Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer - National Security

Requisition ID: CSQ427R88. This position requires U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a U.S. government Secret clearance due to federal contract requirements; candidates with an active Secret or higher clearance are strongly encouraged to apply.

About Databricks

Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog.

About the Role

As a Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you will work with federal government customers to build and productionize solutions to their data & AI challenges using the Databricks platform. You will own the architecture, lead design decisions, and implement end-to-end systems spanning data engineering, AI, and application development. We work cross-functionally to shape long-term strategic priorities and initiatives alongside engineering, product, and developer relations. FDEs deliver with customer empathy, integrating with client systems, training, and other technical needs to help customers get the most value out of their data. This is a hands-on, customer-facing role for builders who thrive at the intersection of technology and business impact. The ideal candidate combines engineering expertise with adaptability, curiosity, and a passion for working with customers and teammates to solve complex problems that drive measurable outcomes. FDEs are billable and know how to complete projects according to specification with exceptional customer empathy. This role is hybrid and requires travel to customer locations 20–25% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Lead impactful customer technical projects by delivering production-grade systems, designing and building reference architectures, custom applications, and data ingestion and ML/AI model integration.
• Guide strategic customers as they implement transformational big data projects including end-to-end design, build, and deployment of industry-leading big data and AI applications.
• Work with engagement managers to scope technical delivery work with input from the customer.
• Guide customers on architecture and design; bootstrap or implement customer projects which leads to a customer's successful understanding, evaluation, and adoption of Databricks.
• Lead architecture and design decisions, ensuring solutions are secure, scalable, and aligned with both customer needs and Databricks best practices.
• Work with the Databricks technical team, Project Manager, Architect, and Customer team to ensure the technical components of the engagement are delivered to meet customer's needs.
• Collaborate with Engineers and Customer Support to provide product and implementation feedback and to guide rapid resolution for engagement-specific product and support issues.
• Embed with customer teams, engaging with stakeholders from technical ICs to executives to deeply understand challenges and deliver impact.
• Contribute accelerators, frameworks, and best practices that scale impact across accounts and influence the Databricks product roadmap.

Minimum Qualifications

• 6+ years experience in data engineering, data platforms & analytics, or software engineering.
• Fluency in writing code in Python, Scala, JavaScript/TypeScript, and modern frameworks.
• Working knowledge of two or more common Cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure, GCP) with expertise in at least one.
• Deep experience with distributed computing with Apache Spark™ and knowledge of Spark runtime internals.
• Familiarity with CI/CD for production deployments.
• Working knowledge of MLOps, ML/AI models, and AI APIs.
• Design and deployment of performant production end-to-end data architectures and applications that combine data pipelines, ML/AI models, and user-facing interfaces.
• Experience with technical project delivery, documentation, and white-boarding skills.
• Experience working with enterprise clients and managing conflicts across a broad stakeholder range.

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise in MLOps, ML/AI models, and AI APIs.
• Databricks Certification.

Pay

Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay ranges below represent the expected base salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings for commissionable roles. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors unique to each candidate, including job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. The total compensation package may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and benefits.

• Zone 1 Pay Range: $182,000—$250,208 USD
• Zone 2 Pay Range: $182,000—$250,208 USD
• Zone 3 Pay Range: $182,000—$250,208 USD
• Zone 4 Pay Range: $182,000—$250,208 USD

Benefits

At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region, please refer to the Databricks benefits page.