Senior AI & Automation Engineer / Teamlead (m/w/d)

Allow us to introduce ourselves Hello there! We’re Appinio, a global market research company that combines an AI-powered insights platform with expert consultancy. On a mission to make the world a little more fact-based, we help companies understand how consumers think and make smarter decisions. We started out in Hamburg back in 2014, but we’re now humbled to call the world our playground, with over 260 employees spread across 13 countries (we’re remote-first), 2600+ international clients, delivering research from +190 markets, globally. Want to be a part of the Appinio movement? 🚀 Here at Appinio, we value transparency in our recruitment process, and we've created a blog to share what to expect during each step of our journey together: here   Your mission as a Senior IT Administrator (m/f/d) We are looking for a hands-on Senior IT Administrator to manage and continuously improve our internal IT environment. You will take care of day-to-day IT operations, SaaS administration, user access, hardware provisioning, and support processes, ensuring that employees have the tools and systems they need to work securely and efficiently. As the company grows, this role will expand toward broader ownership of our IT systems and processes. You will help define scalable ways of working, automate recurring tasks, improve our security and compliance setup, and shape how internal IT supports the business. This is a strong fit for someone who enjoys practical execution today and wants to take on increasing responsibility over time. Location & working model: This role follows a hybrid model and is based in Hamburg. You’ll be expected to be in the office approximately 2 times per week, depending on tasks and collaboration needs. What you'll do * SaaS Architecture: Lead the administration, configuration, and maintenance of Google Workspace, Slack, ClickUp and other SaaS tools across the business, ensuring compliance with security standards and supporting business operations * Security & Compliance: * Design and maintain a robust IAM framework, overseeing single-sign on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enable efficient and secure user access provisioning * Configure and enforce security and compliance rules to ensure user endpoint devices are properly secured from threats and meet compliance requirements (e.g. ISO 27001, SOC 2, …) * IT Operations & Automation: * Implement automated workflows across SaaS platforms using APIs and orchestration platforms (e.g. Zapier) to eliminate manual work * Design and implement scalable support workflows and automation to minimize manual overhead, while overseeing complex escalations * Develop and maintain documentation, including IT guides, knowledge base articles, and standard operating procedures * On- and offboard employees, ensuring timely access and hardware provisioning / deprovisioning * Vendor Management: * Manage vendor relationships, negotiate contracts for software licenses and hardware procurement * Support other departments in the onboarding, management and offboarding of department-owned vendors, ensuring that solutions are integrated into the system landscape and meet compliance requirements * Hardware Strategy & Lifecycle Planning: This role involves the entire lifecycle management of company hardware assets * Define the hardware strategy, manage procurement vendor relationships, and establish automated deployment processes to streamline equipment provisioning for our remote-first workforce * Manage IT logistics partnerships for the efficient shipping and reception of equipment * Performing routine maintenance and upgrades for all company-owned IT equipment * Build and maintain an automated, detailed and accurate inventory of all IT assets You will thrive in this role if   Must have: * You have experience in IT administration within a SaaS-heavy environment * You have hands-on experience administering Google Workspace * You are confident working with IAM, SSO, and MFA, and understand identity and access management best practices * You have experience managing macOS devices and endpoint security in a professional setting * You have owned onboarding and offboarding processes, ensuring smooth and secure user access provisioning * You have experience with vendor and IT asset management * You communicate clearly and document processes in a structured and accessible way * You are based in Hamburg, Germany Nice to have: * You have worked with security and compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001 or SOC 2 * You have experience with automation or scripting, including API-based workflows * You have experience administering tools such as HubSpot or ClickUp * You are familiar with remote-first hardware logistics and device provisioning * You have helped build, scale, or improve an IT function from the ground up A few words about the team: You'll join a small, tight-knit team of three. We sit within Appinio's engineering department (~50 people), which means you'll work closely with other engineers - not in a silo.   We take ownership seriously. The team is small by design, so everyone has real autonomy over their domain and a direct line to decision-making. There's no layer of management between you and the work. If you see something broken or a process that could be automated, you're expected to fix it - and you'll have the time and backing to do so.   Automation and tooling are core to how we operate. We're not a click-ops team. Where it makes sense, we script, integrate, and build instead of doing things manually. You don't need to be a developer, but a willingness to write the occasional script will make you much more effective here.   We make an effort to stay connected - regular game nights, knowledge-sharing sessions with the wider engineering org, and team meet ups. What’s in it for you? * Flexibility Policy - Average is 30 days taken, however, we do not have a hard cap of number of vacation days as we know life happens * Temporary work from abroad - You can work outside your country of residence for up to 180 days per year * All the hardware you need and your own MacBook * You'll get a Deutschland ticket or access to a mobility budget with the NAVIT app to get you to and from the office space * Subsidised Urban Sports Club membership * You will get access to our Co-working spaces Our interview process * Screening Call with Hiring Manager * Case Interview with Team Lead and Head of IT Infrastructure * (Optional) Team Interview  * Executive Interview  * Reference Check  * Offer  Kind reminder: Please ensure that your application is submitted in English. This post not only outlines our ideal candidate but also serves as an inspiration for what this role can evolve into. Even if you consider yourself an 80% fit but have a genuine passion for this position, we encourage you to apply. We're eager to hear from individuals who share our enthusiasm. Appinio is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. Please read our privacy policy here. Learn more about us:  appinio.com    LinkedIn    Xing     Kununu    Instagram

Working at CreateFuture CreateFuture is an AI-native consulting partner where people do work that matters and are supported to do it well. We work alongside organisations such as PayPal, adidas, NatWest, FanDuel and Money Saving Expert, building digital products and services that make a difference  while always putting people first. We’re a team of creators. We write code, shape delivery, build go-to-market strategies, develop AI solutions and create the practices that support our people. We work side by side with our clients, challenging what’s not working and helping them to build the future. Our commitment to craft, quality, and culture has helped us scale to over 600 people in just a few years. Our UK Benefits  * 35 days leave (including bank holidays).  * Private medical insurance. * Enhanced parental and adoption leave.  * Financial coaching + 5% pension match. * 40 hours of paid learning and development.  View our full list of UK benefits. CreateFuture is a Great Place to Work-Certified™ company and has won Best Workplaces UK multiple years in a row. Join us on our journey. Let’s create tomorrow, together, today. About the role and team: LEAD BACKEND JAVA ENGINEER LEAD ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE. SHAPE TECHNICAL STRATEGY. DELIVER MEANINGFUL IMPACT. We're looking for an exceptional Lead Backend Java Engineer to define technical direction, inspire engineering teams, and build world-class backend systems. This role combines deep technical expertise with engineering leadership, enabling you to influence architecture, delivery, AI adoption, and engineering culture across multiple teams and client engagements. You'll be a recognised technical leader who enjoys solving complex challenges, mentoring engineers, and ensuring every solution delivers measurable business value. WHAT YOU'LL DO As a Lead Backend Java Engineer, you will: * Define and evolve the technical strategy for backend engineering across projects and teams. * Lead the design and delivery of scalable, secure and resilient distributed systems using Java and the Spring ecosystem. * Provide architectural leadership across multiple client engagements, ensuring consistency, maintainability and long-term scalability. * Act as the technical authority for backend engineering, supporting teams in solving complex engineering challenges. * Establish and continually improve engineering standards, coding practices, testing strategies and development processes. * Mentor Senior, Mid-level and Junior Engineers, building capability across the engineering function. * Drive technical planning, estimation and delivery, ensuring engineering excellence while balancing commercial objectives. * Partner with Product, Delivery and Client stakeholders to align technology decisions with business outcomes. * Champion AI and automation to improve productivity, engineering quality and client value. * Evaluate emerging technologies and shape engineering roadmaps that keep the organisation at the forefront of modern software development. WHAT YOU'LL BRING TECHNICAL EXPERTISE You'll bring extensive commercial experience in: * Modern Java (Java 8+) and advanced language features * Spring Boot and the wider Spring ecosystem * Spring Security, Spring Data JPA and Spring Cloud * Designing and delivering RESTful APIs * Microservices, event-driven architecture and distributed systems * Relational and NoSQL databases * Messaging platforms such as Kafka or RabbitMQ * Docker and containerisation * Kubernetes and cloud-native deployments * Cloud platforms including AWS, Azure or GCP * CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices * Observability, monitoring and distributed tracing * JVM performance tuning and concurrency * Automated testing strategies across all testing layers * Build tooling including Maven or Gradle Experience with reactive programming, WebFlux or platform engineering would be advantageous. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP * Define engineering standards that improve quality across multiple teams. * Make architectural decisions that enable scalable, maintainable solutions. * Lead the resolution of complex technical challenges. * Drive continuous improvement across engineering practices. ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE * Champion clean architecture, testing, security and performance. * Create an engineering culture focused on craftsmanship and continuous learning. * Ensure consistent adoption of modern development practices. * Raise technical capability through coaching and mentoring. STRATEGIC DELIVERY * Align engineering decisions with client objectives and commercial priorities. * Lead delivery across multiple programmes or workstreams. * Identify opportunities to improve client platforms and introduce innovative solutions. * Balance technical excellence with pragmatic delivery. PEOPLE LEADERSHIP * Coach and develop engineers at every stage of their careers. * Build high-performing, collaborative engineering teams. * Foster knowledge sharing and create opportunities for growth. * Lead by example through humility, integrity and technical credibility. AI & INNOVATION * Define the engineering strategy for responsible AI adoption. * Lead initiatives that automate repetitive work and improve developer experience. * Explore emerging technologies and identify opportunities to create competitive advantage. * Enable teams to use AI confidently, ethically and effectively. WHAT WE’LL OFFER YOU: We trust people to do their best work. That means flexibility over rigid rules, impact over activity, and real investment in your growth both professionally and personally. You’ll be part of a supportive, and friendly culture, surrounded by smart, curious people who care deeply about what they do. We offer flexible working, including hybrid and remote options. Our office hubs are located in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, London and Bulgaria, with occasional travel to client sites or CreateFuture offices when needed. We trust you to manage your time balancing collaboration with client time and focused work. What matters is the impact you have, not how busy you look. OUR HIRING PROCESS We try to keep our hiring process clear, fair and respectful of your time. We aim to get back to everyone who applies and we will be upfront about where you are in the process. It usually looks like this: * Call with our Talent Acquisition Team  * Role specific capability interview  Depending on the role, we might also ask you to do a short presentation, a practical or technical task or have a values focused conversation. We will explain what is involved before anything happens. INCLUSION AT CREATEFUTURE  We believe diverse teams build better workplaces and better products. We want CreateFuture to be a place where people feel able to be themselves and do their best work. If you need any adjustments or support during the application process, just. We will do what we can to help. We look forward to your application!