Solutions Engineer
Application analysis
Solutions Engineer 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 Solutions / Sales Engineering role centers on technical discovery, demos, POCs, and helping buyers build internal consensus. Key signals from the listing: Python, Government / DoD context, 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 Chicago, Illinois, so expect on-site customer work in that region.
Signals in the listing
Stand out for Solutions Engineer
- Lead your application with one paragraph tying Solutions Engineer to a specific customer or deployment you owned — Databricks hires for shipped outcomes, not tool lists.
- Bring a tight demo narrative: customer pain, live workflow, and measurable before/after — treat the interview like a compressed POC.
- Show how you qualify opportunities and say no to bad-fit pilots; Databricks values technical judgment in customer-facing roles.
- State clearance status clearly up front (active, expired, or eligible) and mention any prior NIPR/SIPR, IL5, or government cloud accreditation work — recruiters filter on this early.
- The posting mentions multiple languages — pick the one most relevant to this team and show production code, not tutorial exercises.
- This role is tied to Chicago, Illinois — 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
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Solutions Engineer
At Databricks, our core values drive everything we do; a culture of proactiveness and a customer-first mindset fuels our mission to create a unified platform that makes data science and analytics accessible to all. This role is part of our programmatic effort to develop promising field engineers—offering a launchpad for the next generation of data leaders. We aim to build leaders who will empower our customers to make informed decisions that propel their businesses forward. With our Data Intelligence Platform, we make it easy to turn insights into action while encouraging creativity, experimentation, and continuous improvement. You’ll play a key role in this mission, building upon your emerging technical skills in the area of solutions engineering, learn how to apply them in the Databricks platform and show customers how to tackle real-world data challenges. Not just telling them what's possible, but building working prototypes and demos that prove it. You’ll join a collaborative, customer-obsessed team that thrives on innovation to help customers reach their goals. Come help us change how the world works with data—and shape your future while you're at it! This will be an in-office role and candidates must be based in our Chicago, IL office. Relocation assistance will not be provided. Recent graduate?: We’d love for you to explore our current internship openings on our careers page and submit your application for our roles designed for new college graduates.
The impact you will have:
Form successful relationships with customers throughout your assigned territory, providing technical and business value to Databricks customers in collaboration with Account Executives. Operate as an expert in big data analytics to excite customers about Databricks. You will develop into a ‘champion’ and trusted advisor on multiple areas of architecture, design, and implementation to lead to the successful adoption of the Databricks Lakehouse platform. Adopt a builder-first approach: move quickly from customer problem to working prototype by writing code, building demos, and creating reusable assets that accelerate customer outcomes. Use AI tools to increase your productivity and drive innovation. Scale best practices in your field and support customers by authoring reference architectures, how-tos, demo applications, and help build the Databricks community in your region by leading workshops, seminars, and meet-ups. Grow your knowledge and expertise to the level of a technical and/or industry specialist.
What we look for:
The ideal candidate has 2+ years of technical experience in a customer-facing solutions engineering role. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or equivalent experience through work experience Demonstrates a builder mindset: preference for hands-on prototyping and learning-by-doing, with comfort using AI-assisted development tools to move faster Hands-on experience with Python, Java, or Scala, and proficiency in SQLExperience with Big Data technologies (Ex: Spark, Hadoop, Kafka) and architectures is a plus Aptitude to interact with customers confidently and professionally Can meet expectations for technical training and role-specific outcomes within 6 months of hire
More About Databricks
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Pay Range Transparency
Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents the expected base salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings for commissionable roles. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipated utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page here.
Zone 1 Pay Range
- $121,400—$167,000 USD
Zone 2 Pay Range
- $121,400—$167,000 USD
Zone 3 Pay Range
- $121,400—$167,000 USD
Zone 4 Pay Range
- $121,400—$167,000 USD
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.