Job description
Company Description
KOSTAL Group is a global, independent, family-owned company, based in Germany. We develop and manufacture technologically complex electronic and mechatronic products for automotive and other industries. We employ more than 20.000 people at 46 locations, offering flexible, knowledgeable and customer-focused service. Shared Services Center provides internal IT and other services to the company’s subsidiaries globally.
Job Description
About the Role
We are seeking an AI Solution Architect to shape and drive the design, implementation, and continuous evolution of our AI ecosystem. This role is not only technical but also strategic, as the successful candidate will grow into the future lead of our internal AI team. You will lay the foundation for building a strong AI capability within the organization, with a focus on enhancing self-service AI offerings such as our internal KostalGPT, consulting IT experts on AI usage, and - most importantly - building and governing an AI platform while realizing AI use cases together with the internal team and external experts. You will work primarily with Microsoft Azure and leading AI providers, including OpenAI, to create scalable, innovative, and business-oriented solutions.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and operate AI solutions aligned with IT objectives, ensuring seamless integration with existing systems and processes.
- Collaborate with stakeholders through workshops and direct engagement to understand needs and translate them into practical AI solutions.
- Provide architectural leadership for AI platform development and governance.
- Participate in the definition and continuous refinement of the AI adoption roadmap within IT.
- Lead workshops, training, and knowledge-sharing sessions to upskill IT experts on AI technologies.
- Build, mentor, and lead the internal AI team as it is established, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
- Take an active hands-on role in prototyping, configuring, and delivering AI solutions together with internal and external experts.
- Manage and guide the future AI DevOps team (including developers and operations specialists) and coordinate with external experts to realize and operate AI use cases, ensuring resilient, future-ready solutions.
Qualifications
Required Skills & Qualifications
- Proven experience architecting and delivering solutions on major cloud platforms, with emphasis on AI (including agentic AI), enterprise-scale systems, and related tools (Azure, OpenAI, etc.).
- Strong understanding of AI/ML services, agentic AI architectures, orchestration frameworks, Kubernetes, and cloud-native environments.
- Ability to quickly analyze and understand complex business processes, translating requirements into practical technical solutions.
- Hands-on expertise with AI services, machine learning models, and analytics platforms.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
- Solid project management capabilities, with a track record of delivering solutions in cross-functional, agile environments.
- Demonstrated leadership potential and motivation to build and manage a high-performing AI team.
- Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in IT and 2 years in AI.
- University degree in Computer Science or a comparable field.
- Very good English skills, both written and spoken.
Desirable Experience
- Experience building and executing AI adoption strategies within an enterprise.
- Familiarity with enterprise-scale data architectures and AI governance frameworks.
- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field.
Professional certifications (e.g., Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert, AI Engineer Associate, or equivalent).
Additional Information
- Flexible working conditions with remote work possibility (in-person presence is required from time to time)
- Opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills through stimulating work, including development and implementation of new processes and tools
- Benefits package including private health insurance, sport cards, flexible monthly budgets, bonuses for special occasions, performance bonus and other
