Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering (fde) – Emea

Databricks Databricks · Data AI · United Kingdom · Remote · Professional Services Operations

Databricks is seeking a Sr. Manager for their Forward Deployed AI Engineering (AI FDE) team in EMEA. This customer-facing role involves leading and scaling a professional services team focused on helping customers build and productionize GenAI applications using Databricks. The manager will develop executive relationships, align with sales, lead strategic initiatives, and drive business impact through AI/ML.

What you'd actually do

  1. 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
  2. Develop and expand executive relationships with EMEA customers and partners (including VP+, CIO/CDO-level stakeholders), acting as a trusted advisor during complex technical engagements and AI transformations
  3. Align with Field Engineering and Sales Leaders to define joint strategies for strategic accounts and ensure strong delivery coordination across functions
  4. Lead strategic AI PS initiatives, practice development, and standardized delivery processes; design scalable engagement models and reusable solutions for repeatability across the global team
  5. 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

Skills

Required

  • Extensive experience managing, hiring, and building a team of high-performing data scientists/ML engineers and leaders
  • track record of scaling organizations through developing scalable processes and cultivating leaders
  • Ability to scope, guide, and sell technical engagements
  • manage escalations
  • ensure successful delivery in enterprise environments
  • Deep technical expertise in ML, GenAI, and data science
  • Experience leading teams building cutting-edge production ML solutions in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
  • Proven success developing strategy with senior executive stakeholders
  • Demonstrated experience in cross-functional leadership roles, collaborating with Sales, Product, and GTM teams to drive business impact through AI/ML

Nice to have

  • Experience in a customer-facing consulting or professional services leadership role
  • Experience working with Databricks

What the JD emphasized

  • lead and grow our EMEA AI FDE team
  • lead customers on their AI/ML transformation
  • manage a portfolio of key EMEA accounts
  • scale a world-class AI/ML professional services team
  • building a team structure to support long-term growth and execution at scale
  • Develop and expand executive relationships with EMEA customers and partners
  • acting as a trusted advisor during complex technical engagements and AI transformations
  • ensure strong delivery coordination across functions
  • design scalable engagement models and reusable solutions for repeatability

Other signals

  • customer-facing AI team
  • build and productionize first of its kind AI applications
  • lead and grow our EMEA AI FDE team
  • lead customers on their AI/ML transformation
  • manage a portfolio of key EMEA accounts