Databricks

Head of AI Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE), Public Sector

Databricks$232K — $320K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Active U.S. government security clearance required (Secret or higher)
  • Extensive experience in managing and building high-performing data science/ML teams
  • Deep technical expertise in ML, GenAI, and data science
  • Proven success developing strategies with senior executives in enterprise environments
  • Graduate degree in a quantitative discipline or equivalent experience

Responsibilities

  • Lead and scale the AI FDE team for the public sector
  • Develop executive relationships with key public sector customers
  • Align strategies with Field Engineering and Sales Leaders
  • Lead strategic AI initiatives and practice development
  • Shape cross-functional collaboration with Product, R&D, and GTM
  • Own OKRs for accounts and public references
  • Represent Databricks as a thought leader in AI

Benefits

  • Comprehensive employee benefits and perks
  • Eligibility for annual performance bonuses
  • Opportunity for equity participation
  • Support for professional development
  • Flexible work arrangements available
Full Job Description
CSQ227R77

PLEASE NOTE: Due to federal contract requirements and client site access obligations, an active U.S. government security clearance is required. The position is based in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia metropolitan area and includes periodic on-site work and client collaboration. Candidates with an active secret or higher clearance are strongly encouraged to apply.
Mission

The Public Sector 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 leader to lead and grow our AI FDE Public Sector team. In this role, you will lead public sector 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 Head of Public Sector, FDE.
The impact you will have:
  • Lead and scale a world-class AI FDE 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:
  • Passion for transforming the public sector with data and AI
  • 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


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.

Local Pay Range

$232,900-$320,200 USD

BenefitsAt 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.

About Databricks

Databricks is a unified analytics platform that provides data engineering, collaborative data science, and machine learning capabilities. The company was founded in 2013 by the original creators of Apache Spark, a popular open-source big data processing engine. Databricks provides a cloud-based platform that allows data teams to collaborate and build data pipelines, run machine learning models, and perform advanced analytics. The company has raised over $1 billion in funding and is valued at $38 billion as of November 2021.
Learn more about Databricks
Size
2,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2013

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