Scope

The Scientific Developer – Data Engineer will work on digitalization processes in

the paper-making industry (with a focus on tissue, hygiene products and related

processes). The role will work 66% of the time at the industry premises (Porcari) and 33% of

the time at Start Attractor (Pisa).

The role supports Start Attractor in: translating industrial needs (from partners and

clients) into R&D; and innovation projects; identifying and adapting scientific and

technological solutions; supporting the design, modeling, execution, and validation

of experiments, pilot trials, and prototype development.

The role with our industrial partner will be responsible for designing, developing,

maintaining, and evolving data acquisition, integration, transformation, and

orchestration pipelines from corporate and manufacturing systems. This role will

contribute to the development and evolution of the company’s Data Platform and the

data components supporting the company’s Agent Platform, working closely with

vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure data reliability, scalability, quality, and

availability for analytics, reporting, and data/AI solution use cases. In the medium

term, the successful candidate will become the internal point of reference for the

evolutionary maintenance, optimization, and governance of data platforms, including

any architectures supporting AI and agentic solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Technical & Scientific Development: analyze industrial digital challenges and needs;

identify and assess scientific and technological solutions (e-g. equipments.

processes, materials, sensors, automation) that can address those needs; support the

definition of objectives and hypotheses; experimental plans and testing protocols;

development and implementation of data-driven models; technical milestones and

KPIs. Contribute to pilot trials and experimental campaigns in collaboration with

industrial partners and research labs (design of tests, data collection, first-level

analysis); draft technical notes, reports, presentations and data storytelling

summarizing results, risks and next steps.

Activity with our industrial partner: design, develop, and maintain robust, scalable

ETL/ELT pipelines,



integrate data from heterogeneous sources, including enterprise

databases, manufacturing systems, files, APIs, and data streams, model and structure

data for data warehouse, data lake, or lakehouse environments, ensure data quality,

consistency, traceability, and reliability; monitor ingestion and transformation

workflows, addressing anomalies, bottlenecks, and performance issues.Collaborate with IT teams, vendors, analysts, and data/AI professionals to translate

business requirements into effective technical solutions.

Support the evolution of the Data Platform and data components serving the Agent

Platform, in line with security, governance, and maintainability principles.

Maintain technical documentation, development standards, and operational best

practices.

Required Qualifications and Experience

a. Master’s degree (or PhD preferred) in Computer Science, Data Science, Computer

Engineering or related STEM disciplines;

b. 3–5 years of experience in similar roles;

c. cloud, data engineering or Big Data certifications are a plus;

d. international experience is a plus.

Key Skills and Competencies

Technical Skills: excellent knowledge of relational and NoSQL databases; proficiency

in SQL and Python; experience designing ETL/ELT pipelines and data integration

processes; knowledge of data modeling and modern data architectures, including

Data Warehouses, Data Lakes, and Lakehouses; experience with data engineering

tools and frameworks such as Spark, Databricks, Delta Lake, Parquet, Airflow, or

equivalent technologies. Familiarity with cloud environments such as Azure, AWS, or

GCP and their related data services. Knowledge of code versioning tools such as Git

and, preferably, CI/CD practices. Experience in monitoring data processes, data

quality, logging, and troubleshooting. Knowledge of data governance principles, data

security, and access management.





The following skills are a plus: experience with streaming data, such as Kafka or

similar technologies. Knowledge of dbt, Docker, Kubernetes, or Terraform. Experience

in industrial/manufacturing environments and data integration from factory systems.

Familiarity with platforms or architectures supporting AI/ML or agentic use cases.

Soft Skills: strong analytical thinking and problem-solving attitude; ability to explain

complex technical concepts in a clear and accessible way to non-specialists;

collaborative, with a team-oriented and cross-functional approach in multidisciplinary

environments; proactive attitude and operational autonomy, curious and open to

explore new technologies and cross-sector solutions; attention to quality,

documentation, and continuous improvement; high standards of integrity,

confidentiality and professional ethics.

Language and Communication: very good written and spoken English (for

international partners, documentation, and presentations); good working knowledge

of Italian.

What we offer

a. The opportunity to work at the intersection of industry, research and startups in

one of Italy’s most important sectors, collaborating closely with major industrial

partners and the University of Pisa;

b. involvement in high-impact innovation projects, from early concept through pilots

and industrial scaling;

c. a dynamic, flexible environment where scientific and technical skills are central to

the mission;

d. employment contract in line with the Italian National Collective Agreement for the

Commerce sector (CCNL Commercio);

e. compensation consistent with skills and experience;

f. professional development opportunities in innovation, project management and

technology transfer, in addition to technical specialization.

Contact

For any additional information send an email at [email protected]

Start Attractor is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants

for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex,

sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age.

Retribuzione: a partire da €24.442,23 all'anno

Sede di lavoro: Di persona

📌 Scientific Developer - Data Engineer (Porcari)
🏢 Fondazione Start Attractor
📍 Porcari