Senior Technical Specialist

Job Summary

Bayer AG, Enterprise Data & Analytics, is seeking a highly experienced Data Catalog Engineering and Architecture professional to support data governance by shaping the enterprise data catalog - currently implemented on Collibra - across Bayer Functions and Divisions. The requestor is Philip Windmueller, Data and AI Stewardship, Bayer AG.

The ideal candidate combines strong Collibra platform expertise with data engineering capabilities and is able to transform data governance concepts, requirements, and architectural blueprints into reliable, production-ready data catalog solutions. The individual is expected to work effectively within Bayer's existing architectural framework, collaborate closely with Data Stewards and the governance organization, validate proposed approaches, and contribute hands-on to successful implementation and operationalization.

This is not a consulting or advisory role - we are looking for an engineer who can actively design, validate, build, and deliver within Bayer's Collibra ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

Solution Design, Validation & Implementation

• Participate in the design of enterprise-scale data catalog solutions and capabilities.
• Challenge and validate technical concepts, assumptions, and implementation approaches.
• Translate architectural blueprints into practical and scalable Collibra-based implementations.
• Drive solution realization from initial concept through production deployment.
• Identify implementation risks, technical constraints, and optimization opportunities early in the delivery process.
• Ensure solutions are aligned with established architecture standards and Bayer's governance guardrails.
• Convert business and governance requirements into maintainable, production-ready data catalog solutions.

What Good Looks Like: Equally comfortable discussing governance architecture concepts, validating Collibra solution approaches, and implementing them through API configurations, pipelines, workflows, and deployment activities.

Data Catalog Capability Delivery

• Manage Data Domains, Concepts, and Data Products within the Collibra catalog.
• Configure and maintain Data Ownership structures and stewardship workflows.
• Implement and manage Reference Data within Collibra.
• Design and operate Data Quality management capabilities within the catalog.
• Build maintainable and reusable data governance assets and implementation patterns.
• Establish monitoring, operational controls, and support processes for catalog capabilities.
• Contribute to data catalog standards and reusable implementation patterns across the enterprise.

Enterprise Data Engineering

• Design, develop, test, deploy, and operate enterprise-grade data solutions supporting catalog use cases.
• Implement secure, scalable, and auditable data pipelines and metadata ingestion workflows.
• Build integrations between Collibra and data platforms (Databricks, Azure Storage, Unity Catalog).
• Optimize performance, quality, reliability, security, and cost efficiency of delivered solutions.
• Ensure solutions can be successfully transitioned into long-term operations.

Business & Governance Partnership

• Understand Bayer's data governance framework, processes, and stewardship model.
• Collaborate with Data Governors, Data Stewards, Architects, and Engineers.
• Evaluate solution alternatives and support technical decision making.
• Contribute to the definition of governance capabilities, services, and catalog integrations.
• Drive pragmatic solutioning while balancing governance needs, architecture principles, and technical constraints.
• Communicate effectively across technical and non-technical audiences including senior data stewards.

What Good Looks Like: Bridges the gap between data governance requirements and technical implementation - translating stewardship needs into working Collibra configurations and integrations.

Multi-Team & Multi-Vendor Delivery

• Operate effectively within complex organizational environments.
• Collaborate with global delivery teams, internal Bayer organizations, and external service providers.
• Integrate seamlessly into existing team structures and ways of working.
• Work constructively within governance and architectural guardrails provided by Bayer Data Stewardship.
• Partner effectively with peers across Functions, Divisions, ED&A, and external vendors.

DevOps & Operational Excellence

• Work within Agile and DevOps delivery models.
• Utilize Azure DevOps for planning, backlog management, sprint execution, and delivery coordination.
• Participate actively in implementation, testing, deployment, and operational handover activities.
• Support CI/CD, monitoring, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure solutions are supportable, maintainable, and operationally sustainable.

Skill Requirements

Must Have

• Collibra API & Concepts - Core platform - Collibra configuration, workflow design, API integration, data domain and stewardship model implementation. Hands-on engineering experience is mandatory.

• Databricks - Data platform integration with Collibra - pipelines, metadata ingestion, and catalog connectivity.

• SQL - Data querying, transformation, and metadata management across relational and analytical platforms.

• Python - Pipeline development, metadata automation, and Collibra API scripting. Production-grade experience required.

• Git / GitHub - Source control, branching strategy, code review, and version management within team delivery.

Good to Have

• Unity Catalog - Databricks-native governance layer - integration with Collibra for lineage, access control, and metadata management.

• Azure Storage Services - ADLS / Azure Blob for data layer; familiarity with Azure Key Vault and storage security patterns.

• REST / SOAP APIs - Integration of Collibra with external systems - data ingestion, lineage federation, and governance automation.

• Monitoring & Observability Tooling - Operational monitoring of catalog workflows, data quality metrics, and pipeline health.

Other Requirements

Soft Skills & Personal Attributes

• Excellent spoken and written Business English.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders, including senior Data Stewards.
• Comfortable working in multinational, distributed, and multi-vendor teams.
• Analytically structured, delivery-oriented, and pragmatic in decision making.
• Able to build trusted working relationships quickly across organizational and vendor boundaries.
• Open to challenge and constructive feedback; comfortable in complex and ambiguous environments.

Experience & Seniority Requirements

• Senior or Expert-level Collibra experience - proven in enterprise-scale data governance programmes.
• Proven track record implementing Collibra data catalog capabilities end-to-end.
• Experience integrating Collibra with modern data platforms (Databricks, Azure, Unity Catalog preferred).
• Strong understanding of enterprise data governance, stewardship, and metadata management.
• Experience working within governed enterprise environments with audit and compliance requirements.
• Experience collaborating closely with Data Governors, Stewards, and cross-functional delivery teams.
• Demonstrated success operating in multinational and multi-vendor organizations.
• Ability to rapidly integrate into existing teams and contribute value with minimal ramp-up.

Success Criteria

The selected candidate can independently:

• Design and implement enterprise-grade Collibra data catalog capabilities.
• Translate governance requirements into working, production-ready solutions.
• Manage Data Domains, Data Ownership, Reference Data, and Data Quality within Collibra.
• Build and maintain integrations between Collibra and Bayer's data platforms.
• Deliver secure, compliant, and auditable catalog solutions.
• Collaborate effectively with Data Stewards, Architects, and Engineering teams.
• Support operational sustainability and long-term maintainability of delivered capabilities.