Principal IT Architect (f/m/d)

Your mission

JTL is one of the leading providers of e-commerce software in the German-speaking region — with around 450 employees across the group and more than 50,000 customers across a wide range of industries. We develop scalable, flexible solutions for the online retail of the future, from ERP systems to shop and marketplace integrations.

You’ll join our IT team at its most senior technical level, working closely with other Principals and IT leadership. Together we set the technical standard for the whole organisation — architecture, platforms, and the decisions that are hard to reverse later. You’ll fit in well if you’d rather gain influence through judgement and technical depth than through a reporting line.

This role operates at the highest technical level of the IT team. You take significant ownership of architecture, solution design, and technical quality, and you make sure initiatives are delivered sustainably, at scale, and in line with our IT strategy. This isn’t classic management: your influence comes from technical depth, clear judgement, and the ability to win over teams and stakeholders. Principals at this level shape the organisation’s technical standard together — with a high degree of autonomy in their domains and as equals among peers.

Your profile

• You have 5+ years of experience in a technical leadership role — as an Architect, Tech Lead, or Principal Engineer
• You bring proven architecture expertise in Microsoft environments: M365, Intune, hybrid infrastructures, and Active Directory
• You have a deep understanding of modern architecture patterns: cloud-native, Zero Trust, API-first, and automation
• You lead teams technically without disciplinary authority, and you communicate technical topics clearly and appropriately for technical and non-technical audiences alike
• You factor cost into your technical decisions (TCO, ROI, scaling, vendor lock-in)
• You bring strong reliability and judgement to sensitive, critical work — acting independently on critical systems, escalations, and strategic decisions without constant sign-off
• You are fluent in English and have good working proficiency in German

Nice to Have

• Experience in ERP, e-commerce, or SaaS platform environments
• A background in security architecture (Zero Trust, IAM, compliance requirements)
• Confident use of AI tools to boost productivity and support technical decision-making

Why us?

• Remote-first within Germany, with the option to work remotely from eligible countries for up to 180 days per year
• Meal allowance of up to €112.50 net per month
• Ergonomic workspace allowance for your home office setup
• Regular team events, company-wide gatherings, and summer and Christmas parties to stay connected as a remote-first company
• EGYM Wellpass and JobRad subsidy
• Financial benefits including capital-forming payments (Vermögenswirksame Leistungen) and a company pension scheme