Data Team Lead

We are looking for a visionary and hands-on Data Team Lead who will define and execute Coople’s data strategy. This role is based in Zurich and we're aiming to hire an experienced data professional ready to take full ownership of our data platform, team, and vision—transforming data into a product that empowers every part of the organisation. You will be at the centre of Coople’s evolution toward an AI-first engineering platform, ensuring that data is accessible, intelligent, and actionable for everyone—from business analysts to product teams. You will lead a team of 2–4 data engineers and a business analyst, fostering a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and operational excellence. Our current data stack includes Databricks and AWS for our Data Lake and Power BI for reporting. The next step is to elevate data to a strategic enabler of AI and decision-making across the company. You will play a pivotal role in integrating our modernised platform with the data ecosystem, ensuring seamless, secure, and automated data flows.This is a unique opportunity to shape how Coople uses data and AI to drive smarter products, efficient operations, and data-informed decisions at every level. Skills required Proven leadership experience. 3+ years leading data engineering or analytics teams, ideally in a fast-paced, product-oriented environment. Deep technical expertise. Strong experience with modern data architectures (Data Lakes, ETL pipelines, Databricks, AWS, SQL). AI-native mindset. Passionate about how data enables AI, from model training to intelligent analytics. Comfortable experimenting with AI-assisted development tools. Hands-on engineering ability. Capable of diving into pipelines, transformations, and data modelling when needed. Data-driven and business-oriented leader. Advocate for data democratization with experience enabling self-service analytics, clear documentation, and accessibility for non-technical users Bias for action. You operate with speed and pragmatism, balancing technical excellence with business impact. Fluent in English. German is a plus, but not required. Availability to travel to Poland occasionally. Responsibilities Your responsibilities are focused on: data strategy & vision and team leadership & collaboration. Data Strategy & Vision.Define and own Coople’s data aligned with our mission to become an AI-first platform. Evolve our Data Lake for connecting product, operational, and customer data. Champion data democratization, enabling self-service analytics and reducing reliance on ad-hoc reporting for all people in the organisation Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Leadership to identify opportunities where data and AI create real business impact. Establish standards for data governance, quality, and compliance, ensuring accuracy and trust across the organisation.Platform Excellence Oversee and evolve the data platform architecture built on Databricks and AWS. Ensure efficient data ingestion, transformation, and integration from multiple systems, including the new AI-first platform. Guide your team in building scalable, performant, and observable data pipelines. Partner with stakeholders to design self-service reporting and analytics frameworks leveraging AI. Drive automation, AI and ML-readiness within the data infrastructure.Team Leadership & Collaboration Lead, mentor, and grow a team of data engineers and a business analyst, fostering technical excellence and curiosity. Create a culture of experimentation and impact in the team, where ideas move from concept to proof quickly. Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, and Operations to ensure data initiatives are aligned and prioritised effectively. Communicate progress, vision, and results to executive stakeholders. Champion AI-driven data enablement across the organisation, making AI and analytics part of everyone’s daily work. Interview Process Our interview process is designed to be transparent, collaborative, and focused on mutual fit. Prescreening: A call with our internal recruiter to explore your background, motivations, and experience. Hiring Manager Conversation: A discussion with the VP of Engineering about Coople’s AI-first strategy and your approach to leading a modern data organisation. Technical & Strategic Challenge: You’ll receive a homework exercise asking you to outline how you would evolve Coople’s current data ecosystem into an AI-powered platform. You will then present your findings in a 2 to 3-hour session, including technical deep dives and the remaining leadership interviews. Fast Feedback: We move quickly—expect a response within days after the final round. Why Join Coople At Coople, we connect companies and workers through a platform built for flexible work. We help businesses plan smarter and support people in finding jobs that fit their lives. Our values – Agile, Collaborative, Empowering, Fair, and Passionate – shape our team spirit and define the way we work to truly make a difference. In this role specifically, you’ll join a team that’s rebuilding a platform from the ground up—with AI, automation, and scalability at its core. You’ll have the autonomy to shape both the data strategy and the culture around it, ensuring every decision is backed by insight, not guesswork.