Cloud DataAI Architect - Azure, AWS, Databricks

Our business line "Data, Analytics & AI" helps clients transform data into measurable value by building modern analytics and AI capabilities. Our projects vary greatly in scope, industry, and maturity – from platform foundations to advanced use cases.
This role has a clear focus on data architecture and covers everything – from target design and standards to delivery quality and operational readiness.
We are looking for a motivated Cloud Data&AI Architect for our Zurich office, with strong delivery experience and the ability to contribute to pre-sales activities and proposals within customer engagements.

Your tasks
As a Cloud Data, Analytics & AI Architect, you take responsibility for data architecture in customer engagements. You define target architectures and practical guardrails and work closely with data engineers and data scientists to ensure solutions are implemented consistently and with high quality. You also support pre-sales by providing technical inputs, effort estimates, and presentations in collaboration with the sales team, other business lines, and delivery teams. This role requires strong technical skills, clear communication, and confident stakeholder management.

• Deliver data, analytics & AI solutions together with data engineers and data scientists for clients
• Lead architecture workshops to systematically capture requirements, conditions, and non-functional requirements
• Define target data architectures and reference architectures across ingestion, storage, processing, and serving
• Create and maintain conceptual, logical, and physical data models aligned with business domains
• Define data integration and access patterns (batch, streaming, event-driven, APIs, semantic models) based on use cases
• Maintain architecture artefacts such as data flow diagrams and Architecture Decision Records
• Integrate security and privacy into the design, including data classification, access models, encryption, and key management
• Remain hands-on when needed to validate designs, remove technical obstacles, and ensure quality in critical phases
• Build trusted relationships with clients and develop a deep understanding of their needs
• Confidently present architecture concepts to IT decision-makers on the client side, clearly explain trade-offs, and align stakeholders
• Contribute to the knowledge building of the Data & AI business unit by sharing experiences and lessons learned
• Support pre-sales and proposal activities by preparing and delivering technical presentations as well as providing architecture vision, solution options, risks, effort estimates, and technical inputs for proposals and statements of work
• Provide technical guidance and coaching for junior colleagues in the project context

Our offer

• A dynamic working environment with a young and highly motivated team
• Diverse opportunities to expand your knowledge and experience – through projects with different clients and modern technologies
• Attractive prospects for professional and personal development through training and coaching
• Flat hierarchies and a culture of collaboration across all disciplines
• The opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives by developing great software
• Further development options through various internal career paths
• Work-life balance (41 hours/week with flexible working hours, at least 25 days holiday), ergonomic and flexible workplace in a multicultural environment
• Top benefits such as: purchase of up to 13 additional holiday days, contribution to private mobile phone or business phone, half-fare travelcard, business travel in 1st class, flexible pension schemes, coverage of daily sickness and accident insurance (private, worldwide) and much more

Your profile

• University-level degree (UNI/FH/ETH)
• At least 8 years of professional experience, including at least 5 years in data architecture and solution design for data, analytics, and AI platforms in complex environments
• Proven experience in responsibility for target data architectures, defining architecture principles and standards, and translating requirements into actionable designs and guardrails
• Deep platform knowledge in one of the following platforms: Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Databricks, with project experience on the other two platforms
• Solid experience with data architecture topics such as data modelling (conceptual, logical, physical), integration patterns (batch, streaming, event-driven), data access patterns (APIs, semantic models), and architecture governance (ADRs, reference architectures, reusable patterns)
• Very good understanding of non-functional requirements (security, compliance, reliability, performance, and cost) and the ability to integrate these into architecture decisions
• Relevant architecture and/or cloud certifications (platform- or vendor-specific) are expected
• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, with the ability to interact confidently with both engineering teams and senior stakeholders
• Confident and comfortable presenting architecture concepts to clients and moderating stakeholder alignment
• Fluent in German and English (C1) is mandatory; French is an advantage