Director of Engineering, Data & AI (f/m/d)

Upvest is on a mission to make investing as easy as spending money. The company empowers businesses to offer a wide range of investment products and the best experience in the field of capital market investment and retirement planning. Upvest’s Investment API is easy to integrate so that fintechs and enterprises alike can save resources and fully focus on their core business.‍

Upvest is one of the few fintechs in Europe that can provide its B2B clients with the full range of investment opportunities in the areas of principal broking business, proprietary trading, and safe custody business for traditional securities. The company was founded in 2017 by Martin Kassing and currently employs more than 200 people across Europe. Its latest €100m fundraising round (Series C) was led by Hedosophia and Sapphire Venture, with continued support from existing investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, BlackRock, Earlybird, HV Capital, Motive Ventures, and Notion Capital.

We currently employ 240+ people across Europe with our headquarters based in Berlin, Germany, and hubs in Tallinn, Estonia, and London, UK. We would consider hiring a hybrid setup with regular travels to Berlin for this role. If you do want to move to one of our hubs, we’re happy to support your relocation.

You own Data & AI @Upvest

As the Investment API category leader in Europe, we are continuing our path of growth and expansion - with our API product at its core. To succeed, we're looking for a Director of Engineering, Data & AI to own the entire Data & AI function at Upvest. This is a critical leadership role where you'll be responsible for refining and executing our data strategy, building and scaling our data and AI platforms, and driving tangible business value.

You'll lead all aspects of our data ecosystem, from foundational data architecture and engineering to advanced AI/ML product delivery, ensuring everything operates within the strict requirements of a regulated financial services environment. This role requires a unique blend of deep technical expertise, strategic business acumen, and exceptional people leadership.

Build, lead and grow a team

As our Director of Engineering, Data & AI, you'll build, lead, and grow a high-performance, inclusive team of data engineers and analysts. You'll be a hands-on leader, mentoring your team, setting high technical standards, and fostering a culture of ownership and collaboration. Your leadership will be pivotal in scaling our team from scratch and aligning them with cross-functional partners like Engineering, Product, Compliance, Risk, and Finance to deliver on our company-wide goals.

Role requirements:

Experience & Expertise:

• Extensive experience in Data and AI, including a proven track record leading technical teams.

• Proven experience in a regulated fintech, finance, or banking environment, preferably B2B, with a deep understanding of API-first SaaS offerings.

• Hands-on experience designing and implementing a modern data stack (e.g. Kafka, Spark, Flink, Airflow, Dagster).

Technical & Product Skills:

• Demonstrated track record of shipping multiple Data and AI systems into production with clear ROI.

• Deep understanding of data modeling, data contracts, and data observability.

• Proficiency in designing low-latency inference pipelines and secure deployment patterns.

Leadership & Collaboration:

• Proven experience leading and scaling a multi-disciplinary team of 5+ people across data engineering, ML and analytics.

• Exceptional ability to build and align high-performing, inclusive teams.

• Strong communication skills to align with cross-functional stakeholders (Ops, Product, Engineering, Compliance, Risk, Finance) and influence executive decisions.

Location & Availability:

• Preferred start date ASAP.

• Primary location preference for Berlin, with London, Tallinn, and a hybrid European model also considered.

What you can expect from this role:

• Significant Impact & strategic influence: You will have end-to-end ownership of the Data & AI function, directly influencing our product roadmap and business strategy. Also, you'll be a key voice in engineering leadership discussions, translating a technical vision into a clear, executable enterprise-wide strategy.

• An exceptional team: Upvengers are one of a kind when it comes to combining impactful work with a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Across the board, we have established strong practices around feedback, team health and social events resulting in constantly high eNPS.

• Continuous learning: The complex yet fascinating field of investments, building an API product on a state-of-the-art tech stack, and working with the most relevant fintechs and financial institutions provide for an incredibly rewarding learning experience. It is a great opportunity if you aspire to grow professionally and personally.

Why Upvest?

• We're working on solving a hard problem: fixing the European investment infrastructure that empowers more people to be able to invest. You have the opportunity to contribute to this change.

• We invest in you. From access to a personal coach, development budget and plenty of opportunities to grow in your role.

• We take hiring seriously with a strong focus on keeping a high bar when interviewing (equally important is that we hire decent people, who are passionate about their craft and helping us achieve our shared mission).

• While we're not quite fully-remote, we are committed to being a flexible employer, as we understand you don't have to be in the office to do your best work.

• We live in a culture of empowerment, trust (that we hire the best people and get out of their way) and openness (there's a greater advantage in sharing information than keeping it to ourselves).

Our values

• Make it easy for others. We simplify the complex and act with the best intentions.

• Own the outcome. We are proactive, fast and confident to get the job done, valuing progress over perfection.

• Rise to the challenge. We aim high and push the boundaries. We stay curious, learn and celebrate our wins together.

• Tell the story. We start with the Why to align on purpose. We are transparent and share knowledge to empower and inspire others.

Upvest is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees