Sr. Manager, Field Engineering - Sports
About this role
Databricks builds unified data and artificial intelligence platforms that organizations use to scale data and AI applications, analytics, and agents. The field engineering leadership team drives technical customer engagement, shapes operational strategy, and aligns business outcomes with technical priorities across major customer portfolios.
Management of field engineering professionals and emerging leaders forms the core of daily responsibilities, alongside defining team roadmaps and partnering closely with sales and product organizations. Practitioners in this position establish repeatable inspection mechanisms, guide stakeholders through complex technical decisions, and leverage AI and automation to enhance operational productivity.
Candidates who succeed in this environment possess strong strategic judgment, a builder mindset, and extensive experience leading customer-facing technical teams in cloud, data, or AI domains. The position suits leaders adept at scaling organizations through other managers and building robust internal playbooks.
What you will do
- Lead, coach, and develop field engineering professionals and emerging people leaders across a broader portfolio.
- Set team strategy and roadmaps connecting customer needs, technical priorities, and business outcomes.
- Partner with sales and cross-functional leadership to shape technical-win strategies and resource allocation.
- Build trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders to improve account and portfolio strategy.
- Establish repeatable inspection mechanisms including portfolio reviews, customer-health reviews, and escalation processes.
- Influence product, engineering, support, and marketing organizations on customer requirements and product gaps.
- Use AI and automation to create one-to-many impact across enablement, execution, and team productivity.
What you need
- Significant experience leading technical customer-facing teams in enterprise software, cloud, data, AI, analytics, or technical consulting.
- Proven ability to hire bar-raising talent, develop leaders, manage performance, and make thoughtful resourcing decisions.
- Experience leading through other leaders or serving as a senior leader on a complex team.
- Strong strategic judgment to identify high-impact priorities, allocate resources, and connect near-term execution to long-term goals.
- Proficient understanding of data and AI technologies, cloud architecture, governance, security, networking, and enterprise adoption considerations.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Nice to have
- Experience with Databricks or comparable data and AI platforms
- Experience leading across multiple segments, geographies, countries, customer portfolios, or technical practices
- Experience designing or improving field engineering, solutions architecture, technical sales, or customer success operating models
- Experience building partner ecosystems and cross-functional communities of practice
- Experience using AI, automation, or dashboards to improve organizational scale and repeatability
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the salary range for this role?
The expected base salary range for Zone 1 is $192,100 to $264,175 USD, while Zones 2, 3, and 4 range from $192,100 to $264,100 USD. Actual compensation packages are based on factors unique to each candidate, including job-related skills, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location.
What technologies and tools are part of the ecosystem?
Databricks provides a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. The work involves data and AI platforms, cloud architecture, governance, security, and networking considerations.
What does the team do and what is the impact of the role?
The team helps shape the strategy, roadmap, and operating model for a significant field engineering portfolio. This position scales impact beyond the immediate team through other leaders, cross-functional initiatives, reusable practices, and strong customer and partner relationships.
What are the core background requirements?
Candidates need significant experience leading technical customer-facing teams in enterprise software, cloud, data, AI, analytics, or technical consulting. A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience is required.