Solutions Architect (Pre-sales) – Manufacturing & Automotive

Location: Tokyo, Japan Req ID: FEQ327R203 Reporting to: Director, Field Engineering Language requirements: Business-professional Japanese required; business-level English preferred Mission As a Pre-sales Solutions Architect focused on Manufacturing and Automotive, you will engage with leading global automotive manufacturers and strategic industry accounts across Japan. In partnership with Account Executives, Solutions Architects, technology specialists, partners, and customer teams, you will develop and execute technical strategies that help customers adopt the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform and achieve measurable business outcomes. You will translate complex automotive and manufacturing challenges into scalable data and AI solutions across vehicle platforms, connected-vehicle analytics, vehicle and component quality, supply-chain optimization, smart manufacturing, engineering and R&D analytics, aftersales, customer intelligence, and AI-powered applications. You will operate with a builder mindset, creating hands-on prototypes, demonstrations, and proof points that accelerate customer confidence and adoption. The impact you will have Develop and execute customer engagement strategies in partnership with Account Executives and Solutions Architects for strategic automotive and manufacturing accounts. Lead complex customer engagements across the full technical pre-sales lifecycle, including discovery, requirements gathering, solution scoping, architecture design, workshops, demonstrations, proof-of-concepts, and implementation planning. Coach account teams and peers on positioning, adoption strategies, use-case prioritization, and execution plans that deliver outcomes within a defined timeline. Influence stakeholders at all levels, from data practitioners and engineers to manufacturing leaders and C-level executives, by connecting technical decisions to business value. Act as a champion and trusted advisor for customers and colleagues on data, analytics, machine learning, generative AI, architecture, design, and Databricks adoption. Design and communicate end-to-end solutions using Databricks and public cloud platforms, including AWS, Azure, and GCP. Build tailored demos, prototypes, reference architectures, migration plans, how-to materials, and other customer-facing assets rather than relying only on standard presentations. Help automotive and manufacturing customers identify and prioritize high-value use cases across vehicle platforms, connected vehicles, vehicle telemetry, quality and warranty, industrial IoT, smart factories, supply chain, demand forecasting, engineering and R&D, aftersales, and EV or battery analytics. Integrate Databricks with cloud services, enterprise platforms, and third-party applications to support customer architectures. Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Services, Customer Success, Partners, Marketing, Sales, and Field Engineering to represent customer needs and accelerate adoption. Lead workshops, seminars, meetups, and other community activities to build technical awareness and scale best practices in Japan. What we look for Experience engaging with complex customers and sales lifecycles in a technical pre-sales, consulting, technical architecture, or equivalent role. A technical background in data engineering, data warehousing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or related fields. Experience designing and implementing solutions on public cloud platforms, including AWS, Azure, or GCP. Hands-on expertise delivering complex proof-of-concepts and technical demonstrations. Ability to code in Python or SQL and willingness to learn or deepen knowledge of Apache Spark™; experience with Scala, Java, or R is beneficial. Strong understanding of enterprise data platforms, distributed data systems, analytics, machine learning, generative AI, or modern cloud architectures. Demonstrated ability to provide technical solutions for specialized customer needs and navigate a competitive landscape…