Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering
Application analysis
Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering at Databricks is a forward deployed data & ai platform role for engineers who want customer-facing technical work with real deployment ownership.
Reading this role
This Forward Deployed Engineer role centers on embedded customer delivery — discovery, prototyping, integration, and production rollout. Key signals from the listing: Senior scope.
About Databricks
Databricks sells a unified data platform to enterprises. Forward deployed engineers help customers migrate workloads and prove value on live data. The role is anchored in Tokyo, Japan, so expect on-site customer work in that region.
Signals in the listing
Stand out for Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering
- Lead your application with one paragraph tying Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering to a specific customer or deployment you owned — Databricks hires for shipped outcomes, not tool lists.
- Prepare a 5-minute “week one on site” plan: who you would meet, what you would inspect in their stack, and what artifact you would deliver by day five.
- Show you can go from discovery notes → working integration → production checklist without needing a large internal team.
- This role is tied to Tokyo, Japan — mention willingness to work on-site with customers and any existing ties to that market (clients, partners, or domain knowledge).
Stand out at Databricks
- Demonstrate Spark/SQL fluency with a concrete example — Databricks will probe for specifics, not buzzwords.
- Demonstrate enterprise stakeholder management with a concrete example — Databricks will probe for specifics, not buzzwords.
- Strong candidates show they can whiteboard a lakehouse migration and then actually implement the first milestone.
- Read recent engineering blog posts, product launches, and customer stories on databricks.com — reference one explicitly in your outreach to show genuine interest.
Tailored from this listing’s title, company, and description. Always verify requirements on the company careers page before applying.
Role description
Req ID: CSQ427R97
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Mission
We are FDEs! The Forward Deployed Engineering team is a highly specialized, customer-facing unit within Databricks. We work with strategic customers to design, build, and productionize high-impact data and AI solutions on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform. As Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering, you will lead and grow a team of customer-facing engineers focused on solving complex data engineering and AI challenges for some of our most strategic customers. You will help shape delivery strategy, develop senior technical talent, build trusted executive relationships, and ensure our teams deliver measurable customer outcomes at high quality and scale. This is a hands-on leadership role: you will manage and grow the team while remaining the senior technical authority they escalate to. This role is ideal for a leader who combines strong people management with deep technical credibility in data engineering, platform architecture, and large-scale production delivery. The impact you will have Lead, hire, mentor, and grow a team of ~10 high-performing Forward Deployed Engineers, building a strong culture of technical excellence, customer obsession, and execution Partner with customers and internal stakeholders to shape complex engagements that deliver meaningful business outcomes on Databricks Guide teams through end-to-end solution delivery, from discovery and architecture through implementation, deployment, and enablement Build trusted relationships with technical and executive stakeholders, acting as a senior advisor during strategic customer engagements Serve as the senior technical escalation point for the team. Stay hands-on en