Head of Architecture & AI

We’re supporting a fast‑growing, mission‑driven edtech company in hiring their Head of Digital Architecture & AI.

This is a founding, hands‑on architecture role: you’ll design and build the digital backbone and AI layer of the company, reporting directly to the founder/CEO.

The opportunity:

You’ll be responsible for shaping and implementing a modern, scalable architecture that connects:

• HR systems (e.g. Personio or similar)
• Operational tooling across the group

On top of this, you’ll define and build:

• A central data hub that ingests and harmonises data from all core systems
• A knowledge layer that can power analytics and AI
• The AI / agentic layer that supports:
• Internal processes (recruiting, scheduling, facility management)
• Educational tooling

They want someone who can think in systems and still build, especially in the first 12-24 months.

What you’ll do:

15-20%: Architecture & strategy

• Own the target architecture for the digital & data platform
• Decide how ERP, HR, finance, data hub and AI components fit together
• Define “source of truth” responsibilities across systems

40%: Stakeholder work & process mapping

• Sit with managers and HQ teams to understand real‑world processes
• Translate messy, human workflows into structured systems and data flows
• Act as the central “node” connecting operations, finance, HR and AI
• Implement integrations, automations and small tools yourself (e.g. Python, TypeScript, low‑code / no‑code, automation platforms)
• Lead the rollout and evolution of the ERP and surrounding systems
• Build early versions of dashboards / cockpits for managers and the HQ

Over time, you’ll help decide if/when to hire additional engineers around you. You'll also have a Senior AI Engineer to support you.

You should be comfortable with:

• Backend / integration: e.g. Python or similar, REST APIs, event‑driven patterns
• Data: designing schemas, building data pipelines, centralised data stores
• AI / agentic systems: practical experience with modern LLMs, RAG, agent frameworks and evaluation – you’ll work closely with a dedicated AI engineer, but should understand the constraints and needs of the AI layer

You will have freedom to influence the exact implementation choices.

What we’re looking for:

• You’ll work daily with managers and HQ staff, most of whom speak only German. You must be able to understand nuance and “sub‑tone” in German.
• Strong English for collaboration with AI/technical partners
• 5+ years’ experience in software / platform / data engineering and architecture, including: Designing and implementing integrated system landscapes (ERP/HR/finance/ops)
• Building or owning a central data platform or complex integration layer
• Hands‑on coding (you still enjoy building, not just managing)
• Proven ability to work directly with non‑technical stakeholders
• Mapping processes, asking the right questions, and not forgetting key stakeholders
• Experience in greenfield or major re‑architecture projects in a small or mid‑sized environment (not only adding modules to a huge existing corporate stack)
• Background in scientifically or technically demanding domains (e.g. physics, engineering, data science, computational linguistics)
• Data security, privacy and identity in regulated environments
• EdTech or other people‑centric domains
• Prior exposure to agentic AI systems and LLM‑powered applications

Personality

• Systems thinker with a builder’s mindset – you enjoy ambiguity and creating structure
• Comfortable being the “spider in the web” across tech and operations
• Purpose‑driven: motivated by improving teaching and learning and everyday lives, not just optimising another B2B SaaS funnel
• Clear, calm communicator – you translate between “Edtech language” and “systems language” without showing off your technical knowledge

If this sounds like the right role for you, we'd love to hear from you. We'll be in touch shortly with further details