadmap and go-to-market strategy.
- Build and expand executive relationships with key customers and partners while acting as a trusted technical advisor.
- Partner with Field Engineering and Sales leadership to set account strategies and coordinate cross-functional delivery.
- Own objectives and key results for AI-services led accounts, revenue, utilization, and public references.
- Represent the organization as a thought leader in artificial intelligence through conference talks and published content.
What you need
- Demonstrated experience building and managing teams of AI and machine learning scientists, engineers, and leaders.
- Ability to scope, sell, and deliver technical engagements in enterprise environments while managing escalations.
- Strong, current technical depth in AI and machine learning foundations to contribute to architecture reviews.
- Experience leading teams that have shipped production AI solutions in cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
- Proven success developing strategy with senior executive stakeholders to define program-level goals and align technical vision.
- Experience driving enterprise AI transformation across applied product management and stakeholder alignment.
- Background working across Sales, Product, and GTM functions to connect AI delivery to business outcomes.
- Graduate degree in a quantitative discipline like Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, or Operations Research, or equivalent practical experience.
Nice to have
- Experience in a customer-facing leadership role
- Experience working with Databricks
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
Where is this role located?
The ideal candidate is based out of Bangalore or Mumbai. Candidates should also expect to travel at least once a month.
Who does this position report to?
You will report directly to our India FDE leader and dotted line to the APJ AI FDE leader.
What team will I be joining?
You will join the AI Forward Deployed Engineering team, which is a highly specialized customer-facing AI team at Databricks.