Head of Engineering

Country

Germany

Job Family

Technology

For almost 90 years, GfK has been a reliable and trusted insight partner for the world’s biggest companies and leading brands who make a difference in every consumer’s life - and we will continue to build on this. We connect data, science and innovative digital research solutions to provide answers for key business questions around consumers, markets, ROI, brands and media. With our headquarters in Germany and a presence in around 60 countries worldwide, you benefit from our global company with a diverse community of 8,000+ employees.

Harnessing the power of our workforce, the greatest asset we have is our people. As part of GfK, you can take your future into your own hands. We value talent, skills and responsibility and will support your development within our international teams. We are proud of our heritage and our future, as we continue our evolution from Market Research provider to SaaS data solutions and consulting partner. We value extraordinary people and this is why we are looking for YOU to help create our future. For our employees as well as for our clients we pursue one goal: Growth from Knowledge

**Job Description**:
The Head of Engineering and Architecture will play a pivotal role in guiding our software development teams and ensuring the successful delivery of scalable and reliable software solutions. This hybrid role encompasses both technical leadership and strategic planning, combining expertise in software engineering with a deep understanding of system architecture. Reporting to the VP of Tech, Ops, and Product of Media Measurement, the Head of Engineering and Architecture will be responsible for overseeing software engineering and architecture practices within the CSG, working hand in hand with the Delivery Leads of the MM value stream

You will...- Lead and manage a team of practice leads and, from an engineering perspective, be responsible for overseeing all teams within the CSG.- Define and implement best practices, processes, and methodologies for software development and architecture.- Drive the design and development of high-quality, scalable, and maintainable software solutions.- Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product management, quality assurance, infrastructure, operations, and security, to align software development efforts with business objectives.- Provide technical guidance and mentorship to software engineering teams, fostering professional growth and development.- Establish and maintain software architecture standards, ensuring compliance with industry best practices and emerging technologies.- Conduct code reviews, perform architectural assessments, and identify opportunities for optimization and improvement.- Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and advancements in software engineering and architecture, and leverage them to drive innovation within the organization.- Define and lead a data engineering-centric, legacy system migration and act as the sponsor of the program.- Ensure that continuously identified security findings are being addressed, tackled, and solved by all teams, respective of their security leads. This includes collaborating with the central IT security team and sponsoring tasks for upcoming program increment planning sessions.- Collaborate with the VP of Tech, Ops, and Product in the CSG and other stakeholders to define and execute the company's technology roadmap.- Develop and execute strategic and tactical staffing plans to ensure the right talent is in place to support the software engineering and architecture needs of the organization.- Create and maintain a defined sourcing strategy to attract top-tier engineering talent, including leveraging external partnerships, recruiting channels, and industry events.- Stay up-to-date with industry trends and market conditions to continuously adapt and refine the sourcing strategy and ensure a competitive edge in talent acquisition.

You have...- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.- 10+ years of software engineering experience, with a focus on designing and developing scalable and complex software systems and engineering organisations.- At least 2 years of experience in a leadership or managerial role, such as Principal Engineer or Principal Architect, overseeing software development and architecture teams.- Strong knowledge and experience in software architecture, design patterns, and development methodologies.- Proficiency in programming languages such as Java and Python. Familiarity with.NET and JavaScript would be beneficial, but not mandatory.- Extensive experience with cloud platforms, microservices architecture, and scalable software systems.- Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to analyze complex technical challenges.- Exceptional leadership and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with both technical and non-tech