Senior Lead GCP Databricks Platform Engineer

Role Overview :This is a Senior Lead position focused on hands-on platform engineering, not an Architect role. The candidate will lead offshore implementation activities for the Databricks platform on GCP, including automation, configuration, governance, CI/CD pipeline development, FinOps support, monitoring, and operational documentation.Key Responsibilities :- Execute Databricks platform implementation tasks as per the approved project backlog.- Configure Databricks workspaces, Unity Catalog, schemas, storage credentials, external locations, and other platform components.- Develop and maintain Terraform modules, automation scripts, and reusable deployment assets.- Build and manage CI/CD pipelines for notebooks, workflows, jobs, SQL assets, libraries, and Databricks Asset Bundles.- Implement Unity Catalog configurations, including access controls, permissions, lineage validation, and governance settings.- Configure and support Databricks SQL Warehouses, dashboards, and query performance optimization.- Implement cluster policies, job policies, SQL warehouse policies, logging, monitoring, and health checks.- Support FinOps activities by validating resource tags, analyzing usage, preparing cost reports, and identifying optimization opportunities.- Troubleshoot workspace, cluster, job, SQL warehouse, deployment, permission, and connectivity issues.- Prepare deployment guides, SOPs, runbooks, configuration documents, and knowledge transfer materials.- Collaborate with onshore leads, customer platform teams, and internal delivery teams during implementation and handover.- Provide L2/L3 platform support during rollout and stabilization.Required Skills & Experience :- 8+ years of experience in Data Platform Engineering, Cloud Engineering, DevOps, Analytics Engineering, or related roles.- Strong hands-on experience with Databricks platform implementation and administration.- Experience with :1. Unity Catalog2. Delta Lake3. Databricks Workflows4. Jobs & Clusters5. SQL Warehouses6. Permissions & Access Management- Strong programming skills in Python, SQL, and scripting.- Hands-on experience with Git, CI/CD pipelines, Databricks Asset Bundles, and deployment automation.- Experience with Terraform or other Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools.- Good knowledge of Google Cloud Platform (GCP), including IAM, Service Accounts, GCS, Networking/VPC, and Monitoring.- Understanding of platform governance, security, audit controls, and access management.- Experience creating implementation guides, runbooks, operational documentation, and knowledge transfer materials.- Ability to independently lead offshore execution while collaborating with onshore and customer teams.Preferred Skills :- Databricks Data Engineer Associate/Professional certification (or equivalent practical experience).- Experience with MLflow, MLOps, Model Registry, or Model Serving.- Exposure to FinOps, cost optimization, usage reporting, and dashboarding.- Knowledge of enterprise data governance, platform observability, security controls, and production support.- Experience supporting post-implementation stabilization and steady-state platform operations. (ref:hirist.tech)