AI Strategy & Automation Lead (m/f/d)

Not just keeping e-commerce up and running, but radically simplifying daily work life through Generative AI and smart automation? At benuta, you are the strategic mind who eliminates manual routine tasks and transforms unused efficiency potential into real business impact. We are not resting on our success as the European market leader – AI is already a lived reality in first areas for us. Now we want to systematically reduce complexity across all departments. In this single-person role, you have full ownership, operate without bureaucratic loops, and drive AI adoption directly with C-level. If you're eager to do real pioneering work and make the work noticeably easier for the entire team, then this is your next challenge!

Your Responsibilities

• Identify and Prioritize Use Cases: You will build a portfolio of AI and automation use cases, prioritize them by business impact and feasibility, and align the roadmap with the COO and CEO.

• Independent Work: You will actively collaborate with employees from product development, design, category management, purchasing, sales, customer service, logistics, and management. You will understand their workflows and identify where AI saves time, improves quality, or creates new opportunities.

• Set and Track Strategic Goals: Together with C-level, you will formulate clear KPI goals for each area and manage their implementation through quarterly targets.

• Build Solutions with the Right AI Tools: You will work with leading AI platforms (Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Google Gemini) as well as workflow and automation tools (n8n, Make, Zapier, or similar). Where platform integration is necessary, you will define the requirements and work closely with the Head of Platform Engineering.

• Knowledge Transfer and Empowerment: You will train employees in the safe and productive use of AI tools, build an internal AI champion network, and ensure that the specialist departments can work with them independently.

• Governance and Data Protection: You will define the internal rules of engagement for the use of AI – data classification, GDPR compliance, IP protection – in close coordination with IT and management.

Examples of application areas at benuta:

• Design and Product Development: AI-generated rug designs and pattern variations that turn into real products – analogous to the staging imagery that we already produce entirely with AI support today.

• Customer Service: Classification and pre-drafting of tickets, reduction of manual standard replies, faster response times.

• Category and Purchasing: Assortment analyses, competitor monitoring, AI-supported supplier and contract reviews.

• Internal Knowledge and Employee Productivity: AI knowledge agent for all employees based on internal documents, processes, and contracts; AI-supported standard automations across all departments.

Your Profile

• In-depth AI & Practical Expertise: You bring 5 to 8 years of relevant professional experience, including at least 2 to 3 years in the practical, demonstrably productive implementation of Generative AI and LLM-based solutions in a corporate context.

• Mandatory E-Commerce Experience: You know the levers, core processes, and dynamics of modern D2C or mid-sized e-commerce from your own experience and know exactly where AI delivers the highest added value.

• Senior Tech & Tool Skills: You master prompt engineering, agentic workflows, and RAG patterns at a top level and are absolutely proficient in using n8n, Make, or Zapier as well as basic API logic.

• Entrepreneurial Process Thinking: You have a sharp eye for processes, think strongly ROI-driven, and only implement projects that provide clear, measurable commercial benefits.

• Strong Builder Mentality: You are characterized by the highest degree of personal responsibility and initiative. You don't need rigid guidelines; instead, you drive topics forward proactively and hands-on.

• Strong Communication Skills & Language Proficiency: You possess the ability to communicate complex AI topics understandably both at the C-level and at the employee level (e.g., in logistics or accounting). You communicate absolutely fluently in German and proficiently in English.

Your Benefits

• Impact & Freedom to Shape: You report directly to the COO, work closely with the CEO, and benefit from short paths and quick decisions.

• Presence & Flexibility: Our focus is on working together on-site at our campus. For the necessary flexibility in your daily planning – whether for personal appointments or undisturbed work – we offer you an annual allowance of 26 home office days.

• Our New Campus "benuta One": You won't be working in just any office. From mid-2027, we will move into our brand-new, state-of-the-art corporate campus, which is designed to make working on-site enjoyable – with state-of-the-art workstations, modern meeting rooms, and plenty of space for real team spirit.

• Your Mobility: No matter how you get to us, we support you. You have the choice between a subsidized job ticket or a fuel card. Additionally, we offer company bike leasing (JobRad), e-charging stations on-site, and good public transport connections.

• All-Round Catering: We fuel you daily. Your breakfast is entirely on us, and for lunch breaks, we offer you a subsidized meal option. We also provide fresh fruit at all times, as well as free coffee, oat milk, and a selection of cold drinks.

• Time for Relaxation: You receive 28 days of vacation and benefit from our flexible flextime model. Christmas and New Year's Eve are generally non-working days for us and do not count against your vacation balance.

• Your Development & Culture: Structured onboarding from day one, flat hierarchies, and plenty of scope for your own ideas support you in your next career step. By the way: With us, it's come as you are – and your dog is also warmly welcome in the office!

Sounds like your next match? We prefer pragmatic applications: Send us your CV and a brief description of 1 to 2 AI use cases that you have already implemented productively – this tells us more than a classic cover letter.

Your contact person is Sonja Bialas (Team Lead HR).

*At benuta, people and their motivation count – regardless of gender, origin, religion, or sexual orientation. Applications from people with severe disabilities or those with equal status will be given preferential consideration in case of equal suitability.

About benuta

Since 2008, we have been revolutionizing European carpet and home & living e-commerce from Bonn. With over 100 million euros in revenue, state-of-the-art AI-supported product staging, and customers in 17 countries, we combine the security of an established market leader with the drive and flat hierarchies of a digital pioneer. Our goal is simple: to make every home even more beautiful. Become part of our team and help us inspire even more people for our products.