Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering

Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering

CSQ427R238

Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE)

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 India. 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.

You will report directly to our India FDE leader and dotted line to the APJ AI FDE leader. The ideal candidate is based out of Bangalore or Mumbai. Candidates should expect to travel at least once a month.

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

Experience Level

Senior Level