Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering; FDE

Central - United States;
Northeast - United States;
Southeast - United States

FEQ
227R143

Note:

This role is remote within the United States, with a strong preference for candidates based in the Eastern or Central time zones. Candidates should expect to travel at least once a month.

The Forward Deployed AI Engineering (AI FDE) team is a highly specialized customer-facing AI team  deliver professional services (PS) engagements to help our customers build and product ionize first-of-its-kind AI applications with a focus on GenAI. We work cross-functionally to shape long-term strategic priorities and initiatives alongside AI/ML Product, Research, and Engineering.

We are looking for a world-class leader to lead and grow our AI FDE team. In this role, you will lead customers on their AI/ML transformation with Databricks, push the boundaries of our product, recruit and develop top data scientists/machine learning engineers, and manage a portfolio of key accounts.

• Lead and scale a world-class AI/ML professional services team, including hiring, mentoring, and building a team structure to support long-term growth and execution at scale.
• Develop and expand executive relationships with key customers and partners (including VP+, CIO/CDO-level stakeholders), acting as a trusted advisor during complex technical engagements and AI transformations.
• Align with Field Engineering and Sales Leaders to define joint strategies for strategic accounts and ensure strong delivery coordination across functions.
• Lead strategic AI PS initiatives, practice development, and standardized delivery processes; design scalable engagement models and reusable solutions for repeatability across the global team.
• Shape cross‑functional collaboration by influencing Product, R&D, and GTM—ensuring voice‑of‑customer insights and delivery learnings help inform the product roadmap and GTM strategy.
• Own OKRs for AI‑services led accounts, revenue, utilization, and public references.
• Represent Databricks as a thought leader in AI/ML.

• Extensive experience managing, hiring, and building a team of high‑performing data scientists/ML engineers and leaders, with a track record of scaling organizations through developing scalable processes and cultivating leaders.
• Ability to scope, guide, and sell technical engagements, manage escalations, and ensure successful delivery in enterprise environments.
• Deep technical expertise in ML, GenAI, and data science, and curiosity to continue to stay up‑to‑date in this ever‑changing field.
• Experience leading teams building cutting‑edge production ML solutions in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Proven success in developing strategy with senior executive stakeholders to define program‑level goals, align technical vision, and build trust throughout complex enterprise engagements.
• Develop and drive a strategic vision for AI transformations across our customers, including product management for applied AI projects, organizational change management for the adoption of AI, and mapping and aligning with key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in cross‑functional leadership roles, collaborating with Sales, Product, and GTM teams to drive business impact through AI/ML.
• [Preferred] Experience in a customer‑facing consulting or professional services leadership role.
• [Preferred] Experience working with Databricks.

Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role are listed below and represent the expected salary range for non‑commissionable roles or on‑target earnings for commissionable roles. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job‑related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location.

Zone 1 Pay Range: $232,900 — $320,200 USD

Zone 2 Pay Range: $232,900 — $320,200 USD

Zone 3 Pay Range: $232,900 — $320,200 USD

Zone 4 Pay Range: $232,900 — $320,200 USD

At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the…