Senior AI & Data Engineer

Artefact is a next-generation strategy and data consulting firm dedicated to transforming organizations through data and AI. We combine the rigor of top-tier strategy consulting with deep expertise in data, digital, and analytics to help clients achieve tangible business impact.

With 1,800+ consultants, data scientists, and engineers across 23 countries, we work with global leaders such as Samsung, L’Oréal, Orange, and Sanofi. Our Romandie office (Geneva/Lausanne) is at the heart of Artefact’s growth, advising clients on their most pressing strategic challenges — from AI strategy and governance to digital transformation roadmaps and new business model design.

As a Senior AI & Data Engineer, you will be the architect of the 'AI Factory.' Your role is less about training models from scratch and more about building the industrial-grade pipelines, infrastructure, and security frameworks required to run AI in a highly regulated environment.

• Production-Grade AI Infrastructure: Design and implement robust MLOps and LLMOps pipelines specifically for banking environments, focusing on data residency, air-gapping possibilities, and high availability.

  
  

• Data Engineering for AI: Build scalable ETL/ELT pipelines to feed RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) systems, ensuring data lineage, quality, and strict access control (RBAC).

  
  

• DevOps & Automation: Own the CI/CD lifecycle for AI assets. Automate the deployment of model APIs, vector databases, and monitoring stacks using Infrastructure as Code (IaC).

  
  

• Hybrid Cloud & On-Prem: Navigate complex hybrid-cloud architectures (Azure/AWS/GCP vs. Private Cloud) common in Swiss banking.

  
  

• Technical Advisory: Act as a bridge between IT Infrastructure, Risk/Compliance, and Business units to translate AI potential into stable, governed reality.

  
  

Engineer first, consultant second — with a builder’s mindset and a track record of shipping.

• Experience: 4+ years in Data Engineering, DevOps, or Software Engineering, with at least 2 years focused on deploying Machine Learning or AI systems at scale.

• The 'DevOps' Stack: Expert knowledge of Docker, Kubernetes (K8s), and CI/CD tools (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Jenkins). Experience with Terraform or Pulumi is a strong plus.

  
  

• The 'Data' Stack: Advanced SQL and Python. Deep experience with data orchestration (Airflow, Dagster), streaming (Kafka), and modern data warehouses (Snowflake, Databricks).

  
  

• AI/LLM Implementation: Hands-on experience with the 'plumbing' of AI: Vector databases (Milvus, Qdrant, or pgvector), model serving (BentoML, vLLM), and RAG orchestration (LangChain/LlamaIndex).

  
  

• Banking Domain: Solid understanding of financial data structures and the regulatory landscape (Model Risk Management, Audit trails, Data anonymization).

  
  

• Languages: English is mandatory. German (B2 or higher) is a significant advantage for the Zurich market and stakeholder management.

  
  

• Education: Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related quantitative field.

  
  

Nice to have

• Experience with responsible AI/governance frameworks, security reviews, and cost optimization.

  
  

• Domain experience in finance.

  
  

• Contributions to open-source, publications, or conference talks.

  
  

• Strategy with a Data Edge: Operate at the intersection of boardroom strategy and cutting-edge AI engineering.

  
  

• Zurich Office Impact: High visibility from day one; help shape our Swiss footprint and work directly with senior leadership.

  
  

• Learning & Growth: Advanced training across strategy, AI/ML/LLM, and cloud; international missions and communities of practice.

  
  

• Culture of Doers: Innovation, action, collaboration. We move fast, deliver impact, and support each other’s growth.

  
  

Location: Zurich

If you don’t meet 100% of the criteria, we still want to hear from you. Passion, curiosity, and impact orientation matter — tell us about yours.