Specialist Solutions Architect - Azure Infrastructure & AI Platform

Role Overview

As an Infrastructure & AI Platform Specialist Solutions Architect (SSA), you will serve as a trusted technical advisor, guiding enterprise customers through the architecture, cloud infrastructure, and AI deployment patterns of their Databricks Platform on Microsoft Azure. You combine deep technical expertise with strategic thinking to position Databricks as the foundation of your customers' data and AI strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Guide strategic customers through the full lifecycle of Databricks on Azure, including platform administration, from initial architectural design to production deployment.
• Architect and scale compute/networking infrastructure designed specifically for AI workloads, enterprise LLM deployments, and high-performance GenAI applications built on Databricks.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in core areas such as Microsoft Azure infrastructure, infrastructure-as-code (IaC), cloud networking, and identity management.
• Drive technical wins in competitive scenarios by demonstrating Databricks' differentiation through custom-built solutions.
• Orchestrate cross-functional resources (DSAs, SAs, SSAs, Partners) to deliver comprehensive solutions for complex customer needs.
• Influence product direction by providing structured feedback on customer requirements and competitive gaps.

Requirements

• 6+ years in solutions architecture, technical pre-sales, or a senior hands-on technical role.
• Hands-on experience architecting underlying cloud infrastructure for AI/ML execution—including accelerator configuration (GPUs/TPUs), scalable model serving infrastructure, vectorized data retrieval, and balancing cloud performance vs. cost for large-scale AI workloads.
• Advanced expertise in:

- Security & Identity: Azure security controls, platform/network/data security, encryption, vulnerability management, compliance, and identity protocols (Microsoft Entra ID / SCIM, OAuth, SAML, Federation).
- Networking & Deployments: Azure enterprise networking (VNet peering, ExpressRoute, Private Link), network routing, performance optimization, and large-scale deployment management.
- Platform Administration: High availability, disaster recovery, cluster orchestration, observability (Azure Monitor, Log Analytics), and Azure cost management.
- Infrastructure Automation (InfraOps): Hands-on automation using IaC tools (e.g., Terraform, Bicep, ARM) to build, maintain, and scale complex Azure environments.

• Strong coding proficiency in Python and SQL (demonstrated via live coding, debugging, and solution-building skills).
• Deep expertise in distributed data systems architecture: designing scalable pipelines, streaming architectures, lakehouse patterns, and cloud-native data platforms.
• Proficient on the Databricks Platform (or demonstrated ability to achieve proficiency rapidly) with a developing technical specialization.
• Proven ability to lead architecture discussions with senior technical stakeholders.
• Track record of driving platform adoption and consumption growth within accounts.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a quantitative discipline (or equivalent experience).
• Willingness to travel up to 30% as needed.

Nice to Have

• Databricks certifications (Data Engineer, ML, Platform).
• Microsoft Azure certifications (Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure Data Engineer).
• Experience with competitive platforms (Snowflake, AWS native services, Azure Synapse).
• Background in a data/AI company or cloud provider.