Director, AI Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE)

CSQ427R87

Mission

The AI Forward Deployed Engineering (AI FDE) team is a highly specialized customer-facing AI team at Databricks. We deliver professional services (PS) engagements to help our customers build and productionize 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 Product, Research, and Engineering.

We are looking for a world-class Director 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 AI engineers, and manage a portfolio of key accounts. You will report directly to the AI FDE Global Leader. This role can be remote in the US with occasional travel required.

The impact you will have:

• Lead and scale a world-class AI 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 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

What we look for:

• 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 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
• Demonstrated experience in cross-functional leadership roles, collaborating with Sales, Product, and GTM teams to drive business impact through AI
• “Company-first” mindset
• Graduate degree in a quantitative discipline (Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, Operations Research, etc.) or equivalent practical experience
  
  

Preferred:

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