Resident Solutions Architect (EMEA) Interview Experience - London, United Kingdom
Process
I was contacted by an internal recruiter and went into the office for a screening interview, followed by a technical interview/CV check and another interview with a VP the same week. I also had to pass a 3-4 hour Spark question set on the RDD/SQL/ML API, which was administered online via a Databricks notebook.
All of these interviews went well and I found the experience rather pleasant.
The problems began with two additional interviews in the US. One was with a peer in the same role I was applying for, and the second was with a VP. Both tested my Spark knowledge and work history. The VP did not show up to two of the scheduled interviews, which had to be rescheduled at my expense. Given the time difference, these were always in the evening or at night.
After all interviews were completed, I was told that I had received good feedback. However, they wanted to change my role to something slightly different, which I agreed was OK. I was invited back into the office to discuss this further and met with a senior staff member from head office who explained their EMEA plans. Since my interviews had gone well and we discussed compensation options, he said he would follow up with head office and that I should expect an offer in the following days.
A few days later, I emailed the recruiter for a status update but received no reply. I sent two follow-up emails the following week, when I finally received a reply stating they would not be moving further with an offer after all.
The whole experience has been rather unpleasant, particularly as I was left in limbo for so long towards the end. I would strongly recommend against applying unless one has plenty of spare time and is comfortable with long periods of silence. I suggest holding off on Databricks in London/EMEA until they can improve their recruitment process and operate it more professionally.
Questions
Please sign the NDA before the technical interview.
Describe how you would build a recommender system from the ground up.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 2 interview experiences for the Databricks Resident Solutions Architect (EMEA) role in London, United Kingdom.
Success Rate
Databricks's interview process for their Resident Solutions Architect (EMEA) roles in London, the United Kingdom is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having mixed feelings for Databricks's Resident Solutions Architect (EMEA) interview process in London, United Kingdom.
Databricks Work Experiences
- 4.0It's really good, but..Resident Solutions Architect (EMEA) • Current EmployeeLondon, England, United KingdomNovember 14, 2023Pros: - Great work culture; it will always keep you on your toes when it comes to Data & AI consultation. - Helpful people; no one underestimates anyone, and everyone is treated equally. - Field Engineering & Professional Services is really strong and knows how to solve their customers' problems. - Good communication channels exist between FE teams, customers, and product. - Good salary and good perks, basically whatever it takes to keep an employee motivated and happy. - Good work/life balance. As an Individual Contributor, you're basically your own boss and you bill the customer directly. Project Managers & Engagement Managers are also helpful in managing workloads.Cons: Some products are too much of an overkill, like DLT or DAB. Sometimes, it seems there is less intervention from field engineering on products as to what has to be delivered, or it is an ask from a customer. Regional politics, a common scenario, still happens at Databricks. Central EMEA folks will not like the solutions of Northern EMEA, and vice versa. Sometimes this puts us in jeopardy, and it's really hard to tell who is what. Sometimes, there are monotonous engagements that feel like you're not going anywhere with your career. For example, you could be doing CI/CD for customers and be stuck with it.
- 4.0Excellent learning culture; some process frictionData Engineer • Current EmployeeLondon, England, United KingdomSeptember 20, 2025Pros: Strong mentorship and many opportunities to learn new data tools and ML workflows. Collaborative team atmosphere with regular knowledge-sharing sessions. Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Flexible work-from-home policy and supportive manager.Cons: Rapid product changes sometimes cause shifting priorities and workload spikes. Onboarding documentation could be more complete for new hires.
- 5.0Good company, not perfect but listens to employeesSenior Solutions Architect • Current EmployeeLondon, England, United KingdomMarch 19, 2025Pros: - Fun, energetic, and positive work environment. - Flexible work/life balance (in the field, at least). - Good remuneration. - Lots of technically challenging work. - Leadership is transparent and open to feedback.Cons: Constant product changes can be exhausting to keep up with and try to sell. A very engineering-led company can cause issues sometimes. Engineering can tend to look down on the field, and as a result either don't listen to or are just dismissive of product feedback.
Databricks Interview Questions
