Sr. Manager, AI Forward Deployed Engineering (AI-FDE) – EMEA

Databricks

CSQ327R193 As a Senior Engagement Manager at Databricks, you will play a critical role in leading and scaling the Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) motion across a Business Unit or region. This position is ideal for someone who has been hands-on with data and AI technologies, understands architecture and delivery deeply, and now wants to transition into a customer-facing, sales-aligned leadership role. You will act as a trusted advisor to executives and a strategic partner to account teams, combining technical credibility with commercial impact. This quota-carrying role goes beyond managing individual engagements — you will embed FDE into Databricks’ broader platform growth, ensuring our customers achieve measurable business value from their investments. THE IMPACT YOU WILL HAVE * Lead the Forward Deployed Engineering motion in your region, aligning closely with Sales, Delivery, and Field Engineering leadership. * Drive adoption and expansion by positioning and selling standard and customized Forward Deployed Engineering and training offerings from discovery through closing. * Integrate services into platform deals, ensuring customers achieve measurable business outcomes. * Act as the technical-commercial bridge: leverage your technical background to engage in architecture discussions, scope solutions, and guide customers toward successful implementations. * Shape account strategies by aligning service offerings with client goals, transformation roadmaps, and long-term success. * Collaborate with partners (GSIs, RSIs, cloud providers) to co-sell, develop joint account strategies, and deliver integrated services. * Bring industry expertise to conversations with customers, demonstrating the art of the possible, creating demand, and building credibility as a trusted advisor. * Demonstrate technical depth on Databricks and data/AI platforms to scope engagements, support solutioning, and lead technical conversations. * Coach and mentor junior Engagement Managers, supporting peer development and best practice adoption. WHAT WE LOOK FOR * Strong background in customer-facing roles, including consulting, solutioning, and executive engagement, with the ability to engage in architecture-level discussions and translate technical designs into business outcomes. * Deep industry expertise with the ability to “speak the language” of customers and demonstrate relevant use cases. * Extensive experience in Professional Services sales and delivery leadership, ideally in the Data & AI domain. * Solid technical knowledge of data and AI platforms (preferably Databricks) with the ability to scope and solution services engagements. * Strong program management and delivery oversight skills, with the ability to align cross-functional teams to customer outcomes. * Excellent communication, influencing, and negotiation skills across executives, technical teams, partners, and internal stakeholders. * Travel to customers 20% of the time. About Databricks Databricks is the data and AI company. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including Comcast, Condé Nast, Grammarly, and over 50% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to unify and democratize data, analytics and AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow. To learn more, follow Databricks on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. 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 click here. 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. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics. 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.

Smartsheet

For over 20 years, Smartsheet has empowered teams to manage work seamlessly and scale solutions smarter. Now, in our most ambitious chapter yet, we are uniting human teams with AI agents. By orchestrating the work agents do best, automating manual tasks and uncovering insights at scale, we create the space for people to focus on what truly matters: judgment, creativity, and big thinking. That is magic at work, and it’s what we show up for every day. You independently lead the most complex AI deployments Smartsheet undertakes. You own the full engagement lifecycle from technical discovery through production deployment through solutions org handoff. You architect multi-agent solutions, design client-personalized MCP resource packs, and build the Deployment Kits that transform how 200+ solutions consultants and partners operate. You mentor junior FDEs, drive the intelligence loop, and present field findings at weekly Applied AI strategy sessions. You are building a function, not filling a role. You will work remotely from Germany and will be reporting to Sr. Director, Engineering You Will: * Lead complex, multi-system AI deployments end-to-end scope, architect, build, validate, and manage the customer relationship throughout. * Own the AI workshop program for your pod, customize modules per customer, lead technical sessions, translate outputs into production requirements, evolve content from field learning. * Architect multi-agent solutions selecting the right coordination pattern for each customer's workflow characteristics and compliance requirements. * Design client-specific and industry-specific MCP resource packs that serve personalized intelligence from the server so every connected AI surface gets smarter for that customer automatically. * Own Deployment Kit quality for your pod. If a kit is not documented well enough for a solutions consultant with no engineering background to follow, it isn't done. * Lead Solutions Enablement Sprints: transfer AI deployment patterns to solutions consultants and partners with training materials and certification criteria. * Drive the intelligence loop: author strategic memos, present field findings weekly, contribute Agent Bricks and Skills, file RFCs for platform improvements. * Mentor junior FDEs on customer engagements, code reviews, and Deployment Kit quality. You Have: * 6–10+ years production software engineering, including 3+ years deploying AI/ML to production. Deep Python; strong TypeScript/JavaScript. * Proven track record leading complex enterprise technical engagements. You've managed customer relationships, navigated security reviews, and delivered production systems organisations depend on. * Deep production LLM experience: multi-agent orchestration, MCP/tool-use, RAG optimisation, evaluation frameworks, agent deployment at scale. * System architecture expertise spanning enterprise systems, cloud infrastructure, and AI services explainable to a CIO and a junior engineer. * Demonstrated ability to create reusable technical assets that others use in production. You think in platforms, not projects. * Strong written and verbal communication. Architecture documents, runbooks, strategic memos, training materials. Your Deployment Kits are your portfolio. * You leave teams better than you found them. You make sure the people you work with understand what was built, why it works, and how to own it without you. * Ability to travel. This role requires domestic and international travel approximately 25–50% of the time. * Eligible to work in Germany on an ongoing basis. * Fluency in English is required. * BS or MS in Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent industry experience. Nice to Have: * Experience founding or scaling an FDE/solutions engineering function. * Technical founder background. Databricks, AWS Bedrock, or Temporal experience. * Deep domain knowledge in healthcare, financial services, or government. Agent framework contributions (Strands SDK, LangChain, open-source MCP servers). * Proficiency in German/French language will be an added advantage. * Familiarity with AI governance, ethics, and regulatory requirements (e.g. GDPR, UK/EU AI Act). Smartsheet provides a competitive base salary range for roles that may be hired in different geographic areas we are licensed to operate our business from. Actual compensation is determined by several factors including, but not limited to, level of professional, educational experience, skills, and specific candidate location. In addition, this role will be eligible for a market competitive incentive opportunity. DE Base Salary Pay Range €87,500- 112,500€ EUR   Get to Know Us: At Smartsheet, your ideas are heard, your potential is supported, and your contributions have real impact. You’ll have the freedom to explore, push boundaries, and grow beyond your role. We welcome diverse perspectives and nontraditional paths—because we know that impact comes from individuals who care deeply and challenge thoughtfully. When you’re doing work that stretches you, excites you, and connects you to something bigger, that’s magic at work. Let’s build what’s next, together. Equal Opportunity Employer: Smartsheet is an Equal Opportunity (EEO) employer committed to fostering an inclusive environment with the best employees. It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants in accordance with applicable laws in the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Costa Rica, Japan, Bulgaria, India, and Singapore. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.  If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.   #LI-Remote

Smartsheet

For over 20 years, Smartsheet has empowered teams to manage work seamlessly and scale solutions smarter. Now, in our most ambitious chapter yet, we are uniting human teams with AI agents. By orchestrating the work agents do best, automating manual tasks and uncovering insights at scale, we create the space for people to focus on what truly matters: judgment, creativity, and big thinking. That is magic at work, and it’s what we show up for every day. You independently lead the most complex AI deployments Smartsheet undertakes. You own the full engagement lifecycle from technical discovery through production deployment through solutions org handoff. You architect multi-agent solutions, design client-personalized MCP resource packs, and build the Deployment Kits that transform how 200+ solutions consultants and partners operate. You mentor junior FDEs, drive the intelligence loop, and present field findings at weekly Applied AI strategy sessions. You are building a function, not filling a role. What You Will Do * Lead complex, multi-system AI deployments end-to-end scope, architect, build, validate, and manage the customer relationship throughout. * Own the AI workshop program for your pod, customize modules per customer, lead technical sessions, translate outputs into production requirements, evolve content from field learning. * Architect multi-agent solutions selecting the right coordination pattern for each customer’s workflow characteristics and compliance requirements. * Design client-specific and industry-specific MCP resource packs that serve personalized intelligence from the server so every connected AI surface gets smarter for that customer automatically. * Own Deployment Kit quality for your pod. If a kit is not documented well enough for a solutions consultant with no engineering background to follow, it isn’t done. * Lead Solutions Enablement Sprints: transfer AI deployment patterns to solutions consultants and partners with training materials and certification criteria. * Drive the intelligence loop: author strategic memos, present field findings weekly, contribute Agent Bricks and Skills, file RFCs for platform improvements. * Mentor junior FDEs on customer engagements, code reviews, and Deployment Kit quality.   Required * 6–10+ years production software engineering, including 3+ years deploying AI/ML to production. Deep Python; strong TypeScript/JavaScript. * Proven track record leading complex enterprise technical engagements. You’ve managed customer relationships, navigated security reviews, and delivered production systems organisations depend on. * Deep production LLM experience: multi-agent orchestration, MCP/tool-use, RAG optimisation, evaluation frameworks, agent deployment at scale. * System architecture expertise spanning enterprise systems, cloud infrastructure, and AI services explainable to a CIO and a junior engineer. * Demonstrated ability to create reusable technical assets that others use in production. You think in platforms, not projects. * Strong written and verbal communication. Architecture documents, runbooks, strategic memos, training materials. Your Deployment Kits are your portfolio. * You leave teams better than you found them. You make sure the people you work with understand what was built, why it works, and how to own it without you. * Ability to travel.  This role requires domestic and international travel approximately 25–50% of the time. * Elligible to work in the UK on an ongoing basis * BS or MS in Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent industry experience   Nice to Have:  * Experience founding or scaling an FDE/solutions engineering function.  * Technical founder background. Databricks, AWS Bedrock, or Temporal experience.  * Deep domain knowledge in healthcare, financial services, or government. Agent framework contributions (Strands SDK, LangChain, open-source MCP servers). * Proficiency in German/French language will be an added advantage * Familiarity of AI governance, ethics, and regulatory requirements (e.g. GDPR, UK/EU AI Act)    Get to Know Us: At Smartsheet, your ideas are heard, your potential is supported, and your contributions have real impact. You’ll have the freedom to explore, push boundaries, and grow beyond your role. We welcome diverse perspectives and nontraditional paths—because we know that impact comes from individuals who care deeply and challenge thoughtfully. When you’re doing work that stretches you, excites you, and connects you to something bigger, that’s magic at work. Let’s build what’s next, together. Equal Opportunity Employer: Smartsheet is an Equal Opportunity (EEO) employer committed to fostering an inclusive environment with the best employees. It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants in accordance with applicable laws in the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Costa Rica, Japan, Bulgaria, India, and Singapore. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.  If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.   #LI-Remote