The Software & Services (SAS) Competence Centre is looking for a Software & AI Solutions Architect to help bridge the gap between research innovation and operational digital solutions.

VITO has strong expertise in data science, AI, and scientific modelling. As new models, algorithms, and AI techniques emerge from research projects, the challenge increasingly lies in transforming these innovations into reliable, scalable, and maintainable solutions that can create long-term impact. We are looking for a senior architect who can help define how software, AI, and data-driven solutions are engineered, integrated, and operated across the organization.

You will join a multidisciplinary team of software engineers, DevOps specialists, analysts, and project managers who support VITO's research units in bringing scientific innovations into practice. Together, we build the software platforms, applications, services, and engineering foundations that allow research results to be used by industry, policymakers, and society.

Our expertise spans application development, software engineering support, DevOps, cloud-native platforms, and operationalization of data science and AI solutions. We focus on software quality, reproducibility, scalability, maintainability, and security, ensuring that innovative research can evolve into sustainable operational solutions.

What will you do?

You will act as a senior architect and trusted advisor across VITO's software and AI landscape, with a strong focus on operationalization and software engineering excellence.

Your responsibilities include:

• Defining architectural principles and engineering standards that help research software evolve into robust operational solutions.
• Taking a cross-organizational view of VITO's software portfolio and identifying opportunities for alignment, reuse, and standardization.
• Designing the software architecture around AI and data science solutions, including orchestration frameworks, model integration, context management, automation workflows, and agentic AI patterns.
• Advising project teams on software architecture, technology choices, maintainability, scalability, and operational readiness.
• Supporting researchers and engineers in transitioning prototypes and proof-of-concepts towards higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).
• Promoting best practices around CI/CD, testing, containerization, observability, infrastructure automation, and secure software development.
• Helping teams improve software quality, reproducibility, and long-term maintainability while reducing technical debt and unnecessary complexity.
• Contributing to reusable frameworks, reference architectures, and engineering practices that can be applied across multiple projects and domains.

In this role, you will help ensure that VITO's research innovations do not stop at prototypes, but can successfully grow into reliable, scalable, and impactful operational solutions.

Must have

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or equivalent through experience.
• Proven experience in software architecture, solution architecture, or technical leadership roles.
• Strong software engineering background with excellent programming skills and hands-on experience delivering production-grade software systems.
• Experience designing scalable, maintainable, secure, and reliable software solutions in complex environments.
• Experience with containerization, CI/CD practices, infrastructure automation and modern software delivery approaches.
• Understanding AI and data science ecosystems, including the challenges of operationalizing models and AI-driven solutions.
• Ability to translate research prototypes and proof-of-concepts into robust, maintainable and operational solutions.
• Strong understanding of software quality, testing strategies, observability, maintainability and technical debt management.
• Ability to evaluate architectural trade-offs between scalability, performance, maintainability, security, cost, and delivery speed.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to advise, challenge and influence both researchers and engineers.
• Proven ability to build consensus and drive architectural alignment across multiple teams without direct hierarchical authority.
• Fluency in English.

Nice to have

• Experience with MLOps platforms and practices, including model deployment, monitoring, and lifecycle management.
• Experience with LLM-based systems, agentic AI, orchestration frameworks, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) or multi-agent architectures.
• Experience with Kubernetes, cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP), and Infrastructure s Code (IaC).
• Experience with data platforms, data architecture, data governance, and data lifecycle management.
• Experience working in research, innovation, or R&D-driven environments.
• Familiarity with GIS, environmental modelling, or scientific computing or digital twins.
• Experience with HPC environments and large-scale data processing platforms.
• Knowledge of software security, privacy-by-design, secure software development practices and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Experience facilitating architecture reviews, technology governance, and cross-organizational architectural decision-making.
• Experience defining engineering standards, reference architectures, technology roadmaps or organization-wide technology strategies.
• Experience facilitating architecture reviews, technology governance, and cross-organizational architectural decision-making.

Offer

• We operate in an activity‑based way, meaning your work activities guide where you work. Our headquarter is located in Mol, and we anticipate an average onsite presence of about 50%. We also support flexibility: parttime remote work or working from one of our satellite offices in Antwerp‑Berchem, Genk, Ghent, Leuven, Kortrijk or Ostend is possible.
• A competitive salary with a range of benefits, including allowances, insurance, and a modular package of holidays.
• Innovation is our asset, so it goes without saying that we give our employees the opportunity to take additional training courses and stay up-to-date in their field. You will always have the opportunity to broaden your knowledge and discover new technologies.
• You will have the opportunity to be part of an organization with an international reputation, known for its cutting-edge technological research and scientific consultancy.
• With us, you will contribute directly to sustainable developments at a local, national and global level through your innovative applications. You provide answers to contemporary societal challenges.
• Moreover, we highly value a good work-life balance at VITO! This is achieved by adopting a flexible attitude depending on your specific needs.