Senior Solutions Architect (Retail/CPG)

At Databricks, our core values are at the heart of everything we do. A culture of proactiveness and a customer‑centric mindset guides us in creating a unified platform that makes data science and analytics accessible to everyone. We aim to inspire our customers to make informed decisions that push their business forward. We provide a user‑friendly and intuitive platform that makes it easy to turn insights into action and fosters a culture of creativity, experimentation, and continuous improvement.

You will be a vital part of this mission, utilising your technical expertise to demonstrate how our Lakehouse Platform can help customers address their complex data challenges. You'll work with a collaborative, customer‑focused team who values innovation and creativity, using your skills to create customised solutions to help our customers achieve their goals and guide their businesses forward.

Join us in our quest to change how people work with data and make a better world! Reporting to the Manager, Field Engineering.

The impact you will have:

• Engage with some of Databricks’s largest and most complex customers across the UK & Ireland, defining their technical strategies and supporting them in adopting Databricks to achieve their business objectives.
• Collaborate with Databricks leadership, account teams and field engineers to define and execute customer engagement strategies.
• Demonstrate our Builder Culture to the highest standards, putting our principle of “show, not tell” into practice, supported by the full breadth of the latest in AI tooling and processes, to inspire customers and Bricksters on the art of the possible.
• Coach junior Solutions Architects and teams on use case prioritisation and building technical champions.
• You will influence stakeholders at all organisational levels through complex engagements with the broader cloud ecosystem and third‑party applications, ensuring they are excited by the Databricks vision and solution strategy.
• Be a 'champion’ for both customers and colleagues, operating as an expert solution architect and trusted advisor for significant data analytics architecture, design, and adoption of the Databricks Lakehouse platform.
• Contribute to Databricks' technical community engagement by developing customer‑facing collateral and leading workshops, seminars, and meet‑ups.
• Opportunity to continue your development in one of four tracks – technical specialisation, industry vertical thought leadership, strategic customer vision, and people management.

What we look for:

We are seeking a highly motivated and technically skilled individual to join our UK&I Enterprise Solutions Architecture team, which focuses on engaging with our largest and most complex customers, supporting them in executing strategic business change. This role offers the opportunity to be based in the London Office, with regular collaboration across the UK&I region and close alignment with our London‑based team.

Core Technical Qualifications:

• Hands‑on experience in technical pre‑sales or consultancy, with a strong background in Data Science – traditional Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Artificial Intelligence or Generative AI.
• Demonstrated ability to architect end‑to‑end Data & AI solutions, with specific expertise in modern Generative AI concepts (e.g., fine‑tuning, RAG, MLOps for LLMs), using either open source and/or ISV tools such as Dataiku, Domino, DataRobot etc.
• Hands‑on experience and enthusiasm for building with AI‑based development tooling such as Genie Code, Claude Code, Cursor etc.
• Strong proficiency in a core programming language (e.g., Python, SQL) and a willingness to learn (or existing knowledge of) Spark.
• Proficiency with big data analytics technologies and public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Hands‑on expertise in designing and delivering complex proofs‑of‑concept (PoCs).

Pre‑Sales & Customer‑Facing Skills:

• Proven ability to engage with customers in a technical sales capacity: challenging assumptions, guiding discussions to clear outcomes, and communicating both technical and business value propositions.
• Experience in the full pre‑sales lifecycle, including use case discovery, solution scoping, and delivering complex solution architecture designs to diverse audiences (from engineers to executives).
• A customer‑centric mindset with a passion for building client relationships and internal partnerships with account teams.

Seniority & Leadership:

• Demonstrated experience in coaching and mentoring junior team members to help them develop their technical and customer‑facing skills.

Logistics:

• Ability to commute to the London office regularly.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 20‑30% of the time across UK&I and EMEA for customer visits.

Nice to Have:

• Databricks or other relevant Cloud/Data certifications.

Benefits:

At 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, please consult your local HR representative.

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.