At a Glance
- Tasks: Troubleshoot complex data and AI issues, optimize architecture, and drive product improvements.
- Company: Join Databricks, a leader in data and AI solutions with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, remote work, and comprehensive benefits.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on cutting-edge technology and help solve global challenges.
- Qualifications: 10+ years of experience in data engineering, product supportability, or AI systems.
At Databricks, we are passionate about enabling Data & AI 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.
About the Team:
The Backline Engineering Team serves as the critical bridge between Frontline Support and Engineering. We handle complex technical issues and escalations across the Data and AI ecosystem. With a strong focus on customer success, we are committed to delivering exceptional customer satisfaction by providing deep technical expertise, proactive issue resolution, and continuous platform improvements. We emphasise automation and tooling to enhance troubleshooting efficiency, reduce manual efforts, and improve the overall supportability of the platform and the health of our products.
What your impact will be:
- Deep Dive Troubleshooting: Conduct deep-dive forensics into Spark core internals and the broader Databricks Data and AI ecosystem to resolve high-priority architectural failures and complex system anomalies.
- Root Cause Analysis: Perform advanced code-level analysis and resource profiling to identify and mitigate systemic root causes, ensuring the stability and reliability of high-scale production workloads.
- Architectural Optimization: Optimise architectural performance across the Data and AI stack by refining execution parameters and enforcing best practice strategies to maximise resource efficiency and throughput.
- Product Improvements: Analyse global issue trends and patterns to partner directly with Product Engineering, influencing the product roadmap and driving initiatives that enhance long-term supportability.
- Scalability & Tooling: Develop reproduction frameworks, automated workflows, and AI-driven diagnostic tools that translate complex backline findings into standardised resolution paths to empower and scale the broader organisation.
What we look for:
We are looking for customer-obsessed candidates with 10+ years of relevant experience, including deep expertise in one of the following three specialized tracks, along with proven experience in managing both customers and technical stakeholders.
- Data Engineering Track: Expertise in large-scale big data solutions and ETL pipelines using Spark, Delta Lake, or Hive. Strong experience troubleshooting failures, diagnosing performance issues, and identifying root causes. Demonstrated problem-solving ability and understanding of data engineering best practices to ensure reliable, efficient workflows. Solid hands‑on programming skills in Python, SQL, or Scala.
- Product Supportability Track: Deep understanding of distributed system internals. Ability to perform code‑level root‑cause analysis and profiling (using metrics and heap/thread dumps) in Java, Scala, or Python. Proven record of contributing to bug fixes and mentoring other engineers.
- AI Track: Experience with large-scale machine learning and generative AI systems, including LLM‑based applications and agent‑driven workflows. Strong grasp of model training, evaluation, and deployment in distributed environments. Experience managing the ML lifecycle, including governance and operationalisation. Skilled in diagnosing and optimising distributed ML workloads for performance and scalability.
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 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 anticipates 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.
Local Pay Range: $170.40—$255.60 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.
Benefits:
At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees.
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.
Senior Staff Backline Engineer in Vancouver employer: Databricks
At Databricks, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, particularly for the Manager, Delivery Solutions Architects role in Toronto. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through comprehensive training programs and a culture that fosters collaboration and innovation, ensuring that our team remains at the forefront of technology. With competitive compensation packages, including performance bonuses and equity options, alongside a strong focus on diversity and inclusion, we create an environment where every employee can thrive and contribute meaningfully to our mission.
