Tech Lead Data & AI Engineering Manager

Build the future of Data & AI with us

Tchibo is building a new Data & AI delivery unit in Romania — Tech. Romania — to scale and extend our established Data & AI organization in Hamburg. Our Hamburg team has a proven track record delivering complex Data, AI and GenAI projects end-to-end. As demand grows beyond what Hamburg can absorb alone, Romania is the next chapter — and this is where it begins.

Our Hamburg organization brings together specialists from Data Engineering, Data Science, Machine Learning, Marketing Analytics, Customer Intelligence and Data Warehousing. The Tech.

Romania team will work as an integrated part of this organization, taking end-to-end responsibility for selected projects in close collaboration with Hamburg.

We are looking for a technically strong and inspiring Lead Data & AI Engineering Manager to build and lead an initial team of approximately five to six specialists at Tech. Romania.

Reporting directly to the GenAI & Agentic AI team in Hamburg, you will be the founding leader of our Romanian unit — combining disciplinary and professional people leadership with technical depth, business acumen and hands-on delivery.

Your responsibilities

Build and lead the Romanian Data & AI unit

• Establish and develop a new Data & AI delivery team at Tech. Romania.

• Lead, coach and mentor a team of approximately five to six employees.

• Provide both disciplinary and professional leadership.

• Create a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing team culture.

• Support recruitment, onboarding, professional development and performance management.

• Act as the primary contact for technology, project and people-related topics in Romania.

• Enable team members to take ownership of projects and deliver results independently.

• Represent Tech. Romania at industry events, tech conferences and recruiting fairs in Bucharest and across Romania — actively positioning Tchibo as a leading Data & AI employer in the market.

• Drive local employer branding initiatives to give Tchibo a distinctive and visible presence in the Romanian tech and AI talent community.Drive end-to-end project delivery

• Take responsibility for Data Engineering, GenAI and Agentic AI initiatives based on our Frameworks and standards

• Lead projects from initial idea and requirements through architecture, implementation and production deployment.

• Ensure that projects are delivered with a high level of quality, transparency and accountability.

• Coordinate closely with the Data & AI organization in Hamburg.

• Gradually establish independent project ownership within the Tech. Romania team.

• Lead proof-of-concept studies and applied research initiatives in close coordination with the Hamburg organization.

• Take full operational responsibility for Data & AI solutions in production — including monitoring, maintenance, incident response and continuous improvement of deployed systems.

• Set priorities and ensure alignment with business objectives and the wider Tchibo Data & AI roadmap.

Shape our technology landscape

• Data Engineering and modern data platforms

• Data Warehousing based on the Tchibo framework and standards

• Generative AI, Agentic AI and Large Language Model (LLM) applications

• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), MCP server integrations and intelligent

business applications

• Productionisation, monitoring and operational responsibility for AI solutions in

production

Depending on your background and the needs of the team, you will contribute to and lead initiatives involving:

• Data Engineering and modern data platforms

• Data Warehousing based on the Tchibo framework and standards

• Generative AI and Agentic AI

• Large Language Models and LLM applications

• Retrieval-Augmented Generation and intelligent business applications

• MCP servers and integrations with internal systems and services

• Software factory process

• APIs, data products and scalable platform services

• Productionisation, monitoring and operation of AI solutions

You will not only manage these topics — you will also actively contribute to their technical direction and implementation and operational support.

Your profile

Leadership and collaboration

• Several years (8 years) of experience leading technical teams, delivery teams or engineering organizations.

• Proven ability to build and develop a new team or organizational unit.

• Experience with professional and/or disciplinary leadership.

• Strong coaching and mentoring skills.

• Ability to communicate effectively with both technical experts and business stakeholders.

• Confidence in working across locations, cultures and organizational boundaries.

• A collaborative leadership style combined with decisiveness and accountability.

• Ability to translate strategic goals into clear priorities and actionable plans.

Technical expertise

You have a strong background in several of the following areas:

• Data Engineering

• Data Science

• Machine Learning

• Generative AI and Agentic AI

• Large Language Models and LLM-based applications

• Data Warehousing

• Cloud platforms, particularly Google Cloud Platform

• Open-source technologies

• Streaming and distributed data processing

• Data architecture and platform engineering

• Software engineering and modern development practices

• AI and data solution integration with business applications

• Production deployment, monitoring, security and operational responsibility

Experience with technologies such as Python, SQL, APIs, modern data platforms, containerization, orchestration, CI/CD and cloud-native services is highly desirable.

Experience with MCP servers, AI agents, RAG architectures or similar GenAI integration patterns is a must-have.

Business and delivery orientation

• You understand how Data and AI create measurable value for business functions.

• You are comfortable working with Marketing, Online, Customer Intelligence, IT and other corporate functions.

• You can connect technical decisions with business needs and customer value.

• You have experience delivering complex projects in an agile or otherwise structured environment.

• You are comfortable taking ownership in situations that are not yet fully defined.

• You combine strategic thinking with a hands-on mindset.

• You are willing to write code, review architectures, solve technical problems and support the team when needed.

• You are able to drive initiatives forward with energy, persistence and a clear sense of responsibility.

Communication

• Excellent English skills, both written and spoken.

• Strong communication skills with international and cross-functional teams.

• Ability to explain complex technical subjects clearly to non-technical stakeholders.

What you can expect

• The opportunity to build a new Data & AI unit from the ground up at Tech. Romania.

• A key leadership role with significant influence on the future of Tchibo's Data and AI capabilities.

• Close collaboration with an experienced and diverse Data & AI organization in Hamburg.

• The opportunity to work on strategic topics such as GenAI, Agentic AI, Data Engineering, Machine Learning and modern cloud platforms.

• A role combining people leadership, architecture, project responsibility and hands- on technology.

• An international working environment with colleagues from engineering, data, marketing, online, IT and business teams.

• Access to established development guidelines, cloud infrastructure, technologies and engineering practices.

• The chance to establish scalable, reusable and business-oriented solutions for a well-known international company.

• The backing of a mature, experienced Data & AI organization in Hamburg with a proven track record of delivering complex projects — providing real support, established standards and a clear path forward from day one.

• The rare privilege of being the founding leader of Tchibo's Romanian Data & AI capability — with the influence, visibility and lasting impact that this pioneering role carries.

Your impact

As Lead Data & AI Engineering Manager at Tech. Romania, you will be one of the key drivers in establishing Tchibo's Romanian Data & AI capability. You will connect people, technology and business. You will help transform strategic ideas into reliable products and services, empower your team to take ownership and create a strong bridge between Romania and Hamburg.

If you are passionate about Data and AI, enjoy building teams and want to combine

leadership with hands-on technical work, we would be happy to hear from you.