---
title: 'Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) at Databricks'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/sr-manager-ai-forward-deployed-engineering-fde-databricks-california-m0rs3n7pnp8r'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) at Databricks

- **Company:** Databricks
- **Location:** California
- **Compensation:** $233k–$320k
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-09-11
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://databricks.com/company/careers/open-positions/job?gh_jid=8779014002

## Job description

Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE)

FEQ227R363

Mission

The AI Forward Deployed Engineering (AI FDE) team is a highly specialized customer-facing AI team at Databricks. We deliver professional services engagements that help customers build and productionize first-of-its-kind GenAI applications, and we work cross-functionally with AI Product, Research, and Engineering to shape long-term strategic priorities.

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 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. Candidates should expect to travel at least once a month.

While candidates in the listed location(s) are encouraged for this role, candidates in other locations will be considered.

The impact you will have:

- Lead and scale a high-performing AI forward deployed engineering team, including hiring, mentoring, and building a team structure to support long-term growth and execution at scale
- 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
- 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
- Partner with Field Engineering and Sales leadership to set strategy for strategic accounts and coordinate delivery across functions
- Lead strategic AI initiatives, practice development, and scalable delivery processes
- Own OKRs for AI-services led accounts, revenue, utilization, and public references
- Represent Databricks as a thought leader in AI through conference talks, published content, etc.

What we look for:

- Experience building and managing high-performing teams of AI/ML scientists, engineers, and leaders
- Ability to scope, sell, and deliver technical engagements in enterprise environments, including managing escalations and ensuring successful customer outcomes
- Strong, current technical depth in AI/ML foundations, with the ability to contribute meaningfully in architecture reviews and the curiosity to stay current as the field evolves
- Experience leading teams that have shipped production AI solutions in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
- Proven success developing strategy with senior executive stakeholders to define program-level goals, align technical vision, and build trust throughout complex enterprise engagements
- Experience driving AI transformation across enterprise customers, spanning applied AI product management, organizational change management, and stakeholder alignment
- Experience working across Sales, Product, and GTM to connect AI delivery to business outcomes
- Graduate degree in a quantitative discipline (Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, Operations Research, etc.) or equivalent practical experience

Preferred:

- Experience in a customer-facing leadership role
- Experience working with Databricks

Pay Range Transparency

Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents 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. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipates utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page [here](https://www.databricks.com/sites/default/files/2024-08/us-pay-zone-mapping.pdf).

Local Pay Range $232,900—$320,200 USD

## 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. To learn more, follow Databricks on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/databricks), [X](https://x.com/databricks), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@Databricks), and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/databricksinc/?hl=en).

## 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 click [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/154un3e8Xav4BceOSlcYFZRGEuQI54xMxVydRwQn54eQ/edit?usp=sharing).

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.

Compliance

If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.

## About Databricks

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Databricks provides a unified data and AI platform built on an open lakehouse architecture, enabling organizations to manage data, analytics, and AI at scale.
- **Entity Type**: Private (late-stage, last reported valuation ~$43B in 2021, but current valuation not publicly disclosed)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2013
- **Founders**: Original creators of Apache Spark™, Delta Lake, MLflow, and Unity Catalog (co-founders include Ali Ghodsi, Matei Zaharia, Ion Stoica, Patrick Wendell, Reynold Xin, among others)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Data & AI Platform / Enterprise Software
- Target customers: B2B – Enterprise, SMB, and government organizations; over 20,000 customers worldwide, including 70% of the Fortune 500
- Mission: “Simplify and democratize data and AI, helping data and AI teams solve the world’s toughest problems.” [databricks.com](https://www.databricks.com/company/about-us)

## Products & Services
- **Databricks Data Intelligence Platform**: Unified platform for data engineering, data warehousing, data science, machine learning, and AI. It integrates open-source technologies like Apache Spark, Delta Lake, MLflow, and Unity Catalog.
- **Lakebase**: Serverless Postgres database integrated with the lakehouse, built for the AI era.
- **Genie**: AI-powered natural language assistant for data insights and querying.
- **Agent Bricks**: Tools for building AI agents that continuously improve quality and accuracy on an organization’s data.
- **Additional offerings**: Data warehousing, business intelligence, governance, data engineering, and AI/ML services.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company; last reported valuation of $43B in 2021 from a Series I round, but no recent official disclosure)
- **Key Metric**: Over 10,000 employees; 20,000+ customers; 70% of Fortune 500; 1,200+ global partners [databricks.com](https://www.databricks.com/)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not explicitly listed in search results, but known investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global, Microsoft, and others. Partners include major cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) and consulting firms.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount of 10,000+ employees; offices in 30+ locations across 20+ countries; 5x Leader in Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ Reports; LinkedIn job postings growing 26.7% year-over-year (783 active positions) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/databricks)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Open lakehouse architecture**: Combines data lake and data warehouse capabilities with open-source standards, avoiding vendor lock-in.
- **Founding team behind Apache Spark, Delta Lake, MLflow**: Deep technical credibility and active open-source community.
- **Unified platform**: Single solution for data engineering, analytics, and AI, reducing complexity for enterprises.
- **Strong data governance**: Unity Catalog provides centralized access control and lineage.
- **AI-native**: Built-in AI capabilities (Genie, Agent Bricks) that leverage an organization’s own data.

## Strategic Focus
- Expanding AI capabilities with natural language interfaces and autonomous agents.
- Deepening integrations with cloud providers and open-source ecosystems.
- Scaling enterprise sales and global footprint (30+ offices, focus on EMEA and APAC).
- Cultivating a developer and data science community through university programs and open-source contributions.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as “innovators, builders and truthseekers” with a focus on solving hard technical problems. Emphasizes inclusion, diversity, and equity, including closing the pay gap and removing unconscious bias from recruitment. [databricks.com](https://www.databricks.com/company/careers)
- **Work Environment**: Hybrid/flexible work model; benefits and perks include health, well-being, and flexible ways of working. Offices in major cities globally.
- **Engineering Culture**: Strong emphasis on open-source, AI, and data infrastructure. Opportunities for interns and new grads to contribute to core platform. Hackathons, board game nights, and social events.
- **Growth**: Fast-growing company (10,000+ employees, 20,000+ customers) with ambitious scaling plans, offering career advancement in engineering, sales, product, and more.

## Sources
1. [Databricks About Us](https://www.databricks.com/company/about-us)
2. [Databricks Careers](https://www.databricks.com/company/careers)
3. [Databricks Homepage](https://www.databricks.com/)
4. [Databricks LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/databricks)

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