Founded in Switzerland in 1968, Zühlke is owned by its partners and located across Europe and Asia. We are a global transformation partner, with engineering and innovation in our DNA. We're trusted to help clients envision and build their businesses for the future – to run smarter today while adapting for tomorrow’s markets, customers, and communities. Our multidisciplinary teams specialise in tech strategy and business innovation, digital solutions and applications, and device and systems engineering. We excel in complex, regulated spaces including health and finance, connecting strategy, tech implementation, and operational services to help clients become more effective, resilient businesses.
If you share our values and want to do the best work, for the right reasons, we can offer you the chance to do it on a global scale and play a real role in shaping our exciting journey. The role As a Lead Data Architect, you are a key player in the design and implementation of data platforms and data-driven solutions. You work closely with our clients, experts, and partners to bring our clients' transformation and innovation projects to success. Strong conceptual and entrepreneurial thinking, paired with clear communication, help you write and present compelling proposals and guides you throughout your collaboration with teams and clients.
How you’ll make an impact

• Architecture and Implementation: As a Data Architect, you are responsible for data platforms, data products, and the foundation of complex AI projects. You can explain your solutions clearly to different audiences and inspire key stakeholders with your ideas.
• Concepts: You possess a deep understanding of modern data platform architectures, data mesh, data security, and data governance, and you bring a DevOps mindset to your work.
• Methodology: You rely on strong methodology and concept-driven approaches to design optimal, sustainable solutions for clients. You contribute insights gained from projects to Zühlke’s methodology and process portfolio.
• Data Engineering: You bring the data engineering expertise needed to lead your team in creating optimal data structures, data processing pipelines, and data management strategies.
• Cloud: You are comfortable working both in the cloud and on-premises and can design and implement the best solutions for clients on AWS and Azure.
• Operationalization: You understand how to take data and AI projects from prototype to production-ready, implementing concepts like traceability, transparency, reproducibility, and measurability in complex project and technology environments.
• Consulting: You view AI and data technologies as tools for tackling the challenges of digital transformation and help clients understand their potential.
• Offer Development: As an expert in data platforms, you play a key role in developing Zühlke’s service offerings, positioning them in the market (pre-sales), and preparing proposals. You keep an eye on market trends and stay up to date with current developments.
• Thought Leadership: You take on a thought leadership role in data platforms, advancing this area strategically both internally and externally, sharing your knowledge with colleagues, training clients, and mentoring young talent.

What’s important to us

• You have comprehensive knowledge of various aspects of AI and data solutions and a deep understanding of their capabilities and limitations.
• You are passionate about sustainable software architecture for data platforms and data products and have taken on responsibility in technical projects.
• With a confident presence in client communication, a strong drive, and passion, you take on responsibility in projects and for advancing our data and AI expertise. Excellent communication in German and English is required.
• Your architectural decisions are strongly influenced by non-functional requirements like availability, flexibility, stability, maintainability, and security, as well as economic considerations. You understand the direct impact of your architectural decisions at the code level.
• You hold a technical degree from a university (ETH, Uni, FH) in computer science or a comparable qualification.
• Technologies: You are a versatile expert in data technologies, including Apache Spark, Airflow, Kafka, data platform services from Azure and AWS, serverless and container solutions, relational, columnar, and NoSQL databases, data lakes and warehouses, stream and batch processing, SQL, Python, and Scala.

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 17 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.

If you feel you don't meet all the requirements, we are still happy to get to know you, learn more about your ambitions and ideas and look forward to receiving your application!
We welcome people from all backgrounds, regardless of their gender, personality, national origin, race, religion, colour, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability or veteran status.