Senior AI Engineer (Databricks) - UK

At DATAPAO, data ignites passion, community fuels collaboration, and growth knows no bounds. We are a leading Data Engineering and AI consulting company backed by Databricks and recognized for our unmatched delivery standards and rapid growth. We have been named Databricks EMEA Emerging Business Partner of the Year (2024), achieved the Golden Tier status in the Databricks Partner Program, and made three consecutive appearances on the Financial Times FT1000 list.

We are currently looking for a Senior AI Engineer to join us remotely in the UK. This will be our first AI hire in the UK.

What (exactly) will you do?

As our first AI Engineer in the UK, you’ll lead engagements to help our customers build and productionize tailored AI applications in the Databricks platform, using the latest technologies to deliver business impact for our top clients. You’ll own the technical delivery of AI solutions, whether you’re working solo as an AI Engineer or heading up a delivery team.

Your responsibilities will span across the following dimensions:

Project Planning & Delivery

• Technical Architecture: Lead the technical scoping, design high-level architectures, and define the roadmap for AI and Generative AI solutions.
• Execution & Leadership: Take ownership - either delivering the project independently or acting as the Delivery Technical Lead for a small team of engineers.
• Customer Interface: Serve as the primary technical contact for our customers, ensuring the systems you build solve their specific business challenges.
• Strategic Advisory: Between active project cycles, act as a senior technical advisor for our EMEA customers and Databricks partners to navigate complex Generative AI and traditional Machine Learning challenges.

AI & Platform Consultancy

• Production-Grade Solutions: Build robust and scalable solution architectures that leverage the latest technologies
• Enablement: Lead technical workshops to empower client teams, ensuring they have the expertise to manage and scale the AI platforms you help them deploy.

What does it take to fit the bill?

Technical Expertise

• You have 5+ years of experience in AI or Machine Learning Engineering with a focus on cloud platforms (preferably Azure or AWS, but GCP is also ok);
• You are proficient in MLOps using MLflow - taking models from local environments to fully automated, monitored production pipelines;
• You have experience building production systems in Databricks or in a comparable enterprise cloud environment, utilizing PySpark, SQL, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog (or similar enterprise governance), and Databricks AI features;
• You have a good understanding of Large Language Models (LLMs) and experience implementing them using modern frameworks and libraries (e.g., LangGraph, Provider-specific agentic frameworks, like Claude Agents SDK)
• You have strong Python knowledge of the most common Data Science and ML libraries
• You have good knowledge of data visualization tools/libraries
• [BONUS]: Proficiency in deep learning frameworks (PyTorch/TensorFlow) or distributed computing (Spark).

Consulting & Client-Facing Skills

• Ideally, you bring a proven track record in consulting, from scoping and requirements gathering to solution design and effective stakeholder communication. If you bring a product company background with you, that's also fine as long as you can show a good consulting mindset and desire to be customer-facing;
• You’ve successfully delivered projects like end-to-end, fully automated ML solutions, or production-ready Generative AI applications in Databricks or in a comparable enterprise cloud environment
• You excel in explaining technical concepts to non-technical audiences and drive decision-making.

Operational Readiness & Soft Skills

• You’re (almost) ready to hit the ground running, immediately contributing to live client projects.
• In a fast-paced consulting environment, where no two days are the same, flexibility and problem-solving come naturally to you. Furthermore, resilience and thriving in the face of challenges are essential traits in our industry.
• Your communication skills are on point - whether you’re writing, speaking, or collaborating with stakeholders, you know how to keep everyone in the loop.

We know that the perfect candidate doesn’t always check every single box. If you’re excited about this role and have the foundational skills we’re looking for, we encourage you to apply anyway.

What do we offer?

You'll have the rare opportunity to join DATAPAO at a time when you can still meaningfully impact our growth trajectory and organizational success. Furthermore, as our first-ever UK AI Engineer hire, you’ll also get to spearhead our regional expansion.

Surely, we know everyone needs a little something to do their best work. Here is a list of some other extras we offer:  

• The chance to work remotely - as we don't have a physical office in the UK yet, we offer a fully remote setup for the time being. However, given our strong community emphasis, we'd expect you to spend a couple of weeks in our Budapest hub during onboarding and a couple of times a year for community events. We also have a permanent coworking space in London, which would be great to attend at least once per month.
• Educational benefits  - you'll get access to Databricks' public and internal courses to learn all the tricks of Distributed Data Processing, MLOps, Apache Spark, Databricks, and Cloud Migration from the best. Additionally, we'll pay for various data & cloud certifications, provide dedicated time for learning during work hours, and give you access to our internal library.
• Flexible PTO days - we’re flexible with how many days you take off if that does not conflict with customer success and the work getting done. We also have a 15-day fully paid, no-questions-asked sick leave policy in place in the UK.
• 4 weeks of paternity leave - because we think it’s important for both parents to be there when it matters the most.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)  - life always happens! And we'd like to be there for you when it counts the most. Through EAP, we offer our employees access to psychology, financial, and legal consulting services via phone or in person.
• Pension scheme enrollment & comprehensive private health insurance  - offered via Smart Pension (pension) and AXA (healthcare).
• Top-notch working equipment - You will get a MacBook Pro and a sign-up bonus of 500 GBP gross (paid with your first payroll) to set up your home office or whatever else you need to give your best.
• The chance to make an impact in a high-transparency culture - open feedback and no politics are things we value a lot at DATAPAO. Additionally, you'll get the chance to work in the field of data & AI and shape the future of a rapidly growing tech company.

The standard gross salary for this position ranges from 80.000 to 100.000 GBP/year, depending on your assessed seniority level during the selection process. We also have an annual bonus scheme in place, ranging from 5.5% to 11% in the UK. 

For particularly strong candidates (e.g., with a proven track record in the Databricks partner ecosystem, RSA, or DPP-vetted), we'd be open to considering a slightly higher compensation range or a more meaningful sign-on bonus, as we'd expect them to hit the ground running. 

Please note that we're currently unable to support transfers or offer full sponsorship for Skilled Worker visas, as we’re just setting up in the UK.

Want to know more about us?

DATAPAO is a Databricks Gold Partner covering the full data and AI journey - architecture, delivery, and enablement - for global brands that refuse to settle for "good enough." We don't hand over a slide deck and walk away: our engineers embed directly with client teams, and our training arm has turned 20,000+ professionals into Databricks experts worldwide.

We're backed by Databricks itself - the creators of Apache Spark - and act as their delivery and training partner across Europe. That partnership has earned us Databricks EMEA Emerging Partner of the Year, and a spot on the Financial Times FT1000 list of Europe's fastest-growing companies for the third year running (2026).

We've delivered 200+ projects for clients like Norsk-Hydro, Richter, Egis, Schufa, GetYourGuide, TechnoAlpin, and Logically, to name a few. As trainers, we've taught teams at NASDAQ, Imperial Brands, Accenture, Shell, UBS, Danske Bank, Pfizer, ASDA, Heineken, Hays, and Citigroup how to put data to work - not just talk about it.

Curious to see us in action? Check these out:

• Databricks Data + AI Summit 2026: The Biggest Announcements Explained (EN) by Máté Gulyás

• How Databricks Builds Production AI (EN) by Brooke Wenig, Head of AI FDE at Databricks - Data+AI Summit 2026

• TechnoAlpin × Datapao: How TechnoAlpin Modernized Its Data Platform on Databricks - a client's take on working with us

You can alsofollow us on LinkedIn for all the good stuff, or just hit our recruitment team at [email protected]

We're firm believers in scaling up a team without judgment or prejudice. What we really care about is working with the best people out there, no matter their background. And you should also not worry if you don't tick every box in the requirements. If you're passionate about data and learning new things, you'll fit right in, and we'd love to hear back from you.

When we hear back from you, we'd like you to know that we are committed to your privacy and keeping your data safe. We do not share your data with any third parties (except those we use to run our recruitment process) and retain your application for 2 years unless you ask us otherwise. We use your data solely for recruitment purposes, such as letting you know about new career opportunities at DATAPAO and/or managing your application. But if you want to know more about how we store and manage your data, check our privacy policy.