About this role
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.