Tech Lead Data Platform (m/f/d)

Salary: up to €180,000 p.a. (depending on experience)
Work model: Remote within Germany

About our client

Our client is a fast-growing technology company building advanced software solutions for security-critical environments. At the core is a modern, Kubernetes-native data platform that enables large-scale intelligence collection, processing, and analysis for public sector and defense-related use cases.

The organization operates at the intersection of cutting-edge data engineering and highly regulated environments. It combines technical excellence with strict data protection standards, delivering mission-critical systems. 

You will work closely with product teams, technical decision-makers, and external stakeholders to design and operate scalable data platforms that power AI-driven applications and analytics in real-world, high-impact scenarios.

Your responsibilities

In this role, you take end-to-end ownership of the data platform architecture and lead the technical execution of complex, security-sensitive systems.

This includes:

• Owning the architecture of a modern data lakehouse platform (e.g., Hudi, Trino, Kafka, NiFi, PySpark), including build vs buy decisions and system design
• Designing and implementing scalable data pipelines and infrastructure components in Python (PySpark, Kafka ecosystems)
• Leading the technical delivery of data platforms in regulated environments, ensuring reliability, scalability, and security
• Establishing engineering standards across code quality, testing, observability, and documentation
• Designing and implementing data governance frameworks (lineage, cataloging, compliance with government security standards)
• Building secure data workflows, APIs, and integrations into complex system landscapes
• Driving Privacy by Design principles (e.g., PII handling, auditability, compliance controls)
• Leading incident analysis, root cause investigations, and continuous system improvements
• Mentoring and coaching Data Engineers through code reviews, technical guidance, and 1:1s
• Translating product and stakeholder requirements into scalable, production-ready technical solutions

Your profile

You are an experienced technical leader who combines strong hands-on engineering skills with architectural thinking and a pragmatic, solution-oriented mindset.

What you bring:

• 6–7+ years of experience in data engineering or software engineering, including at least 2 years in a technical leadership or architecture role
• Strong expertise in Python (PySpark, pandas) and SQL, plus solid experience with TypeScript and Node.js environments
• Deep understanding of modern data architectures, especially lakehouse patterns and large-scale data modeling
• Hands-on experience with streaming (Kafka), batch processing (Spark), and modern table formats (Hudi, Iceberg, or Delta)
• Experience building and operating production-grade data platforms in distributed, Kubernetes-based environments
• Strong knowledge of security and compliance topics (IAM, encryption, audit logging, data protection)
• Experience with APIs, system integrations, and complex data flows (ETL, messaging systems, legacy integration)
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical topics clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Comfortable working in regulated, high-stakes environments (experience with public sector or defense is a plus)
• Eligibility to work in Germany (EU or NATO citizenship preferred due to regulatory constraints)

You are interested? Feel free to get in touch directly: 
Constantin Clodius 
Phone: +49 170 3660 753 
E-Mail: c.clodius@zabelglobal.com