Field CTO

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Maryland.

📋 Description

• Enhance Blend’s Databricks operations throughout North America by providing executive advisory services, technical pre-sales, and architectural leadership.

• Collaborate with Client Partners, Business Development leaders, and Databricks field teams to identify opportunities and shape engagements.

• Assist in discovery processes, proposal development, architecture workshops, demonstrations, and hands-on labs.

• Convert client priorities into solution architectures, delivery roadmaps, effort estimates, and tangible business outcomes.

• Design architectures for lakehouse modernization, batch and streaming data engineering, analytics, machine learning, generative AI, and agentic AI applications.

• Create strategies for governance, security, data quality, interoperability, performance, and cost management.

• Direct critical architectural decisions and validate solutions against enterprise-scale reliability, security, and operational standards.

• Address complex challenges across data pipelines, cloud infrastructure, integrations, governance, and production AI systems.

• Ensure continuity from pre-sales activities through to delivery.

• Provide direct support for proofs of concept, reference implementations, architecture reviews, and delivery escalations.

• Assist clients in transitioning AI solutions from experimentation to full production.

• Establish architecture standards, reusable patterns, accelerators, and delivery guidance across global teams.

• Mentor architects and engineers, assist with technical hiring, and cultivate Blend’s Databricks community.

• Coordinate with Databricks counterparts on technical enablement, certifications, and emerging capabilities.

• Transform successful engagements into repeatable offerings, demonstrations, case studies, and thought leadership initiatives.

• Counsel client CTOs, CIOs, CDOs, and business leaders on data and AI strategy, as well as platform modernization.

• Articulate architectural trade-offs in terms of business value, effort, cost, risk, and time to value.

• Align technical investments with client demand and joint Databricks opportunities.

• Represent Blend in client workshops, partner discussions, and industry events.

⛳️ Requirements

• A minimum of 15 years of experience in data, platform, or cloud architecture.

• At least five years dedicated to Databricks, modern data platforms, or related solution engineering and technical pre-sales.

• Extensive hands-on experience with Databricks in designing and delivering enterprise production solutions.

• Strong proficiency in Apache Spark, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Databricks SQL, and both batch and streaming architectures.

• Practical skills in Python and SQL.

• Experience with Databricks data engineering and orchestration capabilities, including Lakeflow.

• Proven experience in designing reliable, governed data pipelines.

• Hands-on expertise in designing and delivering AI and agentic solutions on Databricks, including Agent Bricks, Mosaic AI Model Serving, Vector Search, and Genie.

• Experience integrating agents with enterprise data, tools, and APIs through MCP and Unity Catalog functionalities.

• Proven track record in taking AI solutions into production, encompassing MLflow evaluation and tracing, Databricks Apps or serving endpoints, security, monitoring, and cost controls.

• Strong cloud architecture experience on AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud.

• Experience in leading data platform migrations or modernization initiatives.

• Demonstrated success collaborating with sales teams and engaging directly with senior client executives.

• Experience working alongside Databricks field teams on joint opportunities and technical solution development.

• Background in consulting, professional services, or a technology partner role.

• Relevant Databricks professional certifications, including data engineering, machine learning, or generative AI (preferred).

• Experience with enterprise governance, data sharing, federation, and open table formats (preferred).

• Familiarity with Databricks partner programs, Marketplace, and scalable industry solutions (preferred).

• Experience in establishing technical communities, mentoring senior practitioners, and developing reusable delivery assets (preferred).

🏝️ Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• 401(k) plan.

• Paid time off.

• Paid holidays.

• Commuter benefits.

• Flexible spending accounts.

• Life and disability insurance.

• Employee assistance programs.