Senior AI Engineer (m/f/d)

Excited about AI?

At ZDF Sparks, we focus on making AI tangible, turning complex ideas into reliable, scalable tools for the media industry. We are looking for a Senior AI Engineer (m/f/d) in Full-time (40h) who is ready to lead, build, and inspire at the intersection of cutting-edge AI and real-world media consultancy.

You will be part of a high-impact team in Berlin (hybrid setup) , shaping the technical direction of our AI Engineering practice. The position is initially limited to 2 years with the option of extension and starts at the earliest possible date.

Your Role

As a Senior AI Engineer (m/f/d) at ZDF Sparks, you won't just be delivering solutions, you will be setting the standard:

• Lead & Grow: You lead AI idea generation, product design, and requirement definitions for complex media industry challenges and you actively grow the next generation of engineers, supporting career paths from junior to senior level while role modeling a positive, agency-style engineering culture.
• Own it End-to-End: You design scientifically state-of-the-art AI products with the ability to evaluate success, ROI, and risks before a project kicks off, architected with a strong understanding of varying levels of technical sovereignty, including diverse cloud environments.
• Build & Modernize: You design, review, implement, and modernize data systems and algorithms from data analytics to advanced AI/ML solutions and customize and fine-tune AI models (e.g., text and image generation) for diverse real-world applications across text, image, audio, and video.
• Make AI Explainable: You open-source algorithms and translate complex AI logic into something meaningful for larger audiences and non-technical stakeholders.
• Stay Ahead: You have an inherent passion for following the latest developments in generative AI, computer vision, and recommender systems and you bring that curiosity to everything you do.
• Bridge Builder: You collaborate with cross-functional teams, including non-technical media experts, to integrate AI solutions into real business processes.
• Communicate with Impact: You break down complex technical solutions and make them accessible and actionable for non-technical media professionals.

Your Profile

We're looking for a Senior Engineer (m/f/d) with a builder mindset and a passion for people as much as for technology:

• 5+ years of experience in Python-based software and ML engineering, including data processing, model development, and production-grade application design.
• Deep expertise in modern ML/DL frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, HuggingFace) and classical ML tooling (scikit-learn), with a strong foundation in feature engineering, model evaluation, and performance optimization.
• Proven experience architecting and deploying LLM-powered applications, including RAG pipelines, agentic workflows, and conversational AI systems using frameworks such as LangChain or comparable tooling.
• Solid cloud engineering skills (AWS, GCP, or Azure), including containerization, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure for scalable AI services.
• Track record of designing and delivering end-to-end AI solutions, from prototyping and API development through to production deployment and monitoring.
• Thrives in a fast-paced consultancy setting, comfortable balancing client-facing advisory work with hands-on technical delivery in a rapidly evolving AI landscape, including the ability to identify opportunities, shape AI solution proposals, and contribute to business development efforts.
• Experience leading, mentoring, and growing engineers: you define technical direction, conduct code reviews, and foster a culture of excellence.
• Self-directed and solutions-oriented: you identify key challenges and independently explore paths forward without waiting for structured tasks.
• Excellent communication skills in English and German.

Our Commitment To You

ZDF Sparks is a workplace for curious, ambitious, and collaborative AI trendsetters who are excited about working on new and continuously changing customer challenges. We proudly embrace diversity and enjoy working in fast-paced, cross-functional, and multicultural teams.
Our hybrid work model is designed to support personal flexibility and creativity, enabling a healthy work-life balance . We offer flexible working hours and a hybrid setup to accommodate any personal circumstances.
In our centrally located Berlin top-floor office , we enjoy modern spaces with ergonomic workstations grouped to facilitate personal exchange and knowledge sharing, as well as closed rooms for larger meetings and quiet work.
We network with our ZDF office partners and visitors over lunches, talks, and afterwork get-together events and engage in fun team activities during regular company events.
To support your professional growth, we offer opportunities for further education through (external) regular workshops, hackathons, and networking events.
Additionally, we provide a professional development budget (per employee) for conferences, certifications, or external courses.
You will have 30 days of vacation to recharge (plus off on Christmas Eve and New Years eve). We also fully cover the cost of the Deutschland-Jobticket to support your commute.

Our Values

At ZDF Sparks, our values are the cornerstone of everything we do:

• Transparent: We believe in clear, open communication both within our team and with our clients. Your insights and knowledge will be valued and shared to drive collective success.
• Fun: We believe that work should be enjoyable and fulfilling. At ZDF Sparks, we maintain a light-hearted atmosphere with humor and a relaxed communication style among colleagues. This fosters a positive environment where everyone feels comfortable and motivated to contribute their best, ensuring our collaborative efforts are both productive and enjoyable.
• Diverse: Our strength lies in our diverse team. Different perspectives and backgrounds drive our creativity and innovation, ensuring that our AI solutions are comprehensive and inclusive. By integrating different points of view, our collaborative team develops AI that reflects various experiences and meets the diverse needs of our clients.
• Innovative: We live and breathe innovation, continuously learning and pushing boundaries to deliver cutting-edge AI solutions.

Any Questions?

Your contact person is: Nilofer Qayumi (People Partner & Senior Technical Recruiter)
For any questions about the job advertisement and the application process, please contact [email protected].
We look forward to getting to know you!

• At ZDF Sparks, diversity drives our innovation and strengthens our team. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where every individual feels valued and respected. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, or any other legally protected status.

About us

ZDF Sparks was founded in 2024 - our data experts are an agile team dedicated to the development of AI solutions and algorithms for the media industry. We are focused on consulting, design and implementation of AI services, especially in the areas of algorithms, machine learning and data platforms for planning, communication, distribution and personalization of data and audiovisual content.
We are the perfect place for curious, ambitious and collaborative AI trendsetters who are excited about working on new and changing challenges. We enjoy working in our fast-paced, cross-functional and diverse team where everyone feels comfortable and can fulfill their full potential.