Senior Cloud-Expert GCP (m/w/d)

Build the foundation a whole data organization runs on Data only creates value if the platform beneath it is secure, reliable and easy to use. For an international enterprise operating at large scale, we are building exactly that: a next-generation data platform on Google Cloud. The first building blocks are in place: network, landing zone and permission concept. Now the real work begins. We are forming a new Google Cloud team and looking for three engineers who will take this foundation from “working” to “enterprise-grade,” and who will decide how it evolves from here. You will not be a ticket-taker. You will set the standards that application, data and security teams build on every day. Your internal customers are the data teams, and your success is measured by how fast and how safely they can work. What you will do - Shape and extend the GCP landing zone: organization structure, folder and project hierarchy, organization policies, project factory and guardrails that give teams autonomy without compromising security - Own central networking: Shared VPC, subnet and firewall design, routing, DNS and private connectivity, including Network Connectivity Center - Design IAM and data perimeters: least privilege, groups, service accounts and Workload Identity Federation, plus VPC Service Controls to protect sensitive data - Build everything as code: modular, reusable Terraform/OpenTofu with clean state separation, review and approval in CI/CD, and safe changes that never disrupt running data workloads - Enable the data platform: BigQuery access and cost controls, service accounts, Pub/Sub and Dataflow environments, logging and monitoring - Make the platform self-service: templates, reusable modules, golden paths and documentation, so teams get what they need without waiting for tickets - Keep it running: monitoring, incident response and continuous improvement of platform stability - Work across teams: partner with application, data and security teams, explain your decisions clearly and help others succeed What you bring Must-haves - Hands-on GCP experience in production, not only certifications. You can describe what you built, at what scale and what your own contribution was - Landing zone expertise: you have designed or substantially built a landing zone (Resource Manager, organization policies, project factory) and can explain why it is structured the way it is - Strong networking skills: Shared VPC or comparable central networking, DNS, routing and private connectivity - Solid IAM and security design: least privilege, workload identities, no broad Owner/Editor roles - Terraform or OpenTofu as your main tool: modular, reusable and production-safe, not only basic configuration - Understanding of the data world: you know what BigQuery, Pub/Sub and Dataflow need from the platform (access, cost, perimeters, observability). You don’t build the pipelines, but you understand the teams that do - CI/CD and automation: GitLab CI, GitHub Actions or ArgoCD, plus Python or Bash - At least 80% hands-on work. You like building and fixing things yourself - 5+ years of relevant experience, with recent years in the cloud and ideally in a large or mid-sized enterprise environment - Fluent English. German is a plus Strong plus - VPC Service Controls (at least one of the three hires should bring this) - GKE and Cloud Run - Experience with an on-premises to cloud transition - Google Cloud certifications (e.g. Professional Cloud Architect, Network Engineer, Security Engineer) - Experience with AWS: welcome as a complement, but this role is built on Google Cloud A consulting mindset. You explain, advise and enable. You can turn complex technical topics into clear guidance for other teams. Who this role is probably not for - Pure Kubernetes or application-DevOps profiles - Architects who no longer build themselves - Operations-only profiles - Engineers whose cloud experience is almost entirely outside Google Cloud What we offer - A rare chance to shape a data platform at enterprise scale, early, with real influence on architecture and standards - Work with complex, high-volume data environments and an interesting mix of teams - 30 days of vacation and flexible working hours - Option to work from within the EU for a couple of weeks per year - Central office location with public transport allowance and bike leasing - Mental health program and company pension scheme - Language learning platform, lunch & learn sessions and corporate benefits Interested? Send us your CV or a short message. Tell us about one landing zone or platform you built on Google Cloud and what you are proudest of. That tells us more than any bullet list. Please note: This position requires on-site presence in our Berlin or Hamburg office on 4 days per week, so we are looking for candidates who are based in or willing to relocate to one of these cities. We value diversity and treat all applications equally, regardless of gender, origin, age, religion, disability or sexual orientation.