Director AI Engineering (m/f/nb)

Conrad Electronic SE; Hirschau; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Great Place to Work

Hybrid working

Child day-care at head office

Health & fitness programs

Agile environment

Job summary

Conrad Electronic SE is seeking an experienced leader to head the AI Engineering division in a hybrid work setup at our Hirschau location. You will build and retain a multidisciplinary team of data scientists, ML engineers, and AI engineers, delivering end-to-end AI products and platform solutions.

You will implement the AI platform and Agent Foundry, ensure governance with EU AI Act and GDPR, monitor production AI systems, and drive a roadmap aligned with business needs.

Qualifications

• Several years of experience in technical and disciplinary leadership in AI/ML teams.
• In-depth technical understanding of modern AI architectures, especially agentic workflows and reusable building blocks.
• Proven track record in building and operating scalable AI systems with MLOps/LLMOps and time-to-value reuse cycles.
• Ability to translate corporate AI strategy into robust technical roadmaps and implement governance (EU AI Act, GDPR).
• Experience in budget management, make-or-buy decisions, and managing external partners and cloud services.
• Expert knowledge of Python and related AI/data libraries; fluent German and English (C1).

Responsibilities

• Technical and disciplinary leadership of the AI Engineering division; building, developing, and retaining a team of data scientists, ML engineers, and AI engineers.
• Responsibility for the end-to-end delivery of AI solutions as standalone products that can be extended through Conrad-specific increments.
• Responsibility for implementing the AI platform and Agent Foundry, coordinating the setup within the ADO matrix organization: blueprints, curated agents, multi-agent patterns, guardrails, and reusable building blocks.
• Ensuring the reuse cycle between solution and platform development so that each delivered solution shortens the time-to-value of the next one.
• Responsibility for evaluating and monitoring production AI systems.
• Translating the AI strategy (portfolio & priorities) into a robust development roadmap; developing technical solutions based on the business units’ AI requirements.
• Responsibility for the safety, security, and compliance of AI solutions (including the EU AI Act, GDPR, and internal guidelines) in collaboration with Information Security and Legal.
• Management of the budget, make‑or‑buy decisions, partners and service providers, as well as the AI and cloud technologies deployed.

Skills

AI leadership

Python

MLOps/LLMOps

Agent Foundry

Multi-agent workflows

Budget management

German & English (C1)

Tools

Agent Foundry

MLOps tooling

Job description

Our recipe for success

We are a reliable partner who makes the sourcing of technical supplies as easy and efficient as it gets for customers. We do this with passion and innovativeness, day in day out. Our product range comprises millions of quality items, customer-centric solutions and services, and face-to-face expert advice. We are fully committed to this mission. We see change as a catalyst for opportunities, and supply customers with everything they need to successfully complete their projects. As a family-run business, operating in a sustainable way and building long-term business relationships are paramount to us. We stand for quality and reliability.

Your contribution to success

• Technical and disciplinary leadership of the AI Engineering division; building, developing, and retaining a team of data scientists, ML engineers, and AI engineers.


• Responsibility for the end-to-end delivery of AI solutions as standalone products that can be extended through Conrad-specific increments.


• Responsibility for implementing the AI platform and Agent Foundry, coordinating the
  setup within the ADO matrix organization: blueprints, curated agents, multi-agent patterns, guardrails, and reusable building blocks.


• Ensuring the reuse cycle between solution and platform development so that each delivered solution shortens the time-to-value of the next one.


• Responsibility for evaluating and monitoring production AI systems.


• Translating the AI strategy (portfolio & priorities) into a robust development roadmap; developing technical solutions based on the business units’ AI requirements.


• Responsibility for the safety, security, and compliance of AI solutions (including the EU AI Act, GDPR, and internal guidelines) in collaboration with Information Security and Legal.


• Management of the budget, make‑or‑buy decisions, partners and service providers, as well as the AI and cloud technologies deployed.

Your success factors

• Several years of experience in technical and disciplinary leadership, building and retaining interdisciplinary teams (data scientists, ML/AI engineers), and collaborating within matrix organizations.


• In-depth technical understanding of modern AI architectures, particularly agentic workflows (multi-agent patterns, Agent Foundry), reusable blueprints, guardrails, and modular AI building blocks.


• Proven track record in building and operating scalable, productive AI systems, including MLOps/LLMOps (evaluation, performance monitoring), as well as in establishing reuse cycles to shorten time-to-value.


• Ability to translate abstract corporate and AI strategies into robust technical development roadmaps and to transform use cases from business units into marketable AI products.


• Deep understanding of legal and regulatory requirements (particularly the EU AI Act and GDPR) as well as experience in the operational implementation of AI safety, data governance, and security in collaboration with legal and security teams.


• Experience in the strategic design of the AI/cloud tech stack, in budget management, and in evaluating and managing make‑or‑buy decisions, service providers, and external partners.


• Expert knowledge of Python (including AI and data libraries) and modern software development.


• Fluent German and English (at least C1 level) for leadership and coordination in complex organizations

Your benefits

• We Are a Great Place to WorkOur tolerant and empathic work environment enables you to help shape our company’s future, thereby giving you lots of room for personal development. Our unique company culture was officially recognised by the Great Place to Work institute.


• We Improve Your Work-Life BalanceFlexitime and hybrid working arrangements as well as a special leave allowance enable you to organise your workday around your needs. And we care about your children. Our head office in Hirschau operates a child day-care centre that looks after your little ones.


• We Communicate at a Peer LevelWe are a family-run business. Means friendly interaction is paramount to us. And when it comes to being a trust-based horizontal organisation, around here, we practise what we preach.


• We Promote HealthWhich is why we offer a variety of services and activities centred around health and fitness. Regular medical checkups are top of the agenda. Moreover, for all those who like to keep fit, there is Conrad Sports Club based at our Hirschau office that provides a range of activities, coaching sessions and even an in-house tennis court. Being healthy isn’t just about exercising, it’s also about a balanced diet. This is why food served in our cafeterias at Hirschau and Wernberg uses local produce and is freshly prepared.


• Agility as the key to successWith an agile mindset and a focus on continuous improvement, we drive innovation and create the perfect conditions for efficient working.

At Conrad Electronic, we actively promote diversity and equality for all employees. Our jobs are open to all qualified applicants, regardless of their gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin, religion or ideology, disability, age or sexual identity.