Continental is a leading tire manufacturer and industry specialist that develops and produces sustainable, safe and convenient solutions for automotive manufacturers as well as industrial and end customers worldwide. Founded in 1871, the company generated sales of €39.7 billion in 2024 and currently employs around 95,000 people in 54 countries and markets.
ContiTech is one of the world’s leading industry specialists. The Continental group sector offers its customers connected, environment-friendly, safe and convenient industry and service solutions using a range of materials for off-highway applications, on rails and roads, in the air, under and above the ground, in industrial environments, for the food sector and the furniture industry. With about 39,000 employees in more than 40 countries and sales of some 6.4 billion euros (2024), the global industrial partner is active with core branches in Asia, Europe and North and South America.
Job DescriptionThe Global Team Lead Compute & Cloud Platforms is responsible for ensuring stable, secure, and cost‑efficient operations of all compute, storage, virtualization/container and cloud services while leading a global team and external providers. The role drives the transformation from on‑premise environments toward a modern, scalable, and financially optimized hybrid‑ and cloud‑focused infrastructure. A key objective is to provide structured guidance, clear governance, and proactive consulting to plants, competence centers, and business stakeholders. Ultimately, the position ensures that the organization gains flexibility, resilience, and transparency across all compute and cloud platforms during an ambitious modernization journey.
• Lead and develop a global team of 10 internal highly qualified IT experts spread over multiple continents, cultures and timezones globally
• Oversee the end to end operation and lifecycle management of platforms including: Windows Server, Linux Server, Oracle & SQL Databases, Storage Platforms, Backup & Recovery, AWS & Azure Cloud, Kubernetes Containers, Citrix, Virtualization Layer, on-prem Data Center
• Ensure and steer stable and secure day to day operations in cooperation with managed service responsible for L2 and partially L3 operations.
• Drive incident, problem, and change management processes according to defined SLAs and compliance requirements.
• Define and execute the strategic roadmap for compute, storage, and cloud platforms with a focus on cloud-first, automation, and modernization.
• Lead a major transformation and optimization program targeting: Increased cost efficiency, higher flexibility and scalability and progressive cloud adoption while maintaining on premise stability during transition
• Drive consolidation, standardization, and harmonization of platforms across regions.
• Identify and implement opportunities for automation, orchestration, and service integration.
• Serve as a primary advisor to plants, competence centers, and business units regarding infrastructure and cloud solutions.
• Establish clear processes, standards, and governance to ensure high service quality and transparency
• Ensure all platforms follow corporate security standards, patches, disaster recovery readiness, continuity strategies and compliance requirements,
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement within the team by being a role model
• Ensure effective workload distribution, prioritization, and operational discipline across all team members and partners.
• Provide regular financial forecast and budget and execute cost control strategies
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or Related equivalent work experience.
• Excellent english skills applied in business context, German is a plus
• Certification is a plus: VMware Certified Professional (VCP) , Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE), Azure/AWS Solutions Architect Expert, or equivalent experience
• 8+ years of professional experience in IT infrastructure, compute platforms, or cloud ITIL-based operations.
• Experience working in complex IT environment with manufacturing plants, working closely with IT customers and managing service providers
• Experience with leading a distributed team of highly qualified IT egineers/consultants from different locations and cultures
• In‑depth knowledge of Windows Server, Linux Server, virtualization technologies (VMware/Hyper‑V), databases (Oracle & SQL), storage systems, backup & recovery solutions, and Citrix environments.
• Strong hands‑on understanding of AWS and Azure cloud platforms, hybrid infrastructure architectures, cloud governance, and cost‑management models.
• Proven experience managing virtual machine environments and datacenter operations, ideally within a European or multi‑regional setup.
• Practical knowledge of container platforms (e.g., Kubernetes) and modern automation/orchestration tools.
• Experience ensuring compliance, security standards, and risk management in critical IT environments
• Several years of experience leading and developing technical teams in a global or distributed environment.
• Demonstrated success in driving large‑scale infrastructure transformations (e.g., on‑prem to cloud migration, virtualization modernization, platform consolidation).
• Experience implementing cost‑efficiency measures, operational optimization, and standardization programs.
• Ability to define and execute strategic roadmaps for infrastructure and cloud services.
Ready to drive with Continental? Take the first step and fill in the online application.