At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead complex customer engagements and drive data and AI strategies.
- Company: Join a leading tech firm focused on enterprise solutions.
- Benefits: Remote work, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with mentorship opportunities and career advancement.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact in the data and AI landscape.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in solutions architecture with expert coding skills.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.
Location: Leeds/Manchester, United Kingdom - remote contract
Industry: Enterprise Retail or CPG (UKI Enterprise)
The Role
As a Sr. Solutions Architect, you are an expert-level technical leader responsible for the organisation's most complex customer engagements. You drive consumption strategy, own executive-level relationships, and serve as the definitive technical authority for your accounts. You have declared your archetype—a recognised technical specialisation that makes you a force multiplier across your team and region. You operate at the intersection of deep technical expertise, strategic account planning, and executive influence.
The Impact You Will Have
- Drive the technical and consumption strategy for the organisation's most complex customer engagements, directly influencing platform adoption and revenue growth.
- Own senior-level technical relationships — serving as a trusted advisor on enterprise data and AI strategy.
- Lead the most complex architecture engagements: multi-workload platforms, enterprise-wide migrations, real-time systems, and AI/ML at scale.
- Operate as an Expert on the Databricks Platform with a declared archetype — actively mentoring others and driving horizontal impact across your team.
- Develop and execute competitive strategies for your customers, positioning Databricks against incumbent and emerging platforms.
- Orchestrate cross-functional teams (DSAs, SSAs, Partners, Product) to deliver enterprise-grade solutions.
- Coach and develop junior SAs (L3–L5) on technical depth, customer engagement, and use case prioritisation.
- Contribute to Field Engineering thought leadership through customer-facing content, workshops, and community engagement.
What We Look For
- 8+ years in solutions architecture, principal engineering, technical pre-sales leadership, or a senior customer-facing technical role.
- Expert-level coding proficiency — Python, SQL, and ideally Spark/PySpark. You will complete a live coding assessment and a platform build during the interview.
- Deep expertise in enterprise data architecture: distributed systems at scale, streaming/real-time, lakehouse design patterns, data governance frameworks, and cloud-native platforms.
- Expert-level Databricks Platform knowledge (or equivalent depth in competing platforms with demonstrated rapid learning ability).
- Declared technical specialisation with recognised depth — e.g., real-time architectures, ML/AI platforms, data governance, large-scale migrations, or industry-specific solutions.
- Proven track record of driving consumption growth and platform adoption in large accounts.
- Executive presence — ability to influence Directors, VPs, and C-level stakeholders on long-term data and AI strategy.
- Experience leading competitive displacements and complex enterprise evaluations.
- Strong strategic thinking — connecting technical architecture decisions to business outcomes and revenue impact.
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a quantitative discipline (or equivalent experience); advanced degrees are valued.
Nice to Have:
- Databricks certifications.
- Prior experience at Databricks, Snowflake, AWS, Google, Microsoft, or a top-tier data/AI company.
- Published thought leadership (blogs, conference talks, open source contributions).
- Industry experience in Retail or Consumer Packaged Goods with executive-level domain credibility.
Interview Process: Recruiter Screen → Hiring Manager Screen → Design and Architecture Interview → Live Coding Assessment → Build, Demo, Pitch! Presentation → Reference Check
Senior Solutions Architect (Data & AI) employer: DataBricks
At Databricks, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through continuous learning opportunities and the chance to tackle complex challenges in data and AI, all while working in a supportive environment that values diversity and inclusion. Located in a vibrant tech hub, we provide our team with access to cutting-edge resources and a network of industry leaders, making it an ideal place for those seeking meaningful and rewarding careers.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Solutions Architect (Data & AI)
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at DataBricks or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to DataBricks.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like DataBricks.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like DataBricks that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Solutions Architect (Data & AI)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at DataBricks.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at DataBricks and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at DataBricks
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If DataBricks uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
