Lead Controls & Data Engineer

DeWarmte; Utrecht; On-site; EUR 54,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 vacation days

SAR programme

Laptop provided

Lunch at office

Team events

Job summary

DeWarmte zoekt een Lead Controls & Data Engineer die de controle software en het dataplatform van onze slimme warmtepompen stuurt. Je werkt hands-on aan code, diagnoseert real-world gedrag en levert nieuwe functionaliteit terwijl je een team opbouwt en externen aanstuurt.

Je ontwikkelt de technische fundamenten, documentatie en een team dat afhangt van meerdere engineers, zodat niemand afhankelijk wordt van één individu.

Qualifications

• Sterke hands-on software engineering ervaring met eigenaarschap van productie systemen.
• Ervaring met ontwikkeling van controle- of embedded software voor fysieke producten of apparaten.
• Aantoonbaar vermogen om functionaliteit door ontwerp, implementatie, testen, deployment en in real-world operaties te brengen.
• In staat om software, hardware en fysische systeemgedrag te verklaren en te coördineren.

Responsibilities

• Beheer en verbeter onze besturingssoftware, inclusief productiecode voor warmtepompen.
• Ontwerp, bouw, test en zet nieuwe controlefuncties live.
• Verbeter prestaties, stabiliteit, veiligheid en energie-efficiëntie van het product.
• Diagnoseer complex gedrag over software, elektronica, sensoren, hydrauliek en installatie.

Skills

Embedded software

Control software

Telemetry / time-series data

CI/CD

Testing & observability

Leadership

Mentoring engineers

Hiring / team building

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Bash/Shell

Python

Kafka

Telegraf

InfluxDB

Job description

Versterk ons team

Lead Controls & Data Engineer

At DeWarmte, we develop technology that helps homes move away from gas. Our heat pumps combine hardware, embedded control software, cloud services and data—and the quality of the software connecting those elements directly determines how well our products perform in customers’ homes.

We are looking for a Lead Controls & Data Engineer to take ownership of two foundations of our products: the control software that operates our heat pumps and the data platform that helps us monitor, understand and improve them.

This is a hands-on leadership role. Initially, most of your time will be spent writing code, diagnosing real-world behaviour, improving reliability and delivering new functionality. At the same time, you are in the lead for collaborating with external partners, ensuring data reliability and scalability. Additionally, you will build the technical foundations, documentation and team that move us away from dependence on any one engineer.

Your mission

Build reliable, scalable controls and data capability that is owned by a team—not an individual.

You will inherit working systems and products already operating in the field. Your job is to understand them deeply, keep them running, improve their performance and evolve their architecture. You will then recruit and develop the engineers needed to create durable, shared ownership.

What you'll do

Own and improve our control software

• Work directly in the production code that controls our heat pumps.
• Design, build, test and deploy new control functionality.
• Improve product performance, stability, safety and energy efficiency.
• Diagnose and understand complex behaviour across software, electronics, sensors, hydraulics and the physical installation.
• Manage controlled software rollouts across both new products and the installed fleet.
• Establish appropriate automated testing, simulation, observability and release practices.
• Current stack includes Bash/Shell, Python, Kafka, Telegraf and Influx. You will own the evolution of the stack together with our Hardware R&D team.

Build our product data platform

• Take technical ownership of the systems that collect, process and expose data from our connected smart heat pumps.
• Make product behaviour and fleet trends observable for engineering, service and product teams.
• Improve the quality, reliability and accessibility of operational data.
• Ensure pipeline and server capabilities are able to handle rapid scaling.
• Create the foundations for performance analysis, remote diagnostics and continuous product improvement.
• Define clear interfaces between device software, cloud systems, the customer app and internal tools.

Build a team and eliminate key-person dependency

• Turn implicit knowledge into clear documentation, tooling and repeatable engineering practices.
• Design systems that other engineers can intuitively understand, easily test and safely change.
• Define the roles and capabilities the team will need as DeWarmte scales.
• Recruit, onboard and mentor controls, embedded-software and data engineers.
• Introduce effective code reviews, technical decision-making and shared operational ownership.
• Gradually move from being the primary implementer to leading a capable team—without losing touch with the code.

Work across the product

You will collaborate closely with colleagues in hardware, software, data, product development, assembly, installation and service. You will help resolve immediate customer and operational issues while protecting the long-term quality of the platform.

What success looks like

In your first months

• You understand the existing controls, data flows and operational risks.
• You can independently maintain, debug and release the current systems.
• The most important technical risks and knowledge gaps are visible and prioritised.
• Monitoring, documentation and development practices begin to improve.

As the role develops

• New control functionality can be delivered predictably and safely.
• You work closely together with Hardware colleagues, developing the next generation of products
• Product data supports faster diagnosis and better engineering decisions.
• Critical systems are understood and maintained by more than one person.
• A small, strong controls and data team is in place, with clear ownership and effective ways of working.
• DeWarmte is no longer dependent on a single engineer to operate or evolve this part of the product.

What we are looking for

• Strong hands-on software engineering experience, including ownership of production systems.
• Experience developing control or embedded software for physical products, machines or connected devices.
• A track record of taking functionality through design, implementation, testing, deployment and real-world operation.
• The ability to reason across software, hardware and physical-system behaviour.
• Experience working with telemetry, time-series data, data pipelines or connected-device platforms.
• Strong engineering fundamentals, including version control, automated testing, CI/CD, observability and structured incident resolution.
• The ability to create clarity in an environment where systems and processes are still developing.
• Experience mentoring engineers and improving how a team works.
• The ambition and ability to recruit and lead a team while remaining highly hands-on.

Experience with heat pumps, HVAC systems, safety-critical design, fleet-management systems or optimisation is valuable, but we care more about your ability to learn a complex physical product and take genuine end-to-end ownership.

How you work

• You solve urgent problems without allowing permanent workarounds to become the architecture.
• You explain complex technical matters clearly to people with different backgrounds.
• You balance reliability today with the investments needed to scale tomorrow.
• You share knowledge by default and measure success by what the team can own without you.
• You are comfortable switching between debugging a specific installation, reviewing architecture and interviewing a future teammate.
• You are able to maintain alignment between your own team’s development roadmap and the roadmap of other product teams.

What you will get

• Direct influence on technology that contributes to the energy transition.
• Ownership of software and data that sit at the heart of a real physical product.
• The opportunity to shape both the technical platform and the team around it.
• A role that starts deeply hands-on and grows into broader engineering leadership.
• Close collaboration with colleagues across the complete product lifecycle.

What we offer

• A monthly gross salary between €4.500 and €6.000, based on full-time.
• 27 vacation days plus 8% holiday allowance
• Participation in our SAR (Stock Appreciation Rights) programme
• Plenty of ownership and responsibility from day one
• The opportunity to shape products that directly contribute to the energy transition
• A talented, ambitious, and highly collaborative team
• A healthy daily lunch at the office
• Laptop and everything you need to do your best work
• Regular team events, company drinks, our annual beach day, and winter trip
• Lots of room to grow, develop yourself, and make a lasting impact