Databricks Platform Operations Lead

Downer · North Ryde

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We are seeking an experienced Databricks Platform Operations Lead to lead the operational management, governance, support and continuous improvement of our enterprise Azure Databricks Lakehouse platform.

Reporting to the Head of Data Platforms, you will be responsible for ensuring the reliability, security, performance and scalability of a business-critical data platform that underpins analytics, AI and operational reporting across the organisation.

This role combines platform leadership, operational excellence, stakeholder management and technical expertise. You will work closely with data engineering teams, analytics teams, cloud infrastructure teams, vendors and business stakeholders to deliver a secure, well-governed and highly available data platform.

Key Responsibilities

Platform Operations & Service Management

• Own the operational health and performance of the Databricks platform. 

• Lead incident, problem and change management processes.

• Manage platform monitoring, alerting and service reliability.

• Drive platform stability, availability and performance improvements.

• Establish and maintain operational runbooks, procedures and support processes.

• Ensure ITIL-aligned service management practices are embedded across the platform.

Databricks Platform Administration

• Manage Databricks workspaces, clusters, compute policies and platform configurations.

• Oversee Unity Catalog administration, data governance and access management.

• Manage RBAC, ABAC and security controls across the platform.

• Govern Delta Sharing and secure external data collaboration.

• Coordinate platform upgrades, feature releases and vendor roadmap adoption.

Cloud Platform Management

• Oversee Azure resources supporting the data platform including Storage Accounts, Data Factory, Key Vaults, networking and integration services.

• Manage platform capacity, cost optimisation and resource utilisation.

• Ensure platform security, compliance and resilience standards are maintained.

• Work closely with cloud infrastructure and cyber security teams.

Support & Incident Management

• Lead platform support activities and vendor-managed service providers.

• Coordinate triage and resolution of platform incidents and service requests.

• Drive root cause analysis and preventative improvement initiatives.

• Ensure service levels and operational KPIs are achieved.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Manage relationships with Databricks, Microsoft and delivery partners.

• Coordinate platform roadmaps and service improvements.

• Act as the primary escalation point for platform-related issues.

• Partner with delivery teams to support onboarding of new data products and use cases.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve platform automation, governance and self-service capabilities.

• Drive adoption of DevOps, DataOps and platform engineering best practices.

• Develop operational metrics and reporting on platform health, performance and user satisfaction.

• Build organisational capability through knowledge sharing and mentoring.

About You

You will be a hands-on platform leader with strong operational and stakeholder management skills, combined with deep experience managing modern cloud-based data platforms.

Essential Experience

• 7+ years' experience in data platform, cloud platform or infrastructure operations roles.

• Proven experience supporting enterprise Azure Databricks environments.

• Experience managing production support and operational service delivery teams.

• Strong understanding of Databricks Lakehouse architecture, Unity Catalog and Delta Lake.

• Experience with Azure services including Data Factory, Data Lake Storage, Key Vault and networking.

• Experience implementing security, governance and access management frameworks.

• Experience managing vendors and outsourced support providers.

• Strong incident management, problem management and change management capabilities.

• Experience leading service improvement and operational excellence initiatives.

Technical Skills

• Azure Databricks

• Unity Catalog

• Delta Lake

• Apache Spark

• Python and SQL

• Azure Data Factory

• Azure Data Lake Storage

• GitHub / Azure DevOps

• CI/CD practices

• Monitoring and observability tooling

Desirable

• Databricks certification.

• Azure certification.

• ITIL certification.

• Experience supporting Power BI/Fabric environments.

• Experience operating data platforms supporting AI and machine learning workloads.

Benefits Of Working with Downer

• Work with an ASX listed company, working with market leaders.
• Grow your career with us, we are passionate about giving our people opportunities to grow through personal and professional development and continuous learning: 
  • Professional development programs 

    • Access to professional memberships and industry networks

• Be part of a team that cares, we foster a work environment built on support that is flexible around our employee’s wellbeing needs: 
  • Flexible work arrangements 

    • Parental leave

    • Employee Assistance Program

    • Programs promoting diversity and inclusion

• A range of Corporate Benefits, including:  

  • Discounted services (car hires, hotels, insurance, retail stores, gyms) 

Why Downer?

As a trusted name in infrastructure, transport, facilities management, and construction, Downer is committed to delivering projects that create a lasting, positive legacy. We’re committed to building a team that reflects the diverse communities we serve, and we welcome people of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, abilities, and lived experiences. We especially encourage applications from those whose voices have traditionally been underrepresented in our industry, including women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Māori and Pasifika Peoples, veterans, people with disability, and neurodivergent individuals.  

Even if your experience doesn’t align perfectly with this role, we’d still like to hear from you. If it feels like the right fit, apply - potential counts, and so do you.

As a WORK180 Endorsed Employer, we support flexibility that works for your life, inclusive leadership that values your voice, and equitable access to opportunity so you can do your best work and bring your whole self to it.

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