Lead Data Platform Engineer

About us

We're a multicultural team of experts pushing the boundaries of what's possible in integrated optics. Our mission is to make photonic integration accessible and industrially scalable. We deliver best-in-class PIC platforms, design enablement, and integrated solutions that empower our customers to innovate faster and bring light-based technologies from concept to production.

About the role

As a Lead Data Platform Engineer, you will drive the architecture, development, and scaling of LIGENTEC’s enterprise data platform and champion software engineering excellence across the organization. Bridging modern data engineering, full-stack application design, and automated DevOps workflows, you will own the end-to-end data infrastructure that connects operational, foundry, and quality analytics. In this high-impact technical leadership position, you will define the technology roadmap, deploy modern data and AI-driven tooling, and empower interdisciplinary teams to transform complex semiconductor and photonics data into scalable business intelligence.

Key Responsibilities

• Data Architecture & Lakehouse Engineering: Architect, build, and optimize scalable ETL/ELT pipelines and our central data lakehouse; ensure seamless integration of operational, fab, and product quality datasets across cross-functional engineering teams.

• Internal Data Apps & Backend Services: Design, build, and maintain production-grade, secure full-stack internal data applications and REST APIs using Python and FastAPI.

• DevOps, Infrastructure & Database Management: Oversee application deployment using Docker Swarm and administer/tune scalable PostgreSQL database servers. Own company-wide GitLab CI/CD pipelines, security configurations, and modern developer infrastructure.

• Technical Leadership & Strategic Roadmap: Define and execute the roadmap for enterprise data and automation initiatives; establish reliable data contracts with external partners and align long-term infrastructure scaling in close partnership with IT.

• Software Standardization & Developer Experience

• Elevate software craftsmanship and developer velocity across the company by setting coding guidelines, managing the developer handbook, and standardizing project templates.

• Modern Tooling & AI-Assisted Workflows: Deploy, support, and scale business dashboarding solutions, process automation initiatives, and next-generation developer tooling, including AI-assisted agentic coding workflows and internal AI documentation systems.

• What you bring

• Proven Track Record: Solid background operating at a Senior or Lead level, with demonstrable ownership over complete data platform architectures and end-to-end data pipelines in production environments.

• Core Engineering & Data Stack: Advanced proficiency in Python, modern ETL/ELT pipeline orchestrators (Airflow, Dagster, Prefect, or similar), and analytical databases (PostgreSQL, DuckDB).

• API & Backend Development: Hands-on experience developing robust, secure backend services and APIs with FastAPI (full-stack or front-end UI experience for data tools is a strong plus).

• DevOps & Cloud/Containerization: Strong foundation in containerization (Docker, Docker Swarm), database administration/scaling for PostgreSQL, and automated CI/CD workflows using GitLab.

• Modern Developer Tools & AI: Hands-on experience utilizing and deploying AI agentic coding tools, LLM-based documentation servers, and modern dashboarding platforms to accelerate engineering workflows.

• Leadership & Collaboration: Proven capability in leading technical roadmaps, mentoring fellow engineers, driving software quality standards, and partnering effectively with cross-functional stakeholders and external partners.

• What we offer

• A dynamic role at the heart of the deep-tech revolution where your technical expertise directly impacts product adoption. You will join an international team of specialists, gain deep exposure to market-leading photonic applications, and shape how photonic integration is deployed worldwide.

• Practicalities

• Location: Lausanne, Switzerland.

• Work percentage: 100%.

• Languages: English is our working language, other languages are a plus.

• Home office: up to two days per week.

• Start date: As soon as possible.

• We are an equal-opportunity employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

• If you have any questions, reach out to the HR team.