Lead Data & AI Architect

The Role

As a Lead Data & AI Architect, you are responsible for architecting data and AI platforms that lay the foundation for advanced applications, from analytics to generative and agentic AI. You explain architectural choices in a way that resonates with stakeholders and inspire them with your vision. Your deep understanding of modern data platforms, security, and AI governance, coupled with a DevOps mindset, enables you to create sustainable, value-driven solutions. With a concept-driven approach and practical engineering skills, you empower your team to succeed in high-impact projects. You bring data integrations, analytical data products, machine learning, and agentic systems into production and implement principles such as transparency, reproducibility, and measurable quality. Whether on-premises or in the cloud, you design solutions that fit the client’s context and leverage leading platforms. As a thought leader, you help shape Zühlke’s offerings, drive service development, engage in pre-sales, and stay on top of market trends. You actively contribute to the growth of internal talent and educate clients on data and AI possibilities.

How you’ll make an impact

• Architecture & Implementation: You design sophisticated architectures for data and AI projects, implementing them together with your team while inspiring your stakeholders.
• Methodology & Concepts: You possess a deep understanding of data & AI platforms, data products, data mesh, data security, and data & AI governance, along with a strong agile DevOps, DataOps, and MLOps mindset.
• Cloud Expertise: You feel at home in both cloud and on-premises environments. In the cloud, you design scalable solutions on AWS, Azure, and GCP.
• Data Engineering: You lead your team to success in flagship projects with solid data engineering knowledge, ensuring optimal data structures and pipelines that make data AI-ready.
• AI Operationalization: You take ML and GenAI solutions from prototype to production readiness, focusing on evaluation, observability, traceability, and reproducibility.
• Thought Leadership & Consulting: You promote understanding of AI and data technologies, share your knowledge both internally and externally, and assist in the development of junior colleagues.

What’s important to us

You bring solid expertise in AI and data solutions, along with a deep understanding of their possibilities and limitations. You have a passion for sustainable software architecture in data and AI platforms and have taken on responsibility in technical mandates. With your confident presence and strong self-motivation, you take responsibility for projects and the further development of our data and AI competencies. Excellent communication skills in both German and English are essential. Your architectural decisions consider non-functional requirements such as availability, flexibility, and security, as well as economic aspects and their impact on the code level. You hold a technical degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, or a comparable field. You are proficient in technologies such as Python, Spark, Iceberg, Delta Lake, dbt, and streaming with Kafka, as well as the data and AI platform services of Databricks, Microsoft Fabric and Foundry, Amazon SageMaker, or Snowflake, and you are familiar with GenAI tooling such as vector stores and agent frameworks.

What we offer

• Work life blend: we offer a safe & healthy workplace, with flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home
• Profit share scheme: In addition to your annual salary, you may receive a profit share defined by the company’s success in the previous year
• Global and Diverse Zühlke community: witness how colleagues from all our 16 offices across the globe come together to create a unique, positive and inclusive work culture, learning from one another at annual team camps, and celebrating year-end parties and other local festivities.
• Committed to development: we are committed to the growth of our people and are investing in your development. We’re empowering you to build the skills you need to make a positive impact, both personally and for our clients, today and in the future.