Lead Data Engineer – Data Platform & AI (w/m/d)

About This Opportunity

Our talent team is representing a confidential pharmaceutical organization in Cologne that is building a modern data platform to power their growing operations. They are establishing technical standards in their industry and need an experienced data engineer to take ownership of their platform architecture and AI capabilities.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role where you'll make core architectural decisions, build robust data models, and implement AI-powered workflows that deliver real business value. You'll work directly with founders and management, with full ownership over the technical direction of the Databricks-based data platform.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical architecture and evolution of a Databricks Lakehouse platform—including pipelines, operations, and cost optimization
• Design and implement the central data model covering products, customers, market data, and transactions that supports reporting, self-service analytics, and AI applications
• Build robust integrations with ERP systems (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central), CRM, external market data sources, and APIs with proper monitoring and documentation
• Develop and deploy LLM-based workflows, agents, and internal tools that automate business processes and deliver tangible value to functional teams
• Automate engineering workflows including deployments, testing, monitoring, and infrastructure-as-code to enable rapid, reliable changes to production
• Set technical standards for code quality, Git workflows, and documentation; review platform contributions and serve as technical counterpart for external developers and partners
• Work closely with product owners, analysts, and business stakeholders to translate requirements into working solutions—from rapid prototypes to stable production systems
• Provide technical mentorship to a junior engineer and establish patterns that support team growth

What We're Looking For

Required:

• Several years of hands-on experience as a Senior Data Engineer, Analytics Engineer, Tech Lead, or similar builder role in data/tech environments
• Production experience with Databricks or comparable Lakehouse stacks (Spark, Delta Lake) operating platforms, not just using them
• Proven ability to design data models that withstand production use—dimensional modeling, master data, hierarchies—with clear rationale for design decisions
• Strong Python and SQL skills for data processing, integrations, and automation
• Experience connecting disparate systems via APIs and integrations; ERP experience is a plus
• Proficiency with Git, CI/CD, and clean code practices; ability to establish team standards without creating bureaucracy
• Practical experience working with LLM APIs and AI-assisted development tools, ideally having deployed workflows or agents to production
• Fluent German language skills (written and spoken)
• Builder mindset: you deliver prototypes in days rather than weeks, think in outcomes, and ship to production

Preferred:

• Background in scale-ups, mid-market companies, or small teams where you've taken broad ownership
• Azure fundamentals (Storage, Identity, DevOps)

How We Work With You

When you apply through Get A Job.ai, one of our recruiters will review your profile and conduct an initial screening. If there's a match, we'll submit your candidacy to our client for consideration. Please apply only through our platform—direct contact with the employer may disqualify your application.

This role offers significant technical ownership, direct access to leadership, a modern tech stack (Databricks, Python, AI-assisted development), and the opportunity to shape data standards in a fast-moving industry. You'll work in Cologne with a pragmatic, hands-on team culture.

Pay

Compensation details will be discussed during the screening process based on your experience and the client's budget.

Get A Job.ai is an equal opportunity recruiter. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.