Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering - Manufacturing

Databricks Databricks · Data AI · CA · Remote · Professional Services Operations

Manager of Forward Deployed Engineers and AI Engineers focused on helping enterprise clients adopt Databricks for data and AI, including GenAI and AI agent deployments. The role involves leading a team, driving regional performance, managing client engagements, and ensuring delivery quality.

What you'd actually do

  1. Drive regional performance targets including billable utilisation, team growth, and hiring while championing delivery excellence and customer success across the FDE portfolio
  2. Lead high-stakes enterprise engagements: partner with Account Executives, Engagement Managers, and Field Engineering leaders to position and deliver transformational PS programs spanning data migrations, AI/ML platforms, and advanced analytics
  3. Champion delivery governance and operational rigor: establish best practices for project oversight, risk management, and quality standards that scale with a growing FDE & AI Engineering practice
  4. Act as executive escalation point for critical customer situations, leveraging deep technical credibility and leadership judgment to protect strategic relationships and drive resolution
  5. Develop and retain exceptional technical talent: mentor Forward Deployed Engineers and AI Engineers through structured career pathways, technical coaching, and a culture of innovation, mastery, and continuous growth

Skills

Required

  • people leadership
  • technical delivery teams management
  • solutions architect
  • data/AI engineer
  • enterprise environments
  • executive presence
  • stakeholder management
  • Databricks
  • Apache Spark
  • MLflow
  • Delta Lake

Nice to have

  • AI Engineers
  • GenAI
  • MLOps
  • AI agent deployments
  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Retail
  • Telco
  • Energy
  • direct competitor experience

What the JD emphasized

  • 4+ years of people leadership experience managing high-performing technical delivery teams
  • 5+ years of hands-on individual contributor experience as a technical solutions architect or data/AI engineer
  • Demonstrated success leading large-scale data platform migrations and AI/ML programs within enterprise environments

Other signals

  • leading organisations migrate to the lakehouse
  • build next-generation AI and GenAI systems
  • unlock sustained business value from their data investments
  • architect and deliver mission-critical solutions
  • cutting-edge generative AI, MLOps, and AI agent deployments