Databricks ADMIN

Job Title: Databricks Admin 

Location: Washington, DC

Duration: 6+ Months Contract to full-time Hire  

The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in the Databricks Lakehouse platform, including data engineering, data science, machine learning workflows, performance optimization, and best practices for scalable data solutions. This role is critical in driving the successful adoption, implementation, and optimization of Databricks across data pipelines, analytics, and AI initiatives. The Databricks SME will collaborate with cross-functional teams (Data Engineering, Data Science, Analytics, and Infrastructure) to design robust solutions, troubleshoot complex issues, mentor team members, and ensure maximum value is derived from the Databricks ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of end-to-end solutions on Databricks, including Unity Catalog, Delta Lake, Databricks SQL, Workflows, Jobs, and Mosaic AI.
• Architect, build, and maintain scalable data ingestion, transformation, and orchestration pipelines using Databricks tools (Spark, Delta Live Tables, Auto Loader, etc.).
• Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks in Spark jobs, clusters, and SQL queries. Implement cost optimization strategies, auto-scaling, and efficient resource management.
• Establish and enforce Databricks best practices for security, data governance, compliance (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA), and Unity Catalog implementation across the organization.
• Support data science and machine learning teams by implementing MLflow, Feature Store, Vector Search, and generative AI capabilities on Databricks.
• Act as the escalation point for complex technical issues, providing root cause analysis and rapid resolution for production workloads.
• Mentor data engineers, analysts, and developers on Databricks capabilities. Conduct training sessions, create documentation, and build internal centers of excellence.
• Design seamless integrations between Databricks and other technologies (cloud platforms like AWS/Azure/Google Cloud Platform, ETL tools, BI tools, data catalogs, and orchestration systems).
• Implement robust monitoring, logging, alerting, and dashboarding for Databricks workloads using Databricks features and external tools.
• Stay current with the latest Databricks features and roadmap. Evaluate new capabilities and recommend adoption strategies to drive business value.
• Work closely with stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions and deliver high-impact data & AI projects.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• ship required
• 7+ years in Data Engineering or Architecture, with at least 4+ years dedicated exclusively to the Databricks ecosystem.
• Proven track record implementing Unity Catalog from scratch, including row- and column-level security and cross-workspace governance.
• Deep, low-level Apache Spark tuning expertise (e.g., managing data skew, optimizing shuffles, utilizing Adaptive Query Execution, caching strategies, and Photon engine optimization).
• Hands-on experience building production-grade Generative AI or LLM applications using Databricks Mosaic AI, Vector Search, and MLflow.
• Advanced proficiency in Python, Scala, and SQL optimized specifically for distributed computing environments
• Production experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform to deploy and manage Databricks workspaces, clusters, and permissions.
• Experience setting up secure network topologies for Databricks, including Private Link/VPC Peering, encryption keys (BYOK), and IP access lists.
• Strong background in CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, GitLab) using Databricks Asset Bundles (DABs) or Databricks CLI.

Preferred

• Databricks Certified Solutions Architect
• Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional
• Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional (Preferred for Mosaic AI/MLflow initiatives)
• Cloud Architecture certification (AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect Expert)