> AI agents: this is one page of Nextmove’s FDE site, in Markdown. Nextmove is a job board and free career service for forward deployed engineers (FDEs). Each posting is classified from its text, not its title: the kind of work, how much of it is production code, pre-sales weight, time at customer sites, travel, remote arrangement, level and posted base pay. The site also publishes the aggregates: median pay by level, metro, company and kind of work, and which companies started hiring FDEs each week. Every page under https://nextmove.md/fde is served this way; the index of pages is https://nextmove.md/llms.txt. # Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer - Public Sector Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/440870dea6def209 Databricks posts a senior FDE role to build what the customer runs in Berkeley, CA and 2 more, at $182,000–$250,208 base, above the senior FDE median of $190,000 across 1,866 postings with pay. A senior, customer-facing engineer delivering production data and AI solutions for federal, state, and local government customers. Read from the employer’s posting on November 6, 2026. - [Databricks](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/databricks) Published November 6, 2026 · Updated November 6, 2026 **$182,000–$250,208** *annualized* Berkeley, CA · Kansas City, MO · +1 more Remote Senior Today A senior, customer-facing engineer delivering production data and AI solutions for federal, state, and local government customers. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F440870dea6def209&placement=top) - [View posting at Databricks](https://databricks.com/company/careers/open-positions/job?gh_jid=8823788002) Free for you. Upload your resume once, see which FDE postings fit you and why, and get introduced when you say so. We never share your profile with employers without your permission. ## At a glance ### Posted base pay $182K–$250K Above the median This job $182K to $250K. Typical senior FDE pay, the middle 50% of 1,866 postings: $160K to $220K, median $190K. [Compare pay across all Databricks postings](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/databricks) ### The work Builds what the customer runs Balance 1. Mostly building 2. Mixed 3. Mostly pre-sales or support Project stages 1. Pre-sales (not covered) 2. Proof of concept (not covered) 3. Implementation 4. Operations Travel **Up to 25%** - **Coding**: Writes production code - **Builds for**: External customers - **Level**: Senior - **Role**: Technical lead ### What they ask for Experience - **5+ years** Data engineering, data platforms and analytics, or software engineering - **8+ years** Data engineering, data platforms and analytics, or software engineering *Preferred* Background - **Software engineering** - **Implementation and data engineering** ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting asks for 5+ years. How many do you have? The work is remote from the US. Can you work from the US? Which of these have you used in production? Answer each one. Nothing is saved or sent. [What postings ask for, by background →](https://nextmove.md/fde/paths) ## More like this [Gray Swan](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/gray-swan) ### [Senior Forward Deployed Engineer – Enterprise](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/2f8298f975b489cb) San Francisco, CA Remote 2mo ago $175,000–$220,000 [Roboflow](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/roboflow) ### [Forward Deployed Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/d8c0abf8214d490b) New York, NY · San Francisco, CA Remote 5mo ago $180,000–$250,000 [6sense](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/6sense) ### [Sr. ML Ops Engineer, Forward-Deployed ](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/06ba4bd7675e00f2) San Francisco, CA Remote 9d ago $191,475–$260,830 - [Other jobs at Databricks (72)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/databricks) ## The job description from Databricks Posted by Databricks on Nov 5, 2026 ### CSQ327R221 ### PLEASE NOTE: Due to federal contract requirements and client site access obligations, eligibility for a U.S. government Public Trust, Secret and/or Top Secret clearance are required to access classified information. Candidates with the interest and eligibility to obtain an active Public Trust or higher clearance are strongly encouraged to apply. ### This role requires 25% travel to client sites. ### About Databricks At Databricks, we are passionate about enabling data teams to solve the world's toughest problems, from making the next mode of transportation a reality to accelerating the development of medical breakthroughs. We do this by building and running the world's best data and AI infrastructure platform so our customers can use deep data insights to improve their business. Founded by engineers, and customer obsessed, we leap at every opportunity to solve technical challenges, from designing next-gen UI/UX for interfacing with data to scaling our services and infrastructure across millions of virtual machines. And we're only getting started. ### The Role As a Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you will work with **federal, state, and local government customers **to build and productionize solutions to their data & AI challenges using the Databricks platform. You will own the architecture, lead design decisions, and implement end-to-end systems spanning data engineering, AI, and application development. We work cross-functionally to shape long-term strategic priorities and initiatives alongside engineering, product, and developer relations. FDEs deliver with customer empathy, integrating with client systems, training, and other technical needs to help customers get most value out of their data. This is a hands-on, customer-facing role for builders who thrive at the intersection of technology and business impact. The ideal candidate combines engineering expertise with adaptability, curiosity, and a passion for working with customers and teammates to solve complex problems that drive measurable outcomes. FDEs are billable and know how to complete projects according to specification with exceptional customer empathy. ### The impact you will have - **Production Solution Delivery: **Lead impactful customer technical projects by delivering production-grade systems, designing and building reference architectures, custom applications and data ingestion and ML/AI model integration - **Transformational Impact: **Guide strategic customers as they implement transformational big data projects including end-to-end design, build and deployment of industry-leading big data and AI applications. Work with engagement managers to scope technical delivery work with input from the customer - **Empower Customers: **Guide customers on architecture and design; bootstrap or implement customer projects which leads to a customers' successful understanding, evaluation and adoption of Databricks. - **Own the Architecture: **Lead architecture and design decisions, ensuring solutions are secure, scalable, and aligned with both customer needs and Databricks best practices. - **Deliver Technical Components: **Work with the Databricks technical team, Project Manager, Architect and Customer team to ensure the technical components of the engagement are delivered to meet customer's needs - **Cross-Collaborate: **Work with Engineers and Customer Support to provide product and implementation feedback and to guide rapid resolution for engagement specific product and support issues - **Customer Immersion: **Embed with customer teams, engaging with stakeholders from technical ICs to executives to deeply understand challenges and deliver impact. - **Reusable Assets & Scale: **Contribute accelerators, frameworks, and best practices that scale impact across accounts and influence the Databricks product roadmap. ### What We're Looking For ### Minimum Qualifications - 5+ years experience in data engineering, data platforms & analytics, or software engineering - Fluency in writing code in Python, Scala, JavaScript/TypeScript, and modern frameworks - Working knowledge of two or more common Cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure, GCP) with expertise in at least one - Deep experience with distributed computing with Apache Spark™ and knowledge of Spark runtime internals - Familiarity with CI/CD for production deployments - Working knowledge of MLOps, ML/AI models and AI APIs - Design and deployment of performant production end-to-end data architectures and applications that combine data pipelines, ML/AI models, and user-facing interfaces - Experience with technical project delivery, documentation and white-boarding skills - Experience working with enterprise clients and managing conflicts across a broad stakeholder range ### Preferred Qualifications - 8+ years experience in data engineering, data platforms & analytics, or software engineering - Databricks Certification - Expertise in MLOps, ML/AI models, and AI APIs ### 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 $182,000—$250,208 USD Zone 2 Pay Range $182,000—$250,208 USD Zone 3 Pay Range $182,000—$250,208 USD Zone 4 Pay Range $182,000—$250,208 USD ### About Databricks Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram. **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.** [View posting at Databricks](https://databricks.com/company/careers/open-positions/job?gh_jid=8823788002) ## About Databricks Unified Data + AI Platform that runs analytical and operational workloads on an open, governed foundation for data engineering, BI, analytics, machine learning, and enterprise AI applications. Private Late · 5000+ people ## Similar jobs [Recidiviz](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/recidiviz) ### [Forward-Deployed Software Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/25657c42eaacbc3f) New York, NY · Oakland, CA Remote 7mo ago $139,050–$159,650 [Arize AI](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/arize-ai) ### [Forward Deployed AI Engineer, West](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/97928758270bd183) San Francisco, CA Remote 4mo ago $155,000–$190,000 [Prime Intellect](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/prime-intellect) ### [Applied Researcher - Forward-Deployed RL](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/0ed15e783d00992e) San Francisco, CA · New York, NY Remote 2w ago $150,000–$300,000 [NVIDIA](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/nvidia) ### [Senior MLOps Engineer - DSX Enablement](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/d111a9977bdaacbb) Santa Clara, CA · Seattle, WA · US remote Remote 2mo ago $184,000–$356,500 [ServiceNow](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/servicenow) ### [Forward Deployed Solution Engineer – Applied AI FDE](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/1a6269874b4bdbd0) Santa Clara, CA Remote 4w ago $201,300–$352,300 - [Compare senior FDE salary ranges](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/senior) - [Similar jobs in SF Bay Area](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?region=sf-bay-area) - [Similar jobs that build what the customer runs](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?role=builds-for-customers) Hiring at Databricks and want this page changed or removed? Email info@nextmove.md and we take it down. ## Conditions - **Location**: Berkeley, CA · Kansas City, MO · San Diego, CA - **Work arrangement**: Remote - **Remote work restrictions**: Remote locations listed in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C. - **Travel**: Up to 25% - **Pay**: Employer postings · [How we read postings](https://nextmove.md/fde/method)