[Hiring] Applied AI Architect @Databricks

Role Description

As an Applied AI Architect, you will lead the advanced AI/ML technical strategy for your customers — owning complex architecture discussions, driving platform adoption, and serving as a trusted advisor to customer technical leads and architects. You combine deep technical expertise with strategic thinking to position Databricks as the foundation of your customers’ data and AI strategy. You are further developing a technical specialization and are recognized within the Field Engineering team for depth in the specific domain. This position can be remote.

The Impact You Will Have

• Own the end-to-end AI/ML technical strategy for your accounts, from discovery through production deployment and consumption growth.
• Lead complex architecture discussions — designing scalable, production-grade solutions spanning AI/ML, including Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), tool calling, multi-agent orchestration, guardrails, AI evaluation, and observability systems.
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to customer architects, engineering leads, and Directors.
• Drive technical wins in competitive scenarios by demonstrating Databricks’ differentiation through custom-built solutions.
• Develop and declare an emerging technical specialization (archetype) — becoming a go-to resource for your team in that domain.
• Orchestrate cross-functional resources (DSAs, SAs, Partners) to deliver comprehensive solutions for complex customer needs.
• Influence product direction by providing structured feedback on customer requirements and competitive gaps.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in solutions architecture, technical pre-sales, or a senior hands-on technical role in the following areas:
• ML Engineering: Building and maintaining cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GCP) supporting production ML applications and drift monitoring.
• AI Engineering: Working with LLMs and agentic systems, including vector databases, fine-tuning, AI guardrails, and frameworks like LangChain, Hugging Face, or OpenAI APIs.
• Strong coding proficiency in Python and SQL — you must demonstrate live coding, debugging, and solution-building skills.
• Deep expertise in distributed data systems architecture: designing scalable pipelines, streaming architectures, lakehouse patterns, and cloud-native data platforms.
• Proficient on the Databricks Platform (or demonstrated ability to achieve proficiency rapidly) with a developing technical specialization in one area (e.g., real-time/streaming, ML/AI, data governance, migrations).
• Proven ability to lead architecture discussions with senior technical stakeholders — whiteboarding, design reviews, and trade-off analysis.
• Experience with production deployments on public cloud (AWS, Azure, or GCP), including infrastructure, security, and governance considerations.
• Track record of driving platform adoption and consumption growth within accounts.
• Excellent communication skills — able to translate complex architectures into business value for both technical and executive audiences.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a quantitative discipline (or equivalent experience).
• Willingness to travel up to 30% as needed.

Nice to Have

• Databricks certifications (Data Engineer, ML, Platform).
• Experience with competitive platforms (Snowflake, AWS native services, Azure Synapse) — understanding the landscape you'll position against.
• Background in a data/AI company or cloud provider.
• Industry domain expertise (Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, Media, etc.).

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.

• Local Pay Range: $180,000 — $247,500 USD.

Benefits

• At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees.

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.

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.