Technical Lead, Data, AI & Analytics (m/f/d)

Clariant is a focused, sustainable, and innovative specialty chemical company. We connect our customers to value-adding and sustainable solutions for products used in countless everyday applications. Our solutions contribute to our customers' sustainability targets while prioritizing our own. We are committed to creating value through innovation and sustainability for our customers, stakeholders, and the environment.

As Technical Lead, Data, AI & Analytics, you are the technical backbone of the business unit's digital build-up. You own the BU’s growing portfolio of ML/AI applications and the architecture of the BU's data lake, drive the development backlog as technical product owner alongside business counterparts, and set the engineering standards that separate production-grade solutions from prototypes. The role sits at the intersection of solution design and data architecture in an industrial
environment where ERP, CRM, MES, and plant data are daily reality.

Responsibilities

• Act as technical product owner for the development backlog: refine user stories with business solution and domain owners, translate business requirements into technically sound, appropriately scoped work, and drive weekly prioritization and sprint planning
• Own the solution architecture for ML/AI applications and digital products built by the team, establishing the design principles, technology choices, and reusable patterns that keep solutions scalable, maintainable, and production-ready
• Apply strong ML/AI judgment to scope and validate solution approaches — knowing when a problem needs a model, which class of methods fits, and what production-ready realistically requires
• Design the concept and drive the implementation of the business unit's cloud data lake, e.g., data models, ingestion patterns, storage and access layers
• Ensure solutions integrate cleanly with the industrial systems landscape (ERP, MES, historians, LIMS, CRM) and the cloud platform
• Establish and uphold engineering standards across the team's development work: code and architecture reviews, pull request discipline, testing and CI/CD gates, MLOps and model lifecycle management
• Provide indirect technical leadership to data scientists, ML engineers, and developers across project teams through mentoring, design reviews, and technical direction-setting
• Continuously evaluate emerging technologies — cloud-native data platforms, generative AI, ML tooling and selectively introduce those that create genuine value in an industrial manufacturing context

Requirements

• Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related STEM field, with 8+ years spanning data science/ML and software engineering, including 3+ years in a technical lead or architect role
• Proven track record delivering production-grade AI/ML systems in an industrial or manufacturing context, integrated with operational data platforms or enterprise systems
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing cloud data platforms or data lakes (ideally AWS); advanced Python, cloud-native architecture, containerization, and MLOps
• Demonstrated experience driving agile delivery from the technical side, e.g., backlog ownership, story refinement, sprint discipline, in close collaboration with non-technical business counterparts
• Working fluency in the manufacturing IT/OT and business landscape (ERP, CRM, MES, historians, LIMS) and the practical realities of industrial data; process-industry experience and exposure to hybrid modeling approaches are a strong plus

Our Offer

• The opportunity to make a significant impact through data-driven transformation
• A collaborative working environment with cross-functional teams
• Professional development opportunities in a global specialty chemicals company
• Competitive compensation and benefits package

Your Contact

Ann-Christin Kaiser
Talent Acquisition Partner
Tel. +49 (0)69/305-80115

#LI-AK1

Clariant is a Swiss-based global specialty chemicals company, which is concentrated and developed in three business units: Care Chemicals, Catalysts and Adsorbents & Additives. Our purpose as a company is reflected in our tagline "Greater chemistry - between people and planet", which considers the principles of customer, innovation and people orientation, as well as a focus on creating solutions to foster sustainability in different industries by offering high-value and high-performance chemical specialties.

At Clariant, we believe that diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to our success. We strive to cultivate a workplace where all employees feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. Our diverse workforce allows us to tap into a wealth of perspectives, experiences, and capabilities that drive innovation. We are committed to ensuring equal opportunities for professional growth and advancement across all levels of the organization, based on objective criteria and regardless of gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, protected veteran status, age, disability, sexual orientation or other aspects of diversity in accordance with the relevant governing laws. By bringing together talented individuals with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, we gain the agility to meet the evolving needs of our global customers and communities. Join our team to help advance our mission of fostering a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive.

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