Senior Data Engineer

Next Kraftwerke; Köln; Hybrid; EUR 90.000 - 120.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Company bike program

Public transport allowance

Training days (up to 4 days per year)

Language courses (English/German)

Flexible working hours

Zusammenfassung

Next Kraftwerke GmbH in Cologne seeks a Senior Data Engineer to shape the data infrastructure behind one of Europe’s largest Virtual Power Plants. You will design scalable data platforms, drive architectural decisions, and enable teams to leverage data effectively.

Flexible working hours and a mix of full-time or part-time arrangements are available. You will work in a collaborative, agile environment, emphasizing learning and impact.

Qualifikationen

• Completed degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Software Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience.
• Several years of experience as a Data Engineer or Platform Engineer building distributed data-driven systems.
• Hands-on experience with Data Eng tools (Airflow, Kafka, DBT) and cloud platforms (Azure).
• Strong software engineering skills and proficiency in at least two programming languages.
• Excellent ability to communicate complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.

Aufgaben

• Develop a cloud data platform enabling stakeholders to build ETL/ELT pipelines or streaming processes.
• Define and implement modern, decentralized data architecture and guide other teams.
• Translate business requirements into pragmatic technical solutions with intuitive tools for data access.
• Participate across the software development lifecycle from design to production and operations.
• Collaborate in an agile environment with Scrum, code reviews, pair programming, and retrospectives.
• Partner with stakeholders to deliver solutions that create tangible business impact.

Kenntnisse

Programming languages

Communication

Learning mindset

Ausbildung

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / related field

Tools

Apache Airflow

Azure EventHubs

Apache Kafka

DBT

Azure

Jobbeschreibung

As a Senior Data Engineer, you will be a key contributor within a team of eight experts, shaping up the data infrastructure behind one of Europe’s largest Virtual Power Plants. You will design scalable data platforms, drive architectural decisions with long‑term impact, and enable teams across the organization to leverage data effectively. Beyond building solutions, you will take ownership of critical data infrastructure, collaborate closely with technical and business stakeholders, and drive the evolution of our data architecture.

Flexible working hours are not just an empty phrase for us, but an everyday reality. Whether full‑time or part‑time – let us know what works best for you.

You don't need to know everything. What's more important to us is your motivation and willingness to learn.

Python, Java, Go

Django, FastAPI, Airflow

Pandas, Pytest, Pydantic

Github, Jenkins, Ansible, Terraform

This is what you like

• You develop a cloud platform that enables our different stakeholders to independently set up ETL/ELT pipelines or streaming processes for their business units.
• You define and implement concepts for a modern, decentralized data architecture while enabling and guiding other teams in adopting those concepts.
• You translate business requirements into pragmatic and sustainable technical solutions, empowering stakeholders with intuitive tools that allow them to use and observe data quickly and easily.
• You are involved in the entire software development lifecycle, from design through to production and operations always balancing scalability, maintainability, and business value.
• You work in a highly collaborative environment using agile methodologies such as Scrum, code reviews, pair programming, and regular retrospectives, to continuously improve both our solutions and the way we work.
• You partner closely with stakeholders across the business to understand their needs and deliver solutions that create tangible business impact.

These are your qualifications and skills

• You have completed a degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related field, or you bring an equivalent combination of skills and experience.
• You have several years of experience as a Data Engineer or Platform Engineer, designing, building, and operating distributed, data‑driven systems or other business‑critical infrastructure.
• You have hands‑on experience with different Data Engineering tools such as Apache Airflow, Azure EventHubs, Apache Kafka, DBT or comparable tools as well as practical experience with cloud platforms (ideally Azure).
• You have strong software engineering skills and are proficient in at least two programming languages.
• You understand modern Data Engineering principles, think in systems and architectures rather than individual components.
• You are creative, curious, and know how to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• You use English confidently as your working language. German is a plus but not required.

This is what we offer in addition to an exciting job

You want to mix it up? Work remotely and meet your colleagues in office. We supply you with the equipment you need.

Mobility

Lease a bike of your choice as a company bike and receive an allowance to your public transport ticket, which is valid all over Germany.

Sports offers

Stay in shape with our company’s own sports offers and use the possibilities of the urban sports club membership at a reduced price.

Development

We encourage our employees to invest up to four working days per year in training and cover the costs. In addition, we offer in‑house English and German courses, as well as individual coachings.

Part‑time in any shape or form

Flexible working hours are normal for us. With our flextime working model, you can save up additional holidays and use them flexibly. This leaves enough time for hobbies and family.

Vacation

We offer 28 days of paid holidays, plus Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve in addition. As a Cologne‑based company, the infamous "Rosenmontag" is a day off too. We also give you a special day off on your birthday so you can celebrate yourself.

Partys

Join us at the next summerparty, winterparty and the hackathon!

Central location

Our premises are located on a site that used to be a lamp factory in the lively Cologne Ehrenfeld.

We communicate on the same level and embrace open mindedness.

Employee assistance program

We care about You. Thats why we offer extra support with our employee assistance program. We offer external support for challenges in your private and your professional life.

Recharge

Organic fruit and vegetables, "kölscher" coffee and collective cooking sessions are part of Next.

This is what our colleagues say

"I enjoy the variety in my role, working across different technologies and business topics, understanding business needs, and developing solutions that deliver value to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders. I highly value our collaborative team culture, where mob programming, open discussions, and individual contributions help us learn and grow together."

Have we raised your interest?

We offer you a friendly team in which you have much room to contribute your ideas, as well as a challenging and varied job with a high level of personal responsibility. Join us in shaping the energy transition in Europe.

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