Senior Software Engineer (Data/ML) - all genders

Zalando GmbH; Berlin; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days holiday

40% off fashion & beauty

Family support

Company pension

Employee shares programme

Wellbeing options

Mental health support

Training platform

Volunteer days

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Zalando GmbH is seeking a Senior Software Engineer (Data/ML) for the Pricing Platform to build advanced algorithmic pricing solutions that optimise profit and stock risk across Zalando’s articles. You’ll create data, software, deployment, and monitoring foundations to move models safely from experimentation into daily use.

You will work at the intersection of data platforms, machine learning, optimisation, and product development, partnering with Applied Scientists, Product Managers, Engineers,

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience building and operating data or ML systems in production (MLOps, data engineering, ML platforms, or ML product development).
• Write maintainable production Python and follow automated testing, code review, and CI/CD practices.
• Familiarity with cloud workloads and deployments (AWS, Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong software engineering fundamentals: reliability, scalability, observability, maintainable design.
• Clear communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Build and operate production systems for data ingestion, optimisation, forecasting, and ML.
• Design scalable data and ML pipelines using Python, Databricks, Spark, and Airflow with reliable data contracts.
• Enable scientists to develop and evaluate models with reusable training, evaluation, deployment, and experiment-tracking capabilities.
• Productionise models with dependable inputs/outputs, automated deployment, monitoring, and traceability.
• Develop workloads in Databricks for distributed data/ML; run Dockerized apps as Kubernetes pods when needed.
• Create dashboards, alerts, and runbooks to monitor system state and issues.

Skills

Python

Databricks

Spark

Airflow

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Observability

Communication

ML Ops

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Databricks

Airflow

AWS

Job description

As a Senior Software Engineer (Data/ML) in the Pricing Platform department, you will be responsible for building cutting-edge algorithmic pricing solutions that are essential for optimising profit and managing the stock risk across all articles on the Zalando platform. You will make these products reliable in production. You will build the data, software, deployment, and monitoring foundations that allow models to move safely from experimentation into daily commercial use.

This is an engineering role at the intersection of data platforms, machine learning, optimisation, and product development. You will work closely with Applied Scientists, Product Managers, Engineers, and commercial stakeholders to turn ambiguous problems into trusted, scalable systems.

WHAT WE’D LOVE YOU TO DO (AND LOVE DOING)

• Build and operate production systems for data ingestion, optimisation, forecasting, and machine learning
• Design scalable data and ML pipelines using Python, Databricks, Spark, and Airflow, with clear data contracts and reliable failure handling.
• Enable Applied scientists to develop and evaluate models efficiently by providing reusable training, evaluation, deployment, and experiment-tracking capabilities.
• Productionise models: define dependable inputs and outputs, automate deployment, monitor quality and performance, and make model behaviour traceable in production.
• Develop and operate workloads in the appropriate execution environment: Databricks jobs for distributed data and ML processing, and Dockerised applications running as Kubernetes pods where that runtime is needed.
• Build operational dashboards, alerts, and runbooks so that users and engineers can understand system state, identify issues, and respond effectively.
• Work with product and commercial partners to convert business rules and decision requirements into maintainable software components.
• Raise the engineering bar through pragmatic standards for system design, testing, code review, CI/CD, observability, and operational ownership.
• You have 4+ years of experience building and running data or ML systems in production, for example in MLOps, data engineering, ML platforms, or ML product development.
• You write maintainable production Python and follow established software-delivery practices, including automated testing, code review, and CI/CD.
• You're strong in software engineering fundamentals: reliability, scalability, observability, and maintainable system design.
• You understand how cloud workloads are deployed and run, including AWS, Docker containers, and Kubernetes-based execution.
• You communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders and enjoy turning ambiguous problems into dependable systems.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools such as Co-pilot, Codex or Claude Code is welcome.

OUR OFFER

Zalando provides a range of benefits, here’s an overview of what you can expect.

• 27 days of holiday a year to start for full-time employees (+1 day for every calendar year up to 30 days)
• 40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Lounge by Zalando, discounts from external partners
• Family support, including counselling and dedicated services for parents and carers
• Company pension scheme
• Employee shares programme
• Health and wellbeing options, including Wellhub
• Mental health support and coaching
• Development through our training platform and biannual peer-to-peer review
• 2 paid volunteering days a year
• Relocation assistance (subject to prior agreement)
  

INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN

If you think you have what it takes, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every single requirement. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!

At Zalando, our vision is to be the leading European technology platform for fashion and lifestyle – one that thrives on diversity and is truly inclusive by design. We believe that diverse teams fuel innovation and creativity, and we actively seek out talent from all backgrounds.

We actively seek to reduce bias in our hiring and employment processes, focusing on your qualifications, skills, and contributions. To support this, we kindly ask that you refrain from including personal details such as your photo, age, or marital status in your CV, ensuring a fair and equitable evaluation based solely on your abilities and potential.

We are committed to providing an exceptional and accessible candidate experience for everyone. If you require any accommodations to support you throughout the hiring process, please let us know – we are here to assist you.

Software Engineering

Our Software Engineering teams deploy software extensively, managing a broad set of applications and conducting thousands of deployments per week. The Software Engineering team enables Zalando as Europe’s number one multi-brand, digital platform for fashion, beauty, and lifestyle for our partners and customers. As a Zalando Software Engineer, you’ll be part of a community of thousands of colleagues across Europe.

It’s the perfect time to join Zalando on our journey to build the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce. Help us offer an inspiring and quality multi-brand shopping experience for fashion and lifestyle products to about 50 million active customers in 25 markets. Or be part of our logistic infrastructure, software or service capabilities to help brands and retailers run and scale their entire e-commerce business, on or off Zalando. Join our Zalando ecosystem, to enable positive change for the fashion and lifestyle industry.