VP of Engineering - Core Platform

Location

Berlin, Heidelberg

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

Hybrid

Department

Product

About the Role

Aleph Alpha is growing into its next phase, and our platform and core engineering systems need a builder who understands scale, reliability, and developer experience. As VP of Platform & Engineering, you will own the systems, infrastructure, and tooling that power model training, data pipelines, orchestration, and product integration.

This role is ideal for a senior engineering leader who has built developer platforms or ML platforms in complex, fast-moving environments.

What You Will Lead

• Vision and delivery of Aleph Alpha’s engineering platform across training, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring.
• Architecture of scalable, secure, high-performance infrastructure spanning compute, data, and services.
• Leadership of backend and platform engineering teams, with responsibility for mentoring, hiring, and structuring the next-generation org.
• Close collaboration with Modeling, Embedded, and Product teams to ensure cohesive workflows and strong cross-functional execution.
• Set engineering standards across reliability, observability, documentation, and operational excellence.
• Drive clarity and structure during an evolving organizational phase.

What You Bring

• Strong background in platform engineering, backend architecture, or ML infrastructure.
• Experience scaling complex systems or developer platforms in a high-performance environment.
• Ability to make pragmatic, high-leverage engineering decisions.
• Proven leadership experience with cross-functional teams and senior technical ICs.
• Comfortable joining during a phase of change, structuring ambiguity into a coherent plan.
• Clear, calm communicator; able to collaborate with strong personalities.

Why This Role Matters

The Platform & Engineering group provides the backbone of all model development and deployment at Aleph Alpha. Your leadership will directly determine how fast the company can build, iterate, and deliver.

What You Can Expect from Us

• Become part of an AI revolution!
• 30 days of paid vacation
• Access to a variety of fitness & wellness offerings via Wellhub
• Mental health support through nilo.health
• JobRad® Bike Lease
• Substantially subsidized company pension plan for your future security
• Subsidized Germany-wide transportation ticket
• Budget for additional technical equipment
• Flexible working hours for better work-life balance and hybrid working model
• Virtual Stock Option Plan