Lead C++ Engineer – Data Engine (Builder-Lead Role)

AIMMS; Haarlem; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Three days a week in Haarlem office

Competitive salary

Fully paid pension

30 vacation days

Continuous learning and coaching

Job summary

AIMMS is seeking a Lead C++ Engineer in the Netherlands (Haarlem) to build the core data engine powering SENSAI Data Ready and to grow a small team around it.

You will own how the C++ core, connectors, and Python-based agents work together, ensuring fast, reproducible, and auditable data preparation at scale. You’ll lead two engineers and collaborate with product and customers to deliver practical, production-ready capabilities.

Qualifications

• 5+ years building production C++ software.
• 2+ years of hands-on technical leadership.
• Data-engine depth: databases, ETL, schemas and versioning.
• SQL/columnar processing with Arrow, Parquet, DuckDB.
• Production ownership of B2B or enterprise software.
• Agent integration experience with Python for LLMs.

Responsibilities

• Build and own the engine: C++ services, connectors, storage and versioning.
• Tackle SQL generation, schema drift and large datasets.
• Interface the engine with Python-based agents and analytics.
• Lead two engineers, set direction, and grow the team.
• Shape a shared data layer across AIMMS apps.
• Deliver production-ready capabilities for customers.

Skills

C++ (modern)

Technical leadership

Data-engine depth

SQL/Parquet/DuckDB

Production ownership

Agent integration

Tools

Python

Job description

Want to build the engine behind AI-powered data preparation—and stay close to the code while leading a team? Enjoy solving hard data problems and seeing your work become a product customers rely on?

At AIMMS, we’re looking for a Lead C++ Engineer to build the data engine powering SENSAI Data Ready, then help grow it into a shared data layer across our optimization platform.

A Role You Can Shape

Good optimization starts with reliable data. With SENSAI Data Ready, supply chain analysts will work with AI agents to turn raw customer data into validated, model-ready datasets—without needing data engineering skills.

Your team builds the engine that makes this possible. The core runs in modern C++; the agents and analytics tools run in Python. You’ll own how these pieces work together, making data preparation fast, reproducible and traceable.

Our Lead Architect starts the C++ build; you take over technical ownership and grow the team around it. Data Ready is the starting point. As the shared data layer expands across AIMMS applications, so will your scope.

What You’ll Do

This is a hands‑on engineering role with leadership responsibility—not a move away from coding.

• Build and own the engine: Write a substantial share of the C++ services, connectors, recipe execution, storage and versioning.

• Solve the hard data problems: Tackle SQL generation, schema drift, deterministic execution and performance on datasets of 10 million-plus rows.

• Connect C++ and AI: Design the interfaces between the engine and Python‑based agents and analytics tools, keeping results reliable and auditable.

• Lead a small, growing team: Start with two engineers, set technical direction, coach through pairing and reviews, and hire as the scope grows.

• Shape the wider platform: Work with the Lead Architect on a persistent data layer that AIMMS applications can share.

• Deliver for real users: Work with Product and customers to turn messy data challenges into practical, production‑ready capabilities.

What Makes You Successful in This Role

You’re a software engineer first: someone who enjoys building data‑intensive systems, not just using them.

You’ll bring:

• Strong modern C++ experience: 5+ years building production software, including server‑side services, with depth in memory management, concurrency and performance.

• Hands‑on technical leadership: 2+ years leading a team or technical delivery while remaining active in the codebase.

• Data‑engine depth: Experience with databases, query engines, analytics or ETL systems, including ingestion, transformation, schemas and versioning.

• SQL and columnar processing expertise: Familiarity with technologies such as Apache Arrow, Parquet and DuckDB, and how to process millions of rows efficiently.

• Production ownership: Experience taking B2B or enterprise software from early development into real customer use.

• Agent integration experience: Experience exposing tools or APIs to LLM agents and evaluating how reliably they use them, plus enough Python to collaborate closely with the team.

Operations research, supply chain knowledge, Azure and Kubernetes experience are welcome additions.

The Kind of Person This Role Fits

You enjoy building something that is still taking shape. You can take ownership of an architecture you didn’t start, improve it pragmatically and bring others along. You care about developing people as much as setting technical standards—and know when to build, simplify, defer or use an existing solution.

What You’ll Get

• Ownership of a core engine, with scope beyond the first product.

• The opportunity to stay deeply hands‑on while building and leading your team.

• Close collaboration with architecture, product and customers.

• A collaborative environment with deep optimization and supply chain expertise.

• Hybrid working, with three days a week in our Haarlem office.

Reward & benefits

• Competitive salary.

• Fully paid pension.

• Hybrid work

• 30 vacation days to properly recharge.

• A culture that prioritizes continuous learning and skill development through coaching and training.

• ‘Short‑term remote friendly’ the freedom to occasionally work from abroad, in alignment with the team.

——————

AIMMS: Who We Are (and why it matters)

It all started in 1989, when we saw a huge untapped potential for mathematical optimization. Since then, AIMMS has touched many aspects of people’s daily lives—from the electricity delivered to our homes and the distribution of vaccines to emission‑reduction policymaking. Today, as a product‑led SaaS company, we support industries worldwide—from logistics to sustainability—enabling smarter, faster, and greener choices.

We’re a diverse, collaborative, and curious team of over 20 nationalities, with offices in the Netherlands (Haarlem HQ), the US, and Singapore. Working in a self‑organized, hybrid way across the globe, we’re guided by four core values - Integrity, Care, Open, and Ambition - which help us give honest feedback, care deeply for our stakeholders, collaborate across teams, and continuously grow our impact.

How AIMMS made impact:
Our platform was used to build applications that helps state utilities buy electricity from hundreds of power stations, ensuringcompaniesand consumers always have power. We optimize daily and real‑time purchasing decisions to minimize costs, maintain network stability, and reliably … ???