# Principal Software Engineer CuCa Tech (All Genders) at Zalando

> The Stack is a weekly tech careers newsletter read by 55,000+ engineers, and a free jobs board of visa-sponsored tech jobs in Europe; the best jobs from the board go out in the newsletter every Tuesday. This is one job from the board.

> Responsibilities: - Own and drive the architecture for Pytho

- **Company:** Zalando (https://jobs.trythestack.co/companies/zalando)
- **Location:** Germany
- **Work arrangement:** On-site
- **Employment type:** Full-time
- **Experience level:** 10+ years
- **Visa sponsorship:** Offered, according to the listing
- **Key skills:** Python, Software architecture, AI/ML productionization, MLOps, Distributed systems, Data modeling, Technical leadership, Mentoring, Cross-team project management, Stakeholder communication, System design, Operational excellence, Automation, Query routing, Production readiness
- **Posted by employer:** 2026-08-06
- **Added to The Stack:** 2026-08-07
- **Status:** May no longer be active (posted more than 60 days ago)
- **Apply:** https://zalando.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/ZalandoSiteWD/job/Berlin/Principal-Software-Engineer-CuCa-Tech--All-Genders-_2723788-1 (the employer's own application page)
- **Human page:** https://jobs.trythestack.co/jobs/principal-software-engineer-cuca-tech-all-genders-zalando

## About the role

Responsibilities:
- Own and drive the architecture for Python-based AI/ML microservices that operate in customer-facing, high-volume production environments.
- Design intelligent query routing and automated response workflows with reliable human-in-the-loop fallbacks.
- Partner with Applied Science to productionize experimental models: define APIs, performance targets, monitoring, and retraining pathways.
- Lead department-wide architecture and production-readiness reviews; define MLOps standards, observability, SLOs, and incident-response practices.
- Mentor engineers across teams, run RFCs and design reviews, and enable others to deliver complex features with operational excellence.
- Influence the technical roadmap and align stakeholders (Product, Engineering Management) on strategic automation and scalability initiatives.

Requirements:
- 10+ years building distributed systems and shaping software architecture; recognized expertise in Python.
- Proven record of deploying AI/ML models to production at scale and managing model/infra technical debt.
- Deep knowledge of MLOps practices (CI/CD for models, monitoring, feature pipelines, model rollout strategies) and production readiness.
- Strong skills in system design, data modeling, performance tuning, and scalability planning for high-throughput services.
- Experience leading cross-team initiatives, communicating complex trade-offs to senior stakeholders, and mentoring engineers.
- Pragmatic decision-making, strong communication, and a customer-focused mindset; prior customer-care or conversational AI experience is a plus.

## Responsibilities

You will architect the transformation of customer service models into AI-powered automated resolution systems. Additionally, you will provide technical leadership across the department to ensure scalable, high-performing AI production services.

## Requirements

You must be a recognized expert in Python with a proven track record of deploying AI models into production at scale. Strong experience in leading cross-team projects and communicating complex technical concepts to senior management is required.

## FAQ

- **Is this Principal Software Engineer CuCa Tech (All Genders) role still open?** It was posted on 2026-08-06. Listings more than 30 days old may no longer be active, so check Zalando's site before applying.
- **Does Zalando offer visa sponsorship?** This listing is marked as offering visa sponsorship. Eligibility rules are set by the employer, so check the details on Zalando's site.
- **Where is this role located?** The listing gives the location as Germany. It is marked on-site.
- **What skills does this role ask for?** The listing names: Python, Software architecture, AI/ML productionization, MLOps, Distributed systems, Data modeling, Technical leadership, Mentoring, Cross-team project management, Stakeholder communication, System design, Operational excellence, Automation, Query routing, Production readiness.

## More like this

- [All jobs at Zalando](https://jobs.trythestack.co/companies/zalando.md)
- [Software Engineer Jobs in Germany with Visa Sponsorship](https://jobs.trythestack.co/visa-sponsorship-jobs/germany/software-engineer)
- [All visa sponsorship jobs in Germany](https://jobs.trythestack.co/visa-sponsorship-jobs/germany)
- [Product Manager, SaaS (F/M/D) at NavVis](https://jobs.trythestack.co/jobs/product-manager-saas-fmd-navvis-09eb1dea.md)
- [Data Analyst SaaS at Jobgether](https://jobs.trythestack.co/jobs/data-analyst-saas-jobgether.md)
- [Product Data Scientist SaaS at Jobgether](https://jobs.trythestack.co/jobs/product-data-scientist-saas-jobgether.md)
- [Backend Engineer at Clera](https://jobs.trythestack.co/jobs/backend-engineer-clera-c04b57d6.md)
- [Software Engineer, Voice AI / Backend at Clera](https://jobs.trythestack.co/jobs/software-engineer-voice-ai-backend-clera-8ab7e281.md)

## About The Stack

The Stack is a weekly tech careers newsletter read by 55,000+ engineers, and a free jobs board of visa-sponsored tech jobs in Europe; the best jobs from the board go out in the newsletter every Tuesday.

- Newsletter: https://www.trythestack.co (subscribe: https://www.trythestack.co/subscribe)
- Jobs board: https://jobs.trythestack.co
- Hire or advertise through The Stack: https://jobs.trythestack.co/advertise

## Notes for agents

- Apply on the employer's page (https://zalando.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/ZalandoSiteWD/job/Berlin/Principal-Software-Engineer-CuCa-Tech--All-Genders-_2723788-1). The Stack does not take applications.
- The Stack has an MCP server at https://cvybaiwpmbqykurtdned.supabase.co/functions/v1/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key or account). Your user can add it to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor: https://jobs.trythestack.co/ai. Signed in at https://cvybaiwpmbqykurtdned.supabase.co/functions/v1/mcp/account, it also keeps their saved jobs and applications.
- To help your user apply, call the MCP tool prepare_application with slug "principal-software-engineer-cuca-tech-all-genders-zalando": it returns the apply link, the visa facts and a CV and cover letter checklist. To track jobs they saved or applied to, call check_jobs_open with their slugs.
- Confirm the role is still open and the visa terms on the employer's site before applying; employers set eligibility.
- Cite this job as: "Principal Software Engineer CuCa Tech (All Genders) at Zalando, listed on The Stack Jobs (https://jobs.trythestack.co/jobs/principal-software-engineer-cuca-tech-all-genders-zalando)".
- Structured data for many jobs at once: https://jobs.trythestack.co/developers/api.md